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UNIT4

PRESENTATION SKILLS

Objective:

To help the students achieve mastery over presentation skills which will definitely equip the
students with an edge in the recruiting process where too much of emphasis is given on the
process of delivery. Here the students will be apprised with the fine nuances of Presentation
skills, Group Discussion skills, building resume, writing Job application with ease and
Interview skills.

Introduction

Presenting information clearly and effectively is a key skill to get your message or opinion
across and, today, presentation skills are required in almost every field. Whether you are a
student, administrator or executive, if you wish to start up your own business, apply for a
grant or stand for an elected position, you may very well be asked to make a presentation.
This can be a very daunting prospect. This chapter is designed to help.

A presentation is a means of communication which can be adapted to various speaking

situations, such as talking to a group, addressing a meeting or briefing a team. To be
effective, step-by-step preparation and the method and means of presenting the
information should be carefully considered. A presentation concerns getting a message
across to the listeners and may often contain a 'persuasive' element, for example a talk

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UNIT 4

PRESENTATION SKILLS

Objective:

To help the students achieve mastery over presentation skills which will definitely equip the
students with an edge in the recruiting process where too much of emphasis is given on the
process of delivery. Here the students will be apprised with the fine nuances of Presentation
skills, Group Discussion skills, building resume, writing Job application with ease and
Interview skills.

Introduction

Presenting information clearly and effectively is a key skill to get your message or opinion
across and, today, presentation skills are required in almost every field. Whether you are a
student, administrator or executive, if you wish to start up your own business, apply for a
grant or stand for an elected position, you may very well be asked to make a presentation.
This can be a very daunting prospect. This chapter is designed to help.
A presentation is a means of communication which can be adapted to various speaking
situations, such as talking to a group, addressing a meeting or briefing a team. To be
effective, step-by-step preparation and the method and means of presenting the
information should be carefully considered. A presentation concerns getting a message
across to the listeners and may often contain a 'persuasive' element, for example a talk
about the positive work of your organization, what you could offer an employer, or why you

should receive additional funding for a project.

BASIC TIPS

Dress smartly: don't let your appearance distract from what you are saying.
Smile. Don't hunch up and shuffle your feet. Have an upright posture. Try to appear
confident and enthusiastic.
Say hello and smile when you greet the audience: your audience will probably look
at you and smile back: an instinctive reaction.
Speak clearly, firmly and confidently as this makes you sound in control. Don't speak
too quickly: you are likely to speed up and raise the pitch of your voice when
nervous. Give the audience time to absorb each point. Don't talk in a monotone the
whole time. Lift your head up and address your words to someone near the back of
audience. If you think people at the back can't hear, ask them.
Use silence to emphasize points. Before you make a key point pause: this tells the
audience that something important is coming. It's also the hallmark of a confident
speaker as only these are happy with silences. Nervous speakers tend to gabble on
trying to fill every little gap.
Keep within the allotted time for your talk.
Eye contact is crucial to holding the attention of your audience. Look at everyone in
the audience from time to time, not just at your notes or at the PowerPoint slides.
Try to involve everyone, not just those directly in front of you.
Walk around a little and gesture with your hands. Bad presenters keep their hands
on the podium or in their pockets! Don't stand in one place glued to the spot hiding
behind the podium! Good presenters will walk from side to side and look at different
parts of the audience.
You could try to involve your audience by asking them a question.
Don't read out your talk, as this sounds boring and stilted, but refer to brief notes
jotted down on small (postcard sized) pieces of card. Don't look at your notes too
much as this suggests insecurity and will prevent you making eye contact with the
audience.
It’s OK to use humour, in moderation, but better to use anecdotes than to rattle off
a string of jokes.
Take along a wristwatch to help you keep track of time – the assessor may cut you
off as soon as you have used the time allocated, whether or not you have finished.
It's normal to be a little nervous. This is a good thing as it will make you more
energized. Many people have a fear of speaking in public. Practicing will make sure
that you are not too anxious. In your mind, visualize yourself giving a confident
successful performance. Take a few deep slow breaths before your talk starts and
make a conscious effort to speak slowly and clearly. Research by T Gilovich (Cornell
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University) found that people who feel embarrassed are convinced their mistakes
are much more noticeable than they really are: we focus on our own behaviour
more than other people do and so overestimate its impact. This is called the
spotlight effect. If you make a mistake, don't apologize too much, just briefly
acknowledge the mistake and continue on.
 Build variety into the talk and break it up into sections: apparently, the average
person has a three minute attention span!

According to Professor Woodcock the flow of presentation should include the mentioned
components.

Any good presentation should have a beginning, middle and an end. Use short sentences.

Consider:

 Who are the audience?

 What points do I want to get across?
 How much time have I got?
 What visual aids are available? Power-point projector? Flip chart? Don't necessarily
use these. Sometimes the best presentations are the most informal.

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Introduction

 Welcome the audience.

 Say what your presentation will be about: the aims and objectives.
 The introduction should catch the attention. Perhaps a provocative statement or a
humorous anecdote:
o “Genetically-modified crops could save millions of people from starvation”
o “The first day of my vacation job went with a bang, but it wasn't my fault that
the microwave exploded.

The Middle should outline your argument or develop your story

 In five minutes you will only have time for two or three main points and allow
everything else to support these. List your main headings and any key phrases you
will use.
 Don't try to say pack too much content in or you will talk non- stop trying to get all
your content and the audience will switch off with information overload long before
the end.
 Use graphics or anecdotes to add variety.

Conclusion

 Briefly summariseyour main points.

 Answer any questions.
 Thank the audience for listening. Look at the audience again, smile and slow down.
 The end should be on a strong or positive note – not tailing away to “..well that's all
I've got to say so thank you very much for listening ladies and gentlemen”. You could
try something along these lines:
o “Hang-gliding is brilliant, so try it – you'll believe a man can fly!”
o “The danger is increasing – if we don't all act soon it could be too late!

The above has been neatly summarised as "Tell them what you will tell them
(introduction), tell them (development), and tell them what you told them (conclusion)"

In preparing your talk, first jot down any interesting points you want to include in your talk,
put these in a logical sequence, then try to find an interesting title, and a good introduction
and ending.

USING POWERPOINT, OVERHEAD PROJECTOR OR FLIP CHART

You may be allowed to use an overhead projector (OHP), data projector, or flip chart as part
of your talk, If you think that you might like to use one, then it's wise to try to practice on
one beforehand so you know what you are doing!

 Before you start check the computer and the lighting: make sure no bright lights are
illuminating the screen.
 Stand to one side of the projector/flip chart, so the audience can see the material.

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 Face and speak to your audience, not the screen. Inexperienced PowerPoint
presenters have their backs to the audience most of the time!
 All too often the slides are just a security blanket for the speaker, not visual aids for
the audience.
 Don't use too many slides: three or four should be sufficient for a short
presentation. For a 15 minute session 8 would be the absolute maximum and
probably less. Don't have too much text on each slide - no more than about 40
words. Each slide should last for at least 2 minutes. The more slides and the more
words on each slide, the less the audience will listen- whereas the less and simpler
slides you have, the better you will communicate. Plan your presentation carefully
and only use slides where they will clarify points.
 Don't try to write too much on each slide: 30 to 40 words in a large font size is
ample for one transparency. Use note form and bullets rather than full sentences. It
is very hard for a member of the audience to read slides and listen simultaneously -
they are unlikely to do doing either well. The best slides contain just one word.
 Slides can contain prompts to remind you of what you will say next.
 Press w to blank the scene or to black it out (pressing any key restores the slides)
when talking about a point which does not require a slide thus reducing the
distraction for the audience.

 Use a large (about 24 point) SANS font such as Verdana

Dark blue on white or
or Lucida Sans. DON'T PUT EVERYTHING IN UPPER CASE
cream gives a good
AS THIS LOOKS CRUDE. Check that the slides are easy to
read from a distance. contrast,
 Use colour and bold for emphasis but don't use too
much colour. Have a good contrast e.g. dark blue text on
whereas red text on a
a cream background.
green background is
 Pictures, especially tables, diagrams and charts are
good. Power-point is excellent for the delivery of harder to read
pictures and diagrams and they will help to break up and
add variety to the long streams of text seen in many
(bad!) presentations.

 A little humour can grab the attention of the audience.

The average PowerPoint
 Don't get carried away with flashy PowerPoint
transition effects as these may distract attention form slide contains 40 words
the content.
 If using PowerPoint use the Format| Apply design
template command. Gives you a wide range of nicely preformatted slide designs to
choose from and saves you a lot of time.
 Write down your main points on a postcard sized piece of card as a prompt and
also as a backup in case the technology
fails!
 Too many bullets can machine gun your
audience to sleep! Good presentations will
have a variety of slides: some with bullets,
some without and many with images and charts. Twenty slides with 5 bullets on

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each means you are trying to get across one hundred points, whereas the average
person will absorb at most 5 points from a presentation.

What is Audience Analysis?

Audience analysis is the process of examining information about your listeners. That
analysis helps you to adapt your message so that your listeners will respond as you wish.
In everyday conversations you adapt your message to your audience. For example, if you
went to a party the night before, you would explain the party differently to your friends
and family. To your best friend you might say, "We partied all night and there were tons
of people there." To your mother you might say, "Oh, I had fun with my friends." And to
your significant other you might say, "It was fun, I had a great bonding time with my
friends." In each of these situations, you are adapting your message to your listening
audience.
There are three phases in audience analysis: adaptation before, during, and after the
speech.

Using the word "A-U-D-I-E-N-C-E" as an acronym we can determine some general audience
analysis categories that these surveys should include.

A nalysis - Who are they? How many will be there?

U nderstanding - What is their knowledge of the subject?

D emographics - What is their age, sex, educational background?

I nterest - Why are they there? Who asked them to be there?

E nvironment - Where will I stand? Can they all see & hear me?

N eeds - What are their needs? What are your needs as the speaker?

C ustomized - What specific needs do you need to address?

E xpectations - What do they expect to learn or hear from you?

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I. Audience Analysis - Adapting to your audience before you speak

When we analyze our audience, there are three ways to do this; demographic analysis,
attitudinal analysis, and environmental analysis.

Examples of Demographic Analysis Questions:

 What is the age of people in the audience?
 Are there significant cultural differences within the
audience?
 What is the educational level of the audience
 How many males and females are there in the audience

Demographic Analysis involves age, gender, culture, ethnicity, race, religion, and
educational level. Aristotle noted more than 2,000 years ago that few things affect a
person's outlook more than his or her age.
As college students we watch the same kinds of shows and listen to the same types of
music and have a common history. We all remember "The Office," Back to the Future,
Lady Gaga, and the Iraq War. These are all things that we have in common. If I were to do
a speech about any one of these topics, I know that I may not have to explain who or
what to an audience of my own age. Age is a very important factor and can be very
helpful in picking a topic.
Gender is another characteristic. It is important to find out the ratio of men to women in
the class. Also, make sure that you do not use any sexist language, stereotypes or make
jokes about gender. If you were to insult men in front of a class of 12 men, then in most
cases these 12 men are not going to listen to you for the rest of your speech. You may
have also lost your credibility.
Culture is the shared knowledge, behavior, attitudes, beliefs, values, and norms of a
group. It is very important to be sensitive to students of other culture's feelings. You may
do or say something that may offend them. Ethnicity is a person's national or religious
heritage. There may be a student from China Town in Chicago, or a student from Little
Italy in New York. A person's race is a person's biological heritage. It is important to learn
as much as possible about these students before your speech, so you are sure not to
offend them or anger them.
Another touchy subject is religion. Be very careful when you speak about different
religions because people feel very strongly about their beliefs.
And finally, the education background of your listeners can help your choice of
vocabulary, language style, and your use of examples. This can help you select and narrow
your topic.
Attitudinal Analysis addresses the audience's attitudes, beliefs, and values.

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 An attitude defines what a person likes or dislikes. When you choose a topic, it is
important to find out your audience's attitudes toward the subject. If you are doing a
speech on rap, does your audience like rap.
 A belief is what you believe to be true or false. You may believe that rap is
destroying the minds of young teenagers.
 And a value is "a person's beliefs or standards." You may value the future and the
young minds that will be running the future. It is very important to find out before
your speech what people's attitudes are about your subject. If you know these three
things, it will be much easier to bring your audience to the responses that you want.

Sample Attitudinal Analysis Questions

 What are the audience's beliefs, and attitudes, toward the topic?
 What are the relevant audience values and motives in regard to this topic?

Environmental Analysis is finding out things like the seating arrangement, the number of
people likely to attend, and the room lighting. The way the seats are arranged will affect
the audience's response. It is also important to know how many people will be there for
the speech. And the way the room is lighted will affect the way the audience responds. If
it is dark and the speaker is showing overheads, there will not be conversation. But if the
room is light and open, the audience may feel more free to talk. The seating arrangement,
the number of people and the room lighting are all factors that will affect the speech.

Sample Environmental Analysis Questions

 How many will be in the audience?

 How will the seating be arranged?
 Will there be a podium? a microphone?
 Will there be noise and distractions?
 Will I have access to A.V. equipment?

Types of Audiences You May Encounter

Neutral

Your audience may be indifferent or not directly involved in the topic you are discussing in
your paper. In this situation, you will want to find a way to get your audience to care or to
become invested without offending them.

Here are some considerations for a neutral audience:

 The audience may be on the fence at this point, so you want to tread carefully when
you are writing.
 Include background information to familiarize the audience with the topic.
 Try to relate to something they may be familiar with to get them to care.

Hostile

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Members of your audience may not always be willing to hear or read what you have to say
about a topic. That's okay. It is impossible to make everyone feel the same way about a
topic.

Here are some considerations for a hostile audience:

 Always consider the ideas and opinions that do not agree with your own.
 Consider who the individuals are that you may disagree with and why they may feel
the way they do.
 Play devil’s advocate with yourself. Ask yourself (or have someone else ask you)
what you might be leaving out.
 Try to find a common ground, a starting point where either your audience can relate
to you or you can relate to them.
 Think of reasons of why they support their point-of-view.

Uninformed

Sometimes your audience may not be familiar with or understand your topic. If this is the
type of audience that you are addressing, then you will need to figure out what and how
much information to give them.

Here are some considerations for an uninformed audience:

 Think about what is essential for the audience to understand what you are talking
about.
 Don’t bog the audience down with too much background information. Make sure
you are still sticking to the main point you want to make in the paper.
 Decide what definitions the audience will need to understand the topic.

Expert

This type of audience is well-informed on the topic that you are writing about. In this case,
you will need to make sure that you have done your homework and present information
that is reliable.

Here are some considerations for an expert audience:

 Since your audience is familiar with the topic, don’t waste their time by giving them
background information they already have.
 Be specific with the point you are trying to make about the topic.
 Do your research. Don’t think that a brief overview of sources will be enough to
convince this audience.

Business

If you are writing for an audience in the business world, then you will want to be direct and
concise. Often, this audience does not have time to read extra information and is only
interested in the point you are trying to make. Time is money; don’t waste either.

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Here are some considerations for a business audience:

 Don’t waste time painting a picture or telling a story. Get right to the point.
 Be polite, especially if you are trying to tell your audience something that they may
not want to hear.
 Always make sure your audience feels as though you are considering them, not
focusing on yourself.
 Be clear and concise. Keep it short.
 Give the audience the information in shorter straightforward paragraphs that will be
easy to follow.

Rehearsing your Presentation

Rehearsing your presentation is essential for practising and assessing your timekeeping,
body language (such as eye contact and hand gestures), voice projection, pace of speech
and logical order of content. It gives presenters a chance to amend their presentation and
envisage how they will go about presenting on the day.

It may be useful to record your voice on a mobile phone, or video yourself and watch it
back, noting good points and areas for improvement.

Things to think about when you rehearse:

 Ideally rehearse in the venue that your presentation will take place in, or at least visit
it to familiarise yourself.
 Ask friends to sit and watch your presentation, and to give feedback at the end. You
might ask them to use the Assessing Oral Presentations document to help them to
structure their feedback.
 Look at your watch or clock before and after your rehearsal to ensure you haven't
gone over your allocated time.
 Ask your friends to sit far back while you rehearse and ask them whether you are
loud and clear enough for them to hear, and whether your visual aids are easy to
see/read.
 Practice using your visual aids. Click through your PowerPoint presentation (if you
choose to use this) several times, to ensure that you are familiar with the order of
the slides and know how to move forwards and backwards through the slides
 Practice using your prompt cards with keywords or phrases to help you remember
what to say next. Then edit them to make them more useful.
 Ask friends to let you know if your gestures or movement are distracting. (See the
Body Language section for suggestions).
 Ensure that all the equipment you need is available and you feel confident about
using it.
 Reflect on your rehearsal presentation; think which aspects you are happy with and
how you will improve on it for the 'real thing'. This How Did my Presentation Go?
document will enable you to record your thoughts.

Handling Questions

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Many presentations today are followed up with a question and answer period. To some
people this can be the most exciting part of the presentation. To others it can be their worst
nightmare. In fact, there are some presenters who purposely avoid the question and answer
period all together. Below provided is a 5 step approach to handling questions along with
some additional tips to make your next question and answer session go smoother.

1. Listen to the entire question

Listen to the entire question BEFORE you begin to answer any questions. Too many
people start responding to a question before the entire question is even asked. Not
waiting to hear the entire questions can result in you providing a response which had
nothing to do with the question. Force yourself to LISTEN to the entire question and
make sure you understand the question.

2. Pause and allow yourself time to value the question and listener. REPEAT the
question out load so the entire audience can hear it. It is important that everyone
"hear" the question or the answer you provide may not make sense to some of the
people. By repeating the question, this will allow you some additional time to
evaluate the question and formulate a response.
3. Credit The Person for asking the question. You may say something like, "That was a
great question" or, "Glad you asked that question" or even, "I get asked that
question by many people". One word of caution. If you credit one person with asking
a question, be sure to credit EVERYONE for asking a question. You don't want people
to feel their question was not as important.
4. Respond to the Question honestly and the best you can. If you do NOT know an
answer to a question, do not try to fake it. Be honest, and tell them you do not know
but DO promise to research the answer for them and DO get back to them.
5. Bridge to the next question by asking them a question. "Does that answer your
question?", "Is that the kind of information you were looking for?". This is critical..
Once they respond to you, "YES" you now have permission to go on to the next
person. This also gives them one more opportunity to say, "No" and allow them to
clarify their question more by asking it again.
6. Parroting: this technique might help if you need some time to reflect on a particular
question. You ask the question to repeat the question and while he/she does so you
plan your answer. But this technique must be adopted with restraint.
7. If you can't answer a question, just say so. Don't apologize. You then may:
1. Offer to research an answer, and then get back to the questioner later.
2. Suggest resources which would help the questioner to address the question
themselves.
3. Ask for suggestions from the audience.

Delivering an effective presentation

An effective presenter needs to be flexible, energetic and enthusiastic. This guide will help you
turn your written presentation into an imaginative public performance.

Presentation as performance

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Making a presentation puts you on public display. An audience not only listens to your ideas,
it also responds to the way you use your voice and your body. You need more than a well
written presentation to make an impact. You will also need to deliver it in a lively, flexible
and interesting way. In this leaflet we suggest many ideas for invoking energy in your
presentation style.

To begin with, imagine that you are in the audience for your presentation. What might:

 grab your attention?

 stimulate your imagination?
 inspire your confidence?
 develop your understanding?

Now think about ways to encourage these things.

Six steps to becoming an effective presenter

1. Practice

The more familiar you are with your material the more you will be able to inspire your
audience’s trust and confidence. Do more than practice reading through your material to
yourself. If possible, stand up in a room and deliver your presentation to the walls. Get used
to hearing your own voice filling a room. Familiarize yourself with the words and phrases in
your presentation. Play around with different volumes and see how well you can hear your
own voice. Above all, familiarize yourself with the main thrust of your argument and explore
how the individual elements of your presentation piece together. This will help you to keep
to your chosen objectives and avoid distractions when it comes to your actual delivery.

To read or to learn?

Should you read out your presentation from detailed notes or present it completely from
memory? Find a way to compromise between these two approaches. There are dangers in
each.

Reading
Reading tends to focus your thoughts on your notes, thus losing contact with your audience.
Reading can also reduce your voice to a monotone, removing energy and enthusiasm from
your delivery. Directly addressing your audience is much more engaging.

Learning
Learning is fine until you lose your way; for example, a member of the audience asks a
question or your overhead projector bulb blows. Always have some form of notes to keep
you on the right track. Also, if you over learn your notes you might lose a sense of energy
and enthusiasm. Always work for a sense of confident spontaneity.

Find a way of making notes to support your presentation style. The most common form of
note making is to use index cards. These can be read at a glance. Use them as visual

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prompts to guide you through your presentation. Use one card for each main idea, including
details of the supporting information for each point. Connect your cards together with a tag
or a piece of string so that they can't get out of order.

2. Assert yourself

An effective presenter needs to be assertive, not aggressive. There are two important Ps.

Posture

It is important to appear confident at all times. Different postures create different moods. A
very formal, upright and still posture will create a very different atmosphere from a relaxed
and active one. Remember to match your physical behaviour to the objectives underpinning
your presentation. If you want to be either formal or informal, make deliberate choices
about your physical style and stick to these.

Presence

Have the confidence to fill your space in front of an audience. Avoid apologizing for your
presence by saying “sorry” (although you must be polite if circumstances demand— e.g. the
session is running over time, or the microphone has stopped working). Also, avoid physical
apologies by hiding behind a desk or lectern. You must be confident that the audience wants
to listen and that you have something interesting to tell them. Don’t be afraid to wait for an
audience to settle down before you start speaking or to ask for quiet if this does not
happen.

3. Make contact with your audience

One of the key challenges faced by the presenter is to establish links with her/his audience
(a poor presenter appears to be speaking to an empty room). Making contact helps to
maintain an audience's interest and encourages them to believe that you are genuinely
interested in talking to them. You can make contact with your audience in a number of
ways, including:

 eye contact;
 gestures;
 spoken contact;
 your use of language.

Eye contact

Eye contact is part of everyday communication and an audience can feel uncomfortable if
they are denied it. Making eye contact with individuals gives them a sense of involvement in
your presentation and helps to convey your objectives on a personal level. Make sure that
you share eye contact with all members of a small audience and all areas of a large
audience. Regularly shift your focus around the room, not so that you look nervous, but to
help involve as many people as possible in your talk.

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A handy tip: if you can’t make eye contact in a large group, don’t look at the floor or ceiling
(this looks like boredom or rudeness). Try looking at people’s foreheads. The people sat
around them will read this as eye contact even if the individual won’t.

Gesture

People use their arms and hands in every day conversation to add emphasis or to help
describe events. Presenters will therefore look rather awkward if they keep their hands in
their pockets or rooted firmly at their sides. Use gestures to welcome your audience, to add
emphasis to your main points or to indicate an ending. Try to use open gestures which move
away from your body, extending them out to your audience. This helps to break any
audience/presenter divisions. Make sure that all gestures are controlled and precise; too
much movement will appear nervous and unfocussed. Always watch against distracting your
audience from the content of your presentation. You should continually be trying to find
ways to help them listen and understand.

Spoken contact

Acknowledge your audience by making verbal contact with them. At the beginning of your
talk ask if they can see and hear you, or check that lighting and sound levels on audio-visual
equipment are satisfactory. During your presentation, ask rhetorical questions that you can
then answer (e.g. “How do we know this was true?” or “So, what does this prove?”). At the
end of your talk give the audience an opportunity to ask questions or to clarify detail— this
encourages them to take ownership of your material.

The use of questions is an important tool. Questions involve your audience’s mind in a more
stimulating way than simply asking them to sit and listen to your talk. Draw an audience in
with clear, focused questions.

Language

Your use of language is particularly important in developing and sustaining a relationship

with your audience. Try using language that involves your audience. For example, asking
questions such as “What can we learn from this?” or “How did we arrive at this conclusion?”
involves your audience in an exploratory process or discussion. When looking at visual aids,
introduce them by saying “If we look at this slide we can see that .” or “This slide shows us
that…”. Use language that is welcoming and involving throughout your presentation.

4. Use your voice

Your voice is a very flexible and powerful tool. You can use it in many different ways by
varying the:

 volume;
 pace;
 pitch.

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Volume

Make sure that your voice is loud enough for your audience to hear clearly. Speaking too
loudly or too quietly can make it difficult for your audience to follow your presentation.
Listen to people speaking in normal conversation. They tend to raise or lower their volume
for emphasis. For example, they may speak loudly when giving an instruction but softly
when apologising. To add energy to your presentation, use these colourful changes to your
best advantage: a conspiratorial whisper can draw an audience in; a loudly spoken
exclamation can make them sit up and listen.

Pace

Make sure that the speed of your delivery is easy to follow. If you speak too quickly or too
slowly your audience will have difficulty following your talk. To add life to your presentation,
try changing the pace of your delivery. A slightly faster section might convey enthusiasm. A
slightly slower one might add emphasis or caution.

Pitch

The pitch of your voice also varies in day to day conversation and it is important to play on
this when making a presentation. For example, your pitch will rise when asking a question; it
will lower when you wish to sound severe.

Play around with the volume, pace and pitch of your voice when practicing your
presentation. Find different ways of saying the same sentence. Explore different ways of
adding emphasis to your main points. Always try to convey enthusiasm and energy through
your use of your voice.

5. Breathe

Always remember to breathe steadily and deeply. If you are anxious about making a
presentation your breathing will become fast and shallow. This will affect the quality of your
voice and your ability to speak clearly for extended periods of time. Try to take a few deep
breaths before you make your presentation, making a conscious effort to slow your
breathing down and taking in more air with each breath. During your presentation, use
pauses after questions or at the end of sections to allow comfortable breathing patterns.
Don’t be afraid to slow down the pace of your presentation if your breathing becomes
uncomfortable.

6. Drink

It is a good idea to have some liquid to hand to quench your thirst if you are speaking for a
long time. However, be careful not to gulp ice-cold water before you go on as this constricts
your throat and affects the quality of your voice. Drink a warm (not hot) cup of tea to relax
your throat and ease your speaking voice.

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And finally ... a note about humour

Only use humour if you know it will work. Humour needs to be relaxed and confident - if
used badly, it will only heighten senses of awkwardness and anxiety if these are already
present. Use humour if you know you can and if you feel it is appropriate to do so.

Conclusion
Continually explore your personal style using any or all of the above suggestions in different
combinations for different effects. Above all, remember two main points:

 Be yourself— even in the most formal of surroundings you will need to be yourself. No one
will be impressed if you try to perform like a classical actor or act like a stand-up comedian;
 Avoid any behaviour that might be off-putting to your audience— always be deliberate and
clear in your use of your voice and physical actions.

Using visual aids

Your visual aids should be clear and concise, providing a stimulating addition to your spoken word.

Introduction

Visual aids can be a very powerful tool to enhance the impact of your presentations. Words
and images presented in different formats can appeal directly to your audience’s
imagination, adding power to your spoken words.

Think of using visual aids for the following reasons:

o if they will save words - don't describe your results - show them;
o if their impact would be greater than the spoken word - don't describe an
image - show it.

Think about using a variety of different visual images. Try using photographs, tables,
diagrams, charts, drawings, key words, or video sequences. Be creative and deliberate in
your choice of images to achieve the most impact.

Think of your next presentation. How can you display your material visually? What
techniques might help you present your argument or results in a stimulating way? What
might add emphasis to your spoken words?

When to use visual aids

Words and images can be used throughout your presentation from the introduction to the
conclusion. However, remember to restrict their use to key moments in your presentation;
an over use of visual aids can be hard to follow.

Think about using visual aids at the following times:

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Introduction

 display the title of your presentation;

 define particular technical terms or units;
 indicate a structure to your presentation by listing your main points;
 display an image which encapsulates your theme(s);
 highlight a question you intend answering during the course of your presentation;

Main points

 highlight new points with an appropriate image or phrase;

 support technical information with clearly displayed data;
 indicate sequence by linking points together;
 offer evidence from your research to support your argument;

Conclusion

 summarise your main points on a slide;

 present your conclusion in a succinct phrase or image;
 display your key references to allow your audience to read more on your topic.

Different types of visual aids

There are many different types of visual aids. The following advice will help you make the
most of those most commonly used.

PowerPoint (or equivalent)

Microsoft PowerPoint is probably now the most commonly used form of visual aid. Used
well, it can really help you in your presentation; used badly, however, it can have the
opposite effect. The general principles are:

Dos Don'ts

use a big enough font (minimum

make it so small you can't read it
20pt)

keep the background simple use a fussy background image

use animations when appropriate but don't over-do the animation - it gets distracting

use endless slides of bulleted lists that all look the

make things visual
same

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For more detailed gudiance see the Using PowerPoint study guide.

Overhead projector slides/transparencies

Overhead projector slides/transparencies are displayed on the overhead projector (OHP) —

a very useful tool found in most lecture and seminar rooms. The OHP projects and enlarges
your slides onto a screen or wall without requiring the lights to be dimmed. You can
produce your slides in three ways:

 pre-prepared slides : these can be words or images either hand written/drawn or

produced on a computer;
 spontaneously produced slides: these can be written as you speak to illustrate your
points or to record comments from the audience;
 a mixture of each: try adding to pre-prepared slides when making your presentation
to show movement, highlight change or signal detailed interrelationships.

Make sure that the text on your slides is large enough to be read from the back of the room.
A useful rule of thumb is to use 18 point text if you are producing slides with text on a
computer. This should also help reduce the amount of information on each slide. Avoid
giving your audience too much text or overly complicated diagrams to read as this limits
their ability to listen. Try to avoid lists of abstract words as these can be misleading or
uninformative.

White or black board

White or black boards can be very useful to help explain the sequence of ideas or routines,
particularly in the sciences. Use them to clarify your title or to record your key points as you
introduce your presentation (this will give you a fixed list to help you recap as you go along).
Rather than expecting the audience to follow your spoken description of an experiment or
process, write each stage on the board, including any complex terminology or precise
references to help your audience take accurate notes. However, once you have written
something on the board you will either have to leave it there or rub it off - both can be
distracting to your audience. Check to make sure your audience has taken down a reference
before rubbing it off - there is nothing more frustrating than not being given enough time!
Avoid leaving out of date material from an earlier point of your presentation on the board
as this might confuse your audience. If you do need to write ‘live’, check that your audience
can read your writing.

Paper handouts

Handouts are incredibly useful. Use a handout if your information is too detailed to fit on a
slide or if you want your audience to have a full record of your findings. Consider the merits
of passing round your handouts at the beginning, middle and end of a presentation. Given
too early and they may prove a distraction. Given too late and your audience may have
taken too many unnecessary notes. Given out in the middle and your audience will
inevitably read rather than listen. One powerful way of avoiding these pitfalls is to give out

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incomplete handouts at key stages during your presentation. You can then highlight the
missing details vocally, encouraging your audience to fill in the gaps.

Flip chart

A flip chart is a large pad of paper on a stand. It is a very useful and flexible way of recording
information during your presentation — you can even use pre-prepared sheets for key
points. Record information as you go along, keeping one main idea to each sheet. Flip back
through the pad to help you recap your main points. Use the turning of a page to show
progression from point to point. Remember to make your writing clear and readable and
your diagrams as simple as possible.

Video (DVD or VHS)

Video gives you a chance to show stimulating visual information. Use video to bring
movement, pictures and sound into your presentation. Always make sure that the clip is
directly relevant to your content. Tell your audience what to look for. Avoid showing any
more film than you need.

Artifacts or props

Sometimes it can be very useful to use artifacts or props when making a presentation (think
of the safety routine on an airplane when the steward shows you how to use the safety
equipment). If you bring an artifact with you, make sure that the object can be seen and be
prepared to pass it round a small group or move to different areas of a large room to help
your audience view it in detail. Remember that this will take time and that when an
audience is immersed in looking at an object, they will find it hard to listen to your talk.
Conceal large props until you need them; they might distract your audience’s attention.

Designing visual aids

There are many different rules for designing visual aids, some of which will apply directly to
different kinds of equipment. In general, sticking to the following guidelines will produce
high quality visual images:

 use one simple idea for each visual;

 make the text and diagrams clear and readable;
 avoid cluttering the image;
 keep your images consistent (use the same font, titles, lay out etc. for each image);
 make sure your images are of a high quality (check for spelling and other errors).

Always remember that an audience should be able to understand a visual image in a matter
of seconds.

Room layout

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Remember that your audience needs to be able to see you as well as your visual aids. Try to
involve every member of your audience by changing the layout of your room. Below are
some suggested layouts to help maximize contact between you, your audience and your
visual aids.

Speaking to small audiences

Speaking to larger audiences

Try these arrangements in different settings. Use them to create different atmospheres; for
example, an intimate setting might suggest an informal tone, whilst placing yourself at a
distance might suggest a more formal relationship.

And finally ... practice

Always check your equipment to make sure that it:

 works;

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 is equipment you are familiar with (How do you start the slide show? How do you change
the pad? Should you use permanent or waterproof pens?).

There is nothing worse than a presenter struggling with their visual aids. Be familiar enough
with your tools to ensure that you won’t be thrown if something goes wrong. A confident
use of visual aids will help marry them to your spoken presentation helping them become
part of an impressive performance.

Summary
Use visual aids to display complex information clearly and introduce variety into your
delivery technique. Make sure that you are familiar with the equipment required to create
and display visual aids, and deploy visual aids creatively in your presentations mixing
techniques and media to create an impact.

Group Discussions

Group discussions are now being used as an important step in the selection of candidates
both in private and government organizations. Regarded as an effective tool in the
recruitment process besides job interviews, a GD plays a pivotal role in selecting the best
and most suitable candidates from many who apply for the same post. It is also used as a
tool to study the behavioral and attitudinal responses of the participants.

Definition: a GD is a formal discussion which involves six to fifteen members/participants

who sit in age group to
discuss a topic or a case
given for this purpose. It is
a methodology used by
organization to gauge
whether a candidate
possess certain personality
traits/skills that are desired
of him/her. It is like a
football or hockey game
where all the players pass

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the ball to their team players and aim for a common goal. In a game of football the team
which has a better coordination and skills wins the game and so is the case in GD.

2.1Characteristics of group discussion

Group discussions are unstructured and less formal compared to meetings or conferences
wherein specific roles are assigned to the participants. In a group discussion, an individual’s
thought process is influenced by the views and opinions of the other members. It also
depends on where and in which direction the mood of the discussion moves. In a group
discussion, each participant is free to speak his views. A successful discussion involves both
listening and speaking.

Some of the salient features common to all group discussions are as follows:

(i) Interface: A basic feature of group discussions is the interaction among the various
members of the group. They see, hear and communicate with each other orally by paying
attention to each other.

(ii) Leader and Members: Group discussions are effective only when there is a group of
members and a leader. The leader has to summarize facts and information, integrate them,
stimulate thinking and agree to a unanimous solution of the problem. The members of the
group become actively related to each other in their respective roles.

iii) Participation: The effectiveness and efficiency of a group discussion depend, to a large
extent, upon the active participation of the members.

(iv) Interpersonal Attraction: Another characteristic feature of a group discussion is

interpersonal attraction. As long as interaction continues, the likes, dislikes, behavior and
temperament of members are known to each other. Among them, empathy develops and as
such they share each other’s problems.

(v) Pressure to Conform: In a group discussion, there is always an element of pressure to

conform to norms. The pre-defined and established standards are always enforced and
followed.

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(vi) Conflict: A conflict is a difference or disagreement among the members of the group,
which often arise during deliberations and discussions. A conflict is inevitable and usually
develops when alternative solutions are present. It can stimulate the members to find new
solutions to the problem. Thus, conflict is not necessarily bad. But if it arises due to the
political behavior of the members it will have dysfunctional consequences.

2.2 Purpose of group discussion

Group discussions may serve various purposes. Some of them are:

(i) To reach a solution on an issue of concern

(ii) To generate new ideas or new approaches to solving a problem

(iii) For selecting candidates after the written test for employment or for admission to
educational institutes

(iv) To provide us with an avenue to train ourselves in various interpersonal skills

2.3Advantages of group discussion

The advantages of group discussions are as follows:

(i) It provides a deeper understanding of the subject.

(ii) It improves the ability to think critically.

(iii) It provides different approaches to solving a problem.

(iv) It helps the group in taking a decision.

(v) It gives an opportunity to hear the opinions of other persons.

(vi) It enables a participant to put across his/her viewpoint.

(vii) It enhances confidence in speaking.

(viii) It can change your opinion and show you things from a different perspective.

2.4 Conducting an effective group discussion

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An effective group discussion generally has a number of elements:

 All members of the group have a chance to speak, expressing their own ideas and
feelings freely, and to pursue and finish out their thoughts
 All members of the group can hear others’ ideas and feelings stated openly
 Group members can safely test out ideas that are not yet fully formed
 Group members can receive and respond to respectful but honest and constructive
feedback. Feedback could be positive, negative, or merely clarifying or correcting
factual questions or errors, but is in all cases delivered respectfully.
 A variety of points of view are put forward and discussed
 The discussion is not dominated by any one person
 Arguments, while they may be spirited, are based on the content of ideas and
opinions, not on personalities
 Even in disagreement, there’s an understanding that the group is working together
to resolve a dispute, solve a problem, create a plan, make a decision, find principles
all can agree on, or come to a conclusion from which it can move on to further
discussion

2.5 Types of group discussion

GD is classified based on the following:

 Method of conduct
 Nature of topic

Based on the Method of Conduct

Bases on the method of conduct, group discussions can be further classified into the
following:

(i) Structured Group Discussion: In this type of group discussion, the topic is given to the
participants by the selectors and a time-frame is allotted to complete the discussion. This is
the most commonly followed technique for a group discussion.

(ii) Unstructured Group Discussion: In unstructured group discussions, unlike in the case of
structured group discussions, the candidates themselves decide the topic with mutual
consent. This formal method of group discussions is rarely used.

(iii) Role Play: In this type of group discussion, the candidates are given specific roles to play
in the backdrop of a given situation. Within the framework of their role, the participants
have to solve the problems inherent in the situation given to them.

(iv) Group Discussion with a Nominated Leader: Generally, no-one is nominated as leader
of a group discussion and all participants are treated as equal. But in this type of a group
discussion, a person is nominated as a facilitator or a leader of the group. He may

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summarize the discussion or solutions discussed at the end of the group discussion.
Sometimes the leader is nominated by the group members themselves.

Based on Nature of the Topic

Group discussions can also be categorized based on the topic allotted for the discussion to
the participants. There are three kinds of topics-controversial topics, abstract topics and
case study topics.

(i) Controversial Topics: These are topics which are controversial and which have the
potential to generate an argument. Such topics generally make the discussion lively as
arguments and counter arguments are presented. This gives the evaluators more
opportunities to evaluate the candidates.

Examples of such topics include ‘Should the examination system be scrapped’ or ‘How
ethical is cloning?’.

(ii) Abstract Topics: There is a growing trend of assigning abstract topics, that is, topics
which are vague or unclear. These topics enable the evaluators to evaluate the creative
ability of the candidates. Every candidate can have his own interpretation of the topic. Some
such topics are ‘Zero’, ‘One and one make eleven’.

(iii) Case Study Topics: Here, a situation is provided to the participants which may depict a
problem faced by the organization or the managers. Participants need to analyze the
situation and think of various alternatives to solve the problem. This kind of a group
discussion tests the ability of the candidate to think of solutions keeping the situational
factors and constraints in mind.

2.6 Body language in group discussion

Your ability to use your own body language to emphasize your chosen words is paramount
in all human interactions..

1. Eye Contact

Eye contact is one of the most important aspects of dealing with others, especially people
we've just met. Maintaining good eye contact shows respect and interest in what they have
to say. We tend to keep eye contact around 60-70% of the time, (however, there are wide
cultural differences, so be careful in other countries). By doing this you won't make the
other people feel self conscious, like they've got a bit of vegetable stuck between their teeth
or a dew drop hanging from the nose. Instead, it will give them a feeling of comfort and

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genuine warmth in your company. Any more eye contact than this and you can be too
intense, any less and you give off a signal that you are lacking interest in them or their
conversation.

2. Posture

Posture is the next thing to master. Get your posture right and you'll automatically start
feeling better, as it makes you feel good almost instantly. Next time you notice you're
feeling a bit down, take a look at how you’re standing or sitting. Chances are you'll be
slouched over with your shoulders drooping down and inward. This collapses the chest and
inhibits good breathing, which in turn can help make you feel nervous or uncomfortable.

3. Head

Head position is a great one to play around with. When you want to feel confident and self
assured keep your head level both horizontally and vertically. You can also use this straight
head position when you want to be authoritative and want what you're saying to be taken
seriously. Conversely, when you want to be friendly and in the listening, receptive mode, tilt
your head just a little to one side or other. You can shift the tilt from left to right at different
points in the conversation.

4. Arms

Arms give away the clues as to how open and receptive we are to everyone we meet and
interact with, so keep your arms out to the side of your body or behind your back. This
shows you are not scared to take on whatever comes your way and you meet things "full
frontal". In general terms the more outgoing you are as a person, the more you tend to use
your arms with big movements. The quieter you are the less you move your arms away from
your body. So, try to strike a natural balance and keep your arm movements midway. When
you want to come across in the best possible light, crossing the arms is a no-no in front of
others. Obviously if someone says something that gets your goat, then by all means show
your disapproval by crossing them!

5. Legs

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Legs are the furthest point away from the brain, and consequently they're the hardest bits
of our bodies to consciously control. They tend move around a lot more than normal when
we are nervous, stressed or being deceptive. So best to keep them as still as possible in
most situations, especially at interviews or work meetings. Be careful too in the way you
cross your legs. Do you cross at the knees, ankles or bring your leg up to rest on the knee of
the other? This is more a question of comfort than anything else. Just be aware that the last
position mentioned is known as the "Figure Four" and is generally perceived as the most
defensive leg cross, especially if it happens as someone tells you something that might be of
a slightly dubious nature, or moments after (as always, look for a sequence).

6. Body Angle

Angle of the body in relation to others gives an indication of our attitudes and feelings
towards them. We angle toward people we find attractive, friendly and interesting and
angle ourselves away from those we don't - it's that simple! Angles include leaning in or
away from people, as we often just tilt from the pelvis and lean sideways to someone to
share a bit of conversation. For example, we are not in complete control of our angle
neither at the cinema because of the seating nor at a concert when we stand shoulder to
shoulder and are packed in like sardines. In these situations we tend to lean over towards
the other person.

7. Hand Gestures

Hand gestures are so numerous it's hard to give a brief guide...but here goes. Palms slightly
up and outward is seen as open and friendly. Palm down gestures are generally seen as
dominant and possibly aggressive, especially when there is no movement or bending
between the wrist and the forearm. This palm up, palm down is very important when it
comes to handshaking and, where appropriate, we suggest you always offer a handshake
upright and vertical, which should convey equality.

8. Spatial Relations

Distance from others is crucial if you want to give off the right signals. Stand too close and
you'll be marked as "pushy" or "in your face". Stand or sit too far away and you'll be
"keeping your distance" or "stand offish". Neither is what we want, so observe if in a group

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situation how close all the other people are to each other. Also notice if you move closer to
someone and they back away - you're probably just a tiny bit too much in their personal
space, their comfort zone. "You've overstepped the mark" and should pull back a little.

9. Ears

Yes your ears play a vital role in communication with others, even though in general terms
most people can't move them much, if at all. However, you've got two ears and only one
mouth, so try to use them in that order. If you listen twice as much as you talk you come
across as a good communicator who knows how to strike up a balanced a conversation
without being me, me, me or the wallflower.

10. Mouth

Mouth movements can give away all sorts of clues. We purse our lips and sometimes twist
them to the side when we're thinking. Another occasion we might use this movement is to
hold back an angry comment we don't wish to reveal. Nevertheless, it will probably be
spotted by other people and although they may not comment, they will get a feeling you
were not too pleased. There are also different types of smiles and each gives off a
corresponding feeling to its recipient which we'll cover next time.

Some negative body languages

2.7 Skills Evaluated during group discussion

In today's context, the educational institutes and organizations are interested in team players rather
than individual contributors. During the Group Discussion, the panel essentially evaluates the

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candidate's potential to be a leader and also his/her ability to work in teams. Remember that
institutes are typically on the lookout for candidates who will inspire to lead and succeed and for
that you need to be a good team player.
Here is a sample list of skills assessed during a group discussion:

Leadership skills:
Leadership is one of the key skill on which candidates are assessed during a Group Discussion.
Inherent ability to lead a team is desired out of a Manager.

Example:

Initiate the group discussion and give proper directions to the discussion.

Intervene and guide the group when the discussion goes off track.

Encouraging all members to participate in the discussion & share their opinion.

Moderate group if discussion gets chaotic..

Communication skills:
The participating candidates are also assessed in terms of clarity of thought, expression through
word and aptness of their language. One should be able to speak without any hesitation and at the
same time should not sound harsh.

Example:

Hold attention of the group by using simple language.

Explain ideas in precise way with clarity.

Speak fluently and put forward your ideas without hesitation.

Interpersonal skills:

Candidates are also evaluated on their Interpersonal skill such as adaptability, maturity, co-
ordination, interaction with peers. While participating in GD one should give due consideration to
other members view point and should not be pushing too hard to make his own point alone be
heard. At the same time if a candidate raises an absurd or irrelevant point one should politely reject
the point by giving proper reasoning. One should try to coordinate as much as possible with all group
members. One should not sound rude or inflexible in accepting good points raised by others.

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Keep your cool throughout the Group Discussion.

Do not take things personally even if someone provokes you.

Persuasive skills:

This is very important attribute expected in a Manager doesn't come easily in a candidate. In our
daily life also we have seen many people who are not heard much even though have a very good
points or idea. Due to their inhibitions they don't speak much once someone tries to counter their
point.

Example:

To persuade the group to accept the points made by them (only if it is valid and genuine one.
Remember you should not be over persuasive as well)

To make people accept your view point without hurting or making fun of any other members.

Persuade the group to analyze the problems from different perspectives and help other member’s
ideas to be heard and understood.

Analyze and persuade others to see the problem from multiple perspectives without hurting
thegroup members.

Problem solving skills:

One important aspect of Group Discussion is it is very spontaneous and dynamic in nature. You need
to recollect all your thoughts on the fly and present them to the group. Also while other members
are speaking you need to be listening carefully because that could trigger an altogether new point in
your mind and may give you a chance to speak again. You need to be really involved in the
discussion to handle the counter arguments and answer them well while speaking.

Example:

Analyze the problem from different angles.

Answer the counter arguments without hurting any group member.

Should be able to think and speak spontaneously.

Resolve difficult situations by proper moderation and reasoning.

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Listening & Conceptualizing Ability:

After making one's point heard to the group, one should be attentive and listen carefully when other
are speaking. Should try to gather as much ideas and facts being put forward. Assimilate the points
raised by others and try to add something new to the discussion.

Example

At the end a good listener who has good conceptualizing ability could very well summarize the
outcomes of discussion in few sentences.

Attitude:

Attitude is another important parameter of most of the Group Discussion. Candidates are expected
to:

-have positive attitude,

-encourage others for participation,

-not to put someone down during the discussion

-be good listeners when others are speaking

-accepting other view points (if it’s a valid one)

-not showing stubbornness and harshness

-should speak maturely

-should not raise voice unnecessarily

Example:

One should handle Group Discussion very maturely and should not raise his voice too much that he
sounds harsh.

Should be supporting for other members and should be easy going.

Should show keen interest in discussion and be an avid listener.

Reasoning Ability:

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Candidates are expected to substantiate the points raised by them through proper reasoning. Just
raising a point without able to justify the same during a GD would not help and may result in
negative marks as well. Also another member could use the same point and well justify it with
reasoning. One should logically be able to think of pros and cons of points made by him and put
forward the same to the group.

Example:

While bringing up any point is prepared with answers such as:

-What is the point you are raising? How is it going to help with the problem under discussion? Why
you feel so? Give Any Examples?

Say Scams in India, Just saying scams are not good without backing the sentence with any
justification is as good as not raising the point. One should say scams are not good because it’s
hurting the Indian economy badly and hindering the growth of our Nations. Examples: Foreign
institutions are not willing to invest due to scams in country and poor Governance. Also these scams
adversely impact the business by attracting organizations with lesser capability to execute projects.

Team Player:

Corporate world is all about working as a team, if the team succeeds everyone in the team succeeds;
similarly a failure of team is failure of each members of the team. Candidates participating in GD are
also evaluated for their ability to work in a team.

Example:

 Be polite and cordial in your communication.

 Accept others viewpoint and encourage each member to put forward their points.

 Don't lose your cool if someone counter argues the points which you had raised and accept
ideas politely.

Avoid any arguments.

Help the group to achieve its goal on time at the same time fostering participation from each
member

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General Awareness:

The topics given in Group Discussion are mostly of current affairs; at times any abstract topic is
given. If the topic is from current affairs it is expected of the candidate to be aware of the
happenings around the world. The idea a candidate put forwards clearly demonstrated his maturity
and interests in the current affairs impacting the society, nation or the world.

Example:

While speaking on any topic the points which you raise or put forward to group clearly demonstrates
your knowledge about the topic, thus defining you as an intellectual who has avid interest in
happenings around him.

2.8 Successful group discussion techniques

Dos

 Organize your thoughts. Pre-plan what you are going to say.

 Speak. It is important for the evaluator to hear you speak.
 If you have any doubts regarding the subject, seek clarifications.
 In the case of group discussions for selection to jobs or educational institutes, make
sure that you are dressed in formal attire.
 Be assertive without being authoritative or dominating. Keep your language formal.
Simple spoken English without too much of jargon is most desirable.
 Maintain a formal posture which reflects enthusiasm.
 Try and maintain eye contact with as many people as possible.
 Try to make friends by speaking to those who hove been ignored by the rest of the
group.
 Watch your body language. Your gestures and mannerisms odd to or subtract from
what you are trying to say.
 Be clear and fluent in what you are saying.
 Refrain from extreme emotions. Maintain your cool. Do not take personal offense to
anything that is being said.
 Always be polite. Avoid using strong phrases like ‘I strongly object……’
 Listen receptively. Do not listen with a desire to contradict or refute. Instead, listen
to positively analyze what is being said.
 It may be useful for you to summarize the points mode till a particular time and then
present your views.
 Stick to the discussion topic. Do not speak irrelevant things.
 Remember that the discussion is notion argument. Be polite even if you disagree.

Don’ts

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 Do not try to be someone you are not. Be as natural as possible.

 Do not use too many gestures. They can be intimidating to the other participants.
 Do not interrupt when someone else is speaking.
 Do not try to stand out by putting the other person down.
 Do not ridicule the idea or statement of another participant by referring to it as
stupid.
 Do not impose your ideas on anybody. Respect others’ opinions.
 Do not shout. Use a moderate tone and a medium pitch.
 Do not lose objectivity and make personal attacks.
 Do not attempt to be a leader by trying to conclude when the group has not reached
any conclusion.

But you should do it by showing respect for the other person even if you do not accept
his/her point of view as correct. Courtesy in discussion indicates our level of culture and
sophistication. Here are the guidelines for all GD participants:

1. How to join in the discussion

 I’d like to raise the subject of………….

 What I think is……………
 I think it is important to consider the question of……
 I could say a word about………
 May I make a point about…………

2. To support what some other participant has said

Remember that you should not say that you support so and so or I agree with him/her. You
should support the views of the person not the person

 I’d like to support Miss Natasha’s point of view about ….

 That is just what I also think……………
 I agree fully with what Mr. Richard has just said. I am in complete agreement with
fee slashing.

3. To support disagreement

Again remember that you are opposed to the idea, and not the person who holds it. You can
disagree by using polite expressions, instead of curt expressions such as “You are wrong”,
you can say

 Please allow me to differ……

 I would like to differ……………
 I think differently on this issue……
 I do not agree; in my opinion…………

4. To make a point very strongly

 I am convinced that……….

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 You can’t deny that……………

 Anybody can see that………………..
 It is quite clear to me that………

5. To bring a discussion back to the point

 That’s very interesting, but I don’t think it is indeed to the point.

 Perhaps, we could go back to the point.
 Could we stick to the subject, please?
 I am afraid we are drifting from the point.

3.0 Preparing Curriculum Vitae

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Also called a CV or vita, the curriculum vitae is, as its name suggests, an overview of your
life's accomplishments, most specifically those that are relevant to the academic realm. In
the United States, the curriculum vitae is used almost exclusively when one is pursuing an
academic job. The curriculum vitae is a living document, which will reflect the developments
in a scholar/teacher's career, and thus should be updated frequently.

3.1Purpose of Curriculum Vitae

Are you among those who think that the purpose of a CV is to find you a job? Well, you are
all wrong! “The purpose of the CV is to land you an interview. It makes all the difference: the
CV should not be seen as only an accessory, but rather as a key destined to open the door to
the office of a potential employer for you. It therefore plays a vital role: if you want to land
an interview, your CV needs to elicit the desire to meet you.

3.2. Preparation of Curriculum Vitae

Personal details

Normally these would be your name, address, date of birth (although with age
discrimination laws now in force this isn't essential), telephone number and email.

British CVs don't usually include a photograph unless you are an actor. In European
countries such as France, Belgium and Germany it’s common for CVs to include a a passport-
sized photograph in the top right-hand corner whereas in the UK and the USA photographs
are frowned upon as this may contravene equal opportunity legislation - a photograph
makes it easier to reject a candidate on grounds of ethnicity, sex or age. If you do include a
photograph it should be a head and shoulders shot, you should be dressed suitably and
smiling: it's not for a passport!

Education and qualifications

Your degree subject and university, plus A levels and GCSEs or equivalents. Mention grades
unless poor!

Work experience

 Use action words such as developed, planned and organised.

 Even work in a shop, bar or restaurant will involve working in a team, providing a quality
service to customers, and dealing tactfully with complaints. Don't mention the routine,
non-people tasks (cleaning the tables) unless you are applying for a casual summer job in a
restaurant or similar. Try to relate the skills to the job. A finance job will involve numeracy,
analytical and problem solving skills so focus on these whereas for a marketing role you
would place a bit more emphasis on persuading and negotiating skills.

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 All of my work experiences have involved working within a team-based culture. This involved
planning, organisation, coordination and commitment e.g., in retail, this ensured daily sales
targets were met, a fair distribution of tasks and effective communication amongst all staff
members.

Interests and achievements

 Keep this section short and to the point. Writing about your interests
As you grow older, your employment
record will take precedence and interests Reading, cinema, stamp-collecting,
will typically diminish greatly in length and playing computer games
importance.
 Bullets can be used to separate interests
Suggests a solitary individual who
into different types: sporting, creative etc.
 Don't use the old boring clichés here:
doesn't get on with other people. This
"socialising with friends". may not be true, but selectors will
 Don't put many passive, solitary hobbies interpret the evidence they see before
(reading, watching TV, stamp collecting) or them.
you may be perceived as lacking people
skills. If you do put these, then say what
you read or watch: "I particularly enjoy Cinema: member of the University Film-
Dickens, for the vivid insights you get into
Making Society
life in Victorian times".
Travel: travelled through Europe by
 Show a range of interests to avoid coming
across as narrow: if everything centers on train this summer in a group of four
sport they may wonder if you could hold a people, visiting historic sites and
conversation with a client who wasn't practicing my French and Italian
interested in sport. Reading: helped younger pupils with
 Hobbies that are a little out of the reading difficulties at school.
ordinary can help you to stand out from
the crowd: skydiving or mountaineering
This could be the same individual as in
can show a sense of wanting to stretch
the first example, but the impression is
yourself and an ability to rely on yourself
in demanding situations completely the opposite: an outgoing
 Any interests relevant to the job are proactive individual who helps others.
worth mentioning: current affairs if you
wish to be a journalist; a fantasy share
portfolio such as Bull bearings if you want to work in finance.
 Any evidence of leadership is important to mention: captain or coach of a sports
team, course representative, chair of a student society, scout leader: "As captain of
the school cricket team, I had to set a positive example, motivate and coach players
and think on my feet when making bowling and field position changes, often in tense
situations"
 Anything showing evidence of employability skills such as team working, organising,
planning, persuading, negotiating etc.

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Skills

•The usual ones to mention are languages (good conversational French, basic Spanish),
computing (e.g. "good working knowledge of MS Access and Excel, plus basic web page
design skills" and driving ("full current clean driving license").

•If you are a mature candidate or have lots of relevant skills to offer, a skills-based CV may
work for you

References

•Many employers don’t check references at the application stage so unless the vacancy
specifically requests referees it's fine to omit this section completely if you are running short
of space or to say "References are available on request."

•Normally two referees are sufficient: one academic (perhaps your tutor or a project
supervisor) and one from an employer (perhaps your last part-time or summer job). See our
page on Choosing and Using Referees for more help with this.How long should a CV be?

There are no absolute rules but, in general, a new graduate's CV should cover no more than
two sides of A4 paper.

3.3Essential elements of Curriculum Vitae

Whether a potential employer asks to see your curriculum vitae, CV or resume, they're
looking for one thing – a document that proves why you're the ideal candidate to invest
their time and money in. Essentially it's a sales brochure, pinpointing the interesting USPs
(unique selling points) that make you stand out from the crowd.

There's no universally accepted format, but your CV should cover these elements:

 Your details - Include your name, address, phone numbers and email address so any
interested employers can contact you easily. Information such as nationality, age
and driving license status are optional.

 Personal statement - One paragraph that immediately captures the attention of your
reader and entices them to find out more about you. Be careful not to cram too
much in. Instead take your main skill and relate it to the job you're after to show
employers why you meet their needs.

 Work experience - List your most recent position first, continuing in reverse
chronological order including the name, location, website and dates of your
employment for each company you have worked for. Aim to use bullet points
wherever possible to highlight your responsibilities and achievements in each role so

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the person scanning your CV can quickly match up your experience with their job
description.

 Education - Again, in reverse chronological order, give brief details of your academic
and professional qualifications along with the grades you achieved. If you're looking
for your first job since leaving education, include this information above any work
experience.

 Skills - Whether you realise it or not you will have picked up many skills over the
years, some tangible, some less so. Include every IT package or programme you have
used as well as any foreign language skills you have gained, and state whether you're
at a basic, intermediate or advanced level. Skills such as communication and project
management are harder to substantiate and should be backed up with examples.

 Hobbies and interests - Including these is optional and often used to fill up space at
the end of the document. The idea is to give the interviewer a more rounded picture
and, perhaps, something more personal to discuss at an interview.

 References - It's not necessary to list referees on your CV, but you should state that
details are available on request. If this is your first job, it's a good idea to nominate
tutors or mentors. You'll obviously need to choose references that you're confident
will give positive remarks, but you should also make sure they would be easily
contactable by potential employers when the time comes.

 A clear and simple layout - Always keep your CV to two pages of A4. It should be
clear to anyone reading your CV where to find the information they're looking for,
with enough ‘white space' to ensure they're not overawed at first glance.

The purpose of this document is not to get you the job, but to get you an interview. Always
remember you're not writing a CV for yourself, you are writing it for your reader. As you
write your CV, put yourself in their shoes. Keep it short, to the point and, above all else,
interesting.

Due to the high volume of applications they receive, a recruiter will generally spend at most
20 seconds initially reviewing each CV, so it's important to get it right. If you follow the
structure outlined above, you're on the right track to presenting the information in a clear,
concise and persuasive way.

Things to watch out for

Time spent making sure your CV is crisp and relevant is always time well spent. There are
plenty of simple mistakes that are often overlooked that will turn your readers off before
they've gone much further than your name and address.

 Resist the urge to jazz up your CV with images or colour .

 Steer clear of long paragraphs.
 Careful use of bold type can be effective, but don't overdo it.
 Underlining should be reserved for website links only.
 Use typefaces like ‘Times New Roman' or ‘Arial' - they're easier to read.

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 Avoid using font sizes smaller than 11pt, employers won't strain their eyes to read it.
 Don't use txt speak and only use abbreviations if they're universally known.

And finally…
Check for spelling or typographical errors. Any errors are your responsibility and are one of
the first things employers use to weed out the weaker candidates. Even if the role you're
after doesn't require a high level of literacy, spelling errors scream lack of care, which is an
undesirable quality for any recruiter. Don't put all your faith in a spell checker as many are
set to American settings as a default. If you're not sure about a word, look it up in a
dictionary.

Before you distribute your finished document or upload it to the Internet, get someone to
look over it. Professional CV checkers see hundreds of CVs every day and can immediately
spot things that may put off a potential employer.

3.4Appearance of Curriculum Vitae

Fonts

 TIMES NEW ROMAN is the standard windows "serif" font. A safe bet - law firms
seem to like it but it isn't easy to read on the screen.
 Sans fonts are preferred globally- sans fonts don't have the curly bits (called serifs)
on letters. ARIAL is a standard Windows "sans" font and is now used by the BBC web
site which used to use Verdana. As you can see sans fonts are cleaner and more
modern than Times or Cambria and also look larger in the same "point" size (the
point size is simply how big the letters are on the page). However Arial and Times
New Roman are so common that they're a little boring to
the eye.
Unnecessary use of
 Classier choices might be VERDANA or LUCIDA SANS which
complex words or hard to
have wider letters than most fonts but if you are running out
of space then Arial is more space saving, as is TAHOMA which read fonts give a bad
is a narrower version of Verdana. Notice how, in the example impression: people who
to the right, Verdana looks bigger and easier to read than use simple, clear language
Times New Roman. CALIBRI is now the standard MS Word are rated as more
font but is smaller and perhaps less clear than Arial, Verdana intelligent.
or Lucida Sans (see the examples to the right again). Never use
COMIC SANS of course!
 FONT SIZE is normally 12 points for the normal font with
larger sizes for subheadings and headings.
 Or 10 points. Favorite CV body text font is 10 point Verdana or Lucida Sans with 12
or 14 points for sub headings.
 14 points is too big for the normal body font - wastes space and looks crude.
 and 8 or 9 points too small to be easily readable by everyone, especially in Times New
Roman which should not be used in sizes less than 11 points
 Although many people use 12 points, some research on this suggested that smaller point
size CVs (within reason) were perceived as more intellectual!
 Most CVs are now read on screen rather than on paper. It's no coincidence that Serif fonts
are rarely used on the web - they are much less readable on screen (Times Roman

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was first used on Trajan's column, 2,000 years ago!), and some fonts, such as
Verdana, were designed with screen readability in mind.

3.5Types of Curriculum Vitae

There are two types of CV that one can prepare while applying for jobs

3.5.1 Functional CV

This type of CV mainly focuses on your skills and experience .if you keep changing
your career quite often and there are gaps in your employment history, it is advisable to
prepare this type of resume.

3.5.2Chronological CV

A chronological CV gives your work history in the chronological order, that is in the
sequence of occurrence. Nowadays, a reverse chronological order is in practice, as
employers prefer this type as they get to know what you are doing now and where and
when you have worked in different organization.

3.6 Dos and Don’ts of CV writing

Curriculum Vitae are a self-marketing tool and getting an interview can depend on how
good your CV is. Your CV is your chance to show an employer you have the skills and
experience needed, and that you are the right person for the job. However, the way you
present your CV can have an overwhelming influence over whether your CV is even read, let
alone get you that all important interviews. You will need to consider what to include, how
much detail is needed and how to make your CV stand out from all the others.

Do...

 Construct your CV with your prospective employer in mind. Look at the job advert or
specification and think about what the job involves, and what the employer needs.
Find out about the main activities of the employer.
 Tailor your CV to the job. Your CV shouldn't be your life story but should be tailored
for the job you're applying for, focusing on the parts that are important for that
particular job.
 Make your CV clear, neat and tidy. Get somebody to check your spelling and
grammar. No-one wants to read a CV that is squashed together and includes too
much information. Your CV should be easy to read with space between each section

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and plenty of white space. Use left-justified text as it's easiest to read, using black
text on good quality white or cream paper.
 View your experience in a positive light. Try to look objectively at your experiences
(even the bad ones) and identify what you learned or what skills you developed in
the process. This is the picture you should present to the employer.
 Place the important information up-front. Put experience and education
achievements in reverse chronological order.
 Include experience and interests that might be of use to the employer: IT skills,
voluntary work, foreign language competency, driving skills, leisure interests that
demonstrate team skills and organization/leadership skills.
 Put your name and email address on every page - in case the pages of your CV get
separated.
 Use positive language. when describing your work achievements use power words
such as ‘launched’, ‘managed’, ‘coordinated’, ‘motivated’, ‘supervised’, and
‘achieved’.
 Quote concrete outcomes to support your claims. For example, ‘This reduced the
development time from 7 to 3 days’ or ‘This revolutionized the company’s internal
structure, and led to a reduction in overheads from £23,000 to £17,000 per year’.
 Make use of the internet for sample CVs and CV templates - to help maximize the
impact of your CV and to get inspiration for layout and tone.

Don’t...

 Hand-write or type your CV. This looks unprofessional and old fashioned.
 Include information which may be viewed negatively – failed exams, divorces, failed
business ventures, reasons for leaving a job, points on your driving license. Don’t lie,
but just don’t include this kind of information. Don’t give the interviewer any reason
to discard you at this stage.
 Include anything that might discriminate against you – such as date of birth, marital
status, race, gender or disability.
 Include salary information and expectations. Leave this for negotiations after your
interview, when the employers are convinced how much they want to employ you.
 Make your CV more than two pages long. You can free up space by leaving out or
editing information that is less important. For example, you do not need to include
referees – just state they are available on request. Don’t include all of the jobs you
have had since school, just the relevant ones. Add details about your most recent
qualifications, which are more relevant, but summarize the rest.
 Dilute your important messages. Don’t bother with a list of schools you attended
with grades and addresses, don’t include a long list of hobbies, or a long work
history. Concentrate on demonstrating that the skills they need, what you have
achieved by applying the skills you have and what benefits your clients have gained
from your work.
 Use jargon, acronyms, technical terms - unless essential.
 Lie - employers have ways of checking what you put is true, and may sack you if they
take you on and find out you've lied to them.

SAMPLE CV

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Gauss Road, Canterbury, Kent CT9 9ZZ mf999@kent.ac.uk

Michael
Tel. 01234 5667 Mob. 0777 777777
Faraday
 Well developed project management and IT skills combined with a
Profile flexible attitude to work.
 Strong organisational skills in a variety of situations to achieve
deadlines.
 Have initiative and can work independently or as part of a team.
 Get on well with people at all levels, easily making good working
relationships.
 Adaptable and quick to learn new skills.

Education
2005-2008 THE UNIVERSITY OF KENT
University BEng (Hons) Computer Systems Engineering (IEE accredited).
I achieved a 2:1 in my first and second years.

First year Second year Final year

Selected
Course  Object-Oriented  Operating Systems  Project
Modules Programming and Architecture  Embedded
68% 58% Computer
 Computer  Microcomputer Systems
Systems 55% Engineering 66%  Product
 Further Object-  Image Analysis and Development
Oriented Applications 56%  Digital
Programming  Computer Systems
63% Interfacing 71% Design
 Introduction to  Instrumentation &  Digital Control
Electronics 59% Measurement and Robotics
 Robotics Project Systems 63%  Computer
61%  Digital Networks and
 Digital Implementation Communicatio
Technologies 63% n
62%  Digital Signal
 Engineering Processing 67%
Mathematics
54%
 Engineering
Analysis 71%

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Group project based on sampling and study of an ECG signal via a

Projects
single amplification circuit and software filtering and analysis systems.
This required good communication between team members to ensure
all work was accomplished within the specification. My role was to
design and implement the software filtering system using Lab View.

Final year project involved development and construction of a

Controller Area Network (CAN) based system suitable for
demonstrating the fundamentals of CAN Bus from an automotive
perspective. I achieved a 2:1 grade

Electronics prize for a project to build a Digital Heart Rate meter in

2nd year.

Page 2

Tommy 2005 A Levels: Electronics B, Physics C, Mathematics D

Flowers
School, 2003 9 GCSE passes at grade A to C including Mathematics, English
Manchester
and Science
1998 - 2005

 Applications: Lab View, MATLAB, Or CAD Capture and Layout,

Computing Microchip MPLAB, Model Sim (VHDL using the Altera MAX+plus II 10
and Other compiler), Tina Electronic package, Web design using Dreamweaver,
Skills MS Office.
 Programming Languages: Java, C++, SQL, , TLearn,
 Operating Systems: Windows Xp, Vista, Symbian, Linux.
 Can assemble Intel based PC's from component parts and fault
diagnose hardware. Set up a home Ethernet network including
wireless networks and firewalls/routers.
 Full current clean driving licence
 Speak basic conversational Spanish and French

Work July - Sept. 2007 Wheatstone Engineering (technician), Manchester.

I worked on a mobile communications project and I was doing SMT
Soldering and fault finding and manufacturing of prototype boards.

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July 2004-September 2004 Tesco (Shop Assistant), Manchester

Duties involved taking orders and stock control, generally dealing with
customers and organising other assistants. I built a strong positive
relationship with customers and staff.

 I was vice captain of the university hockey team. This involved

Interests organising squads, training sessions and competitions.
 While at school I took part in many group activities the most
important of which was the Young Enterprise Scheme. This scheme
involved working in a group to manage and run a successful
company and produce a viable product. The chosen product was a
magazine which was demonstrated and sold at a nearby shopping
centre.
 When in the Scouts, I was in charge of a group of 5 younger scouts.
Scouts provided me with a variety of life skills including first aid and
survival skills, but also gave me responsibility and leadership over
groups of others at a young age.
 Member of the Institute of Electronics and Technology (IET)

I am happy to supply these on request

References

4.0 Job Application Letter/Cover Letter

The covering letter or cover letter (as it covers or the first page attached with the CV) is vital
to your CV. This is why it is the first page and not an addition. Your covering letter
demonstrates your writing style better than your CV (which is usually more brief and
factual).

4.1 Purpose of a cover letter

The covering letter puts flesh on the bare bones of the CV. It points out to the employer the
information showing that you have the qualities the job calls for, and makes a statement
about yourself and your suitability for the job. It should give the personal touch that your CV
will intrinsically lack.

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4.2Format of a cover letter

Suggested structure for your covering letter:

First Paragraph

 State the job you’re applying for.

 Where you found out about it (advert in The Guardian newspaper etc. - organisations like
to know which of their advertising sources are being successful)
 When you're available to start work (and end if it's a placement)

Second Paragraph

 Why you're interested in that type of work

 Why the company attracts you (if it's a small company say you prefer to work for a small
friendly organisation!)

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Third Paragraph

 Summarise your strengths and how they might be an advantage to the organisation.
 Relate your skills to the competencies required in the job.

Last Paragraph

 Mention any dates that you won't be available for interview

 Thank the employer and say you look forward to hearing from them soon.

If you start with a name (e.g. "Dear MrBloggs") you should end with "Yours sincerely". If
you start with "Dear Sir or Madam" you should end with "Yours faithfully".

4.3 Guidelines to write a cover letter

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4.4 Guidelines to write email cover letter

Put your covering letter as the body of your email. It's wise to format it as plain text as then
it can be read by any email reader.

Emails are not as easy to read as letters. Stick to simple text with short paragraphs and
plenty of spacing. Break messages into points and make each one a new paragraph with a
full line gap between paragraphs. DON'T "SHOUT" (WRITE IN UPPER CASE!) Your CV is then
sent as an attachment. Say you'll send a printed CV if required.

If you don't know the name of the person you are writing to, it's probably best to use the
formal Dear Sir or Madam and to sign off Yours Sincerely or Yours Faithfully

If they have already emailed you, reply back in the same style, so if they have signed their
email "Jenny", write Dear Jenny, but if they have signed it "Ms Smith", write Dear Ms Smith.

If they have emailed you and addressed you Hi Dave, then it's OK to reply Hi Jenny.

Also mirror the way they sign off, if they use "regards", "best wishes", then it's safe to do
the same.

5.0 Interview skills

Interviews are about presenting yourself in a positive and confident manner and we have
interview skills and tips to help you. Many candidates are often worried that by
"overselling" themselves they may appear arrogant and, as a result, they opt for
mainstream answers which can sometimes appear fairly vague.

The purpose of the interview

Firstly, it is for the interviewer to see if you match the requirements of the job. These will
naturally vary with different jobs but are likely to include:

 Your personal qualities

 How well you express yourself

 Your motivation and enthusiasm

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The recruiters will already have an indication of these from your initial application but now
the interview will assess you in person.

It is also your chance to meet somebody from the organisation and assess them: are they
offering what you want?

There aren't right or wrong answers to interview questions: how you come across is as
important as what you say. Be yourself – if you have to put on a completely false act to get
through the interview, is this really the right job for you?

5.1The interview process

5.2Characteristics of the Job Interview

The success of a company largely depends on its employees. Employers know this, which is why they
seek the best candidates to fill available positions. If you were lucky enough to snag a job interview,
you must gain your interviewer’s confidence to give yourself the best chance land the position.
Positive traits that define your character are powerful selling tools.

Professionalism

Every workplace has standards of professionalism that it expects employees to follow. The
interviewer scrutinizes your behaviors to see how you carry yourself and whether you will
be a good fit for the company. This includes how your resume is constructed, how you dress
for the interview and whether you arrived on time. A well-constructed resume that
effectively sums up where you have been professionally and educationally might indicate
good organizational abilities. Arriving to the interview punctually and appropriately dressed
shows dependability and professionalism.

Good Communication

In a chaotic or unpleasant work atmosphere, ineffective communication is often the culprit.

For a smooth operation, employers want workers who are good communicators. Display
active listening while the interviewer speaks and articulate your responses so your messages
are effectively conveyed. Avoid interrupting the interviewer, speak clearly and concisely and
respond to questions correctly.

Flexibility

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Things do not always go as planned in the workplace. Also, emerging trends often require
companies to adapt in an effort to stay current. Your prospective employer wants
employees who are flexible enough to adjust to changing conditions and who are willing to
expand their skills and abilities. During the interview, if asked about relocation, try to keep
an open mind. If you are worried about relocation or traveling costs, your employer might
be willing to pay for it.

Interpersonal/Teamwork Abilities

The ability to get along with your co-workers is paramount to a productive work
atmosphere. Though personalities vary in the workplace and clashes are sometimes
inevitable, how employees handle conflict and team assignments is important to employers.
To gauge your ability to work with others, the interviewer may ask you to demonstrate how
you managed conflict or successfully worked on a project with others before. It is possible to
productively work with someone you do not like. Therefore, your response should show
how you got the work done without allowing your emotions to get in the way.

Positive Thinking

During the interview, maintain confidence and a positive mindset. If you doubt your abilities
or see only the worst possible outcome, your interviewer might pick up on it as well.
Employers want positive employees with the ability to think quickly on their feet. Focusing
on the negatives makes it difficult to see the brighter side of situations. If asked how you
deal with problems, say that after acknowledging them you concentrate on finding workable
solutions.

Demeanor and Ethics

Your interviewer looks at your overall demeanor and work ethics, which includes whether
you display genuine interest in, and enthusiasm, for the position, and whether you are
truthful. Any sign of disinterest, boredom, or untruth may cost you the job. The interviewer
may ask questions to gauge your integrity. For example, she asks why you resigned from
your last job. Tell the truth without speaking negatively about your former employer. If you
lie and the interviewer calls your previous employer for verification, she might question
your character. Also, refrain from putting on an act during the interview by saying only what
you think the interviewer wants to hear. Let your personality speak for itself by being who
you are while remaining friendly, courteous and professional.

5.3Planning and Purpose

Preparation for the interview

Abraham Lincoln once said:"Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first
four sharpening the ax.”Preparation is indeed the key ingredient for interview success.

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Careful planning and preparation will make sure that your interview goes smoothly and will
also help to calm your nerves!

 Research very carefully the career area for which you are applying.
 Remind yourself why you are interested in this career, and this employer:
enthusiasm is important.
 Re-read your application form as if you were the interviewer. Try and anticipate the
questions they will ask. Think about any awkward points that might be picked up on,
and how you will handle them.
 Prepare some questions to ask the interviewer.
 Plan how you will get to the interview. Leave plenty of time in case
 of traffic jams or delayed trains.
 Dress neatly and smartly.
 Take a small, neat notepad and pen to write down important information the
interviewer may tell you, and after the interview, the questions you were asked, so
you can work out better answers to any you fluffed.
 Research the employer - here are some things you may be able to find out from the
employers web site or via Google.
o What is the size of the organization?
o How long has it been in business?
o What are its products and/or services?
o What sort of reputation or public image does it have?
o Who are its main competitors?
o Where is it based? Single or multiple locations? UK or multinational?
o What is the organizational structure like?
o What are its future plans and prospects?
o What is the organisational culture?
o What types of training, development and appraisal are offered?

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Common Body Language Interview Mistakes to avoid

From eye contact to posture to the way you fix your hair, avoid these 10 physical slip-ups in
your next job interview.

Bad Posture

Leaning back is lazy or arrogant, leaning forward is aggressive and slouching is just lazy.
Instead, experts say to aim for a neutral position, sitting tall as if a string were connecting
your head to the ceiling.

Breaking Eye Contact

"Hold eye contact one extra eyelash," says charisma coach Cynthia Burnham. She says we
tend to feel uncomfortable holding eye contact once a personal connection has been
created. Don't stare, but try to hold your interviewers gaze for one extra second before
breaking away. "Do this especially when shaking hands," she says.

Chopping and Pointing

Cynthia Burnham, a California-based charisma coach, says chopping or pointing motions

can"cut up" the space between you and your interviewer in an aggressive way.

Crossed Arms

"Arms crossed over your chest signal defensiveness and resistance," says Karen Friedman,
communications expert. "When they're open at your sides you appear more approachable."

Excessive Nodding

"Sometimes we undermine how powerful or in focus we are by nodding like a bobble-head

doll," says Burnham, a habit that's particularly common in women. "Nod once or twice with
a smile of agreement. But find your still center and stay there."

Fidgeting

"Stop fidgeting!" says Amanda Augustine of The Ladders. "The nervous energy will distract
the interviewer. You want [him or her] focused on what you have to say, not the coins
jingling in your pocket or the hangnail on your finger."

Hands Behind Back

It's important to appear approachable and open, so don't try to control gestures or fidgeting
by keeping your hands still. This is especially important when you begin to speak, says
Friedman. "Keeping your hands in your pockets or behind your back inhibits movement and
makes you appear stiff."

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Mismatched Expressions

"If your tone isn't matching your facial expression you could find yourself in hot water," says
communications coach Matt Eventoff. "If someone asks what you're most passionate about
and your face is in deadpan while you answer, it's not going to translate well."

Shifty Eyes

Friedman says distracted or upward eye movements can suggest someone is lying or not
sure of themselves. "It's important to look someone directly int he eye to convey confidence
and certainty."

Staring

"It's important to be confident and look the interviewer in the eye," says Amanda Augustine,
job search expert at The Ladders. "But then break away. Locking eyes with someone for an
extended period of time can be interpreted as aggressive, not to mention creepy.

Types of interview

Competency-based interviews

Many large graduate recruiters now used competency-based (also called "structured" or
"situational") interviews in which the questions are designed to help candidates give
evidence of the personal qualities which are needed to perform well in the job. Usually, you
will be expected to give an example of how you have demonstrated these qualities in the
past in reply to questions such as:

Describe a situation where you had to.....

 show leadership
 make a difficult decision
 work as a member of a team
 shown initiative
 change your plans at the last minute

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 overcome a difficult obstacle

 refuse to compromise
 work with others to solve a problem

Structured interviews can seem unfriendly and off-putting to candidates. They do not give
opportunities for discussion - when you have answered one question as far as you feel able,
the interviewer will move on to another topic. The advantages of these interviews is that
they are standardized - important when many different interviewers are assessing a large
number of graduate applicants - and that they are based upon the skills essential for the job.
See the Competency-based applications and Competency-based interviews pages for more
detailed help with this

"Traditional" interviews

These are more like a conversation - but a conversation with a purpose. It is up to you to
show that you are the right person for the job, so bear this in mind when replying to the
questions. These interviews will probably be based largely around your application form or
CV. The interviewer may focus on areas of particular interest or relevance - such as vacation
jobs or projects.

Interviewers often expect interviewees to talk much more than the candidates themselves
expect to. So don't be too brief in your answers - but don't rabbit on for too long either.
Watch the interviewer and pause from time to time - he or she will either encourage you to
continue or will introduce another question.

It's OK to pause briefly. A short gap to gather your thoughts shows thoughtfulness,
assertiveness and self confidence.

Be polite, but don't be afraid to enter into a discussion and to stand your ground. Some
interviewers will deliberately challenge your replies in order to stimulate this kind of
discussion.

5.11Types of interview questions

Interview questions can be broadly divided into four categories.

1. Competency

2. Chronological

3. Technical

4. Case studies

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Competency

These questions are structured to reflect the competencies sought by an employer for a
particular job rather than your life story, and are likely to be more detailed and persistent
than those asked in a strictly chronological interview. The competencies sought by big
employers are well described, and should be self-evident from any perusal of their
recruitment literature or website. Smaller organisations may send you a job description and
an ‘ideal person specification’, which will list quite clearly the competencies required for the
job in question – the skills, experience, knowledge and other attributes that the organisation
is looking for in its ideal candidate.

While no interview can ever be entirely objective, the competency-based interview is

structured so that each candidate is questioned about his or her ability to do the job in
question. It can be helpful to imagine the whole process as a series of levels, each question
being slightly more probing than the last.

The organisation may, for example, be looking for someone with organisational skills, and
may choose to ask you a series of questions designed to steadily probe not only your own
experience in this area, but your understanding of the skills involved. The questions may
follow a pattern such as:

 Would you describe yourself as an organised person?

 How have you demonstrated organisational skills?
 What did you do?
 What would you do differently next time?
 What makes a good organiser?
 Why are organisation skills important?
 Surely … (challenge) …?

When you are preparing for interviews it is important to anticipate such lines of questioning
and to think about what you have done in the relevant context. A range of examples from
across your experience can help to provide evidence of your competencies. You might find
the S.T.A.R. acronym useful – Situation, Task, Action and Result – when structuring your
answers. When you use the S.T.A.R. structure, make sure at least 50% of your answer
focuses on the actions you took, demonstrating your skills

Although the interviewers will be asking most of the questions, the interview is your
opportunity to ensure that you convey your suitability for the job. If you have prepared well,
you will already know what messages you want to convey, and it is up to you to make the
most of every question put to you. A question commenting on your choice of university, for
example, provides you with an ideal opportunity to highlight your ability to weigh up several
options and to exercise your judgement, as well as to mention any other motivating factors
that you feel reflect well on you – such as the opportunity to take part in a wide range of
extra-curricular activities, or your desire to be stretched intellectually.

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‘Difficult’ questions

Questions often perceived as being particularly difficult include those that appear to take a
‘negative’ tone, for example:

 What is your biggest weakness?

 What would you say has been your greatest failure?

and those which ask you to think about yourself in a different way. These might include:

 How would your friends describe you?

 If you were an animal/biscuit, what would you be?

The rules for answering these, and other, questions are the same as for answering any
question. They are asked to see how you will react and to probe your self-awareness.

1. Relax
2. Be honest
3. Emphasize the positive and what you have learnt from something that may not have
gone according to plan

You might, for example, in answer to “What is your biggest weakness?” reply that your
strengths lie in your ability to think problems through clearly, and that you can sometimes
be frustrated with people who don’t work logically – but have learned to appreciate the
different insights that they can bring to a project. This answer outlines a ‘weakness’, but
turns the question around, so that you are able to stress both your strengths and your
ability to learn from a situation. In some instances it can be helpful to give an actual
example.

The strategy can also be used with questions in the second category, that ask you to think
about yourself in a different way. These questions focus very much on your relationships
with other people – particularly those close to you. Your answer could, therefore, easily
cover your loyalty, your understanding or your readiness to help. Sometimes it can be
difficult to say, “My friends think I’m loyal…”, without sounding rather presumptuous, and
you may find it easier to preface these glowing attributes with, “I think that my friends
would say…”, or, “I hope that my friends would say…”. If asked to compare yourself to an
animal or biscuit (or colour, or piece of furniture…), think about the personal qualities that
you want to emphasize, and explain your choice. A custard cream, for example, holds up
well under pressure, is liked by everyone, and has a fine attention to detail.

If this is an area that you are concerned about, you may like to look at some of the books
available for reference at the Careers Service – you might find Great Answers to Tough
Interview Questions (Martin John Yate) particularly helpful.

 Why will you leave this job?

 Do you think equal opportunities are important?
 What criticisms of this organisation would you make?

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 At what point would you compromise your principles in this job?

These and similar questions can all be answered well. Think about the answers you might
give – what is the question seeking to reveal and why is your answer important to the
interviewer

Chronological

As the name suggests, these interviews will take you chronologically through your
experiences to date, and are likely to use your CV or completed application form as a basis.

You will be expected to be able to talk about anything that you have mentioned in your
application, and perhaps to explain why you have made certain decisions, or what
achievement has given you the greatest satisfaction. In forming your answers, think about
the key skills and requirements of the role you are applying for, so that you describe your
experiences in a way that is the most relevant possible.

Technical

If you have applied for a job or a course which requires specific technical knowledge (e.g. in
engineering or IT), it is likely that at some stage in the selection process you will be asked
some technical questions, or have a separate technical interview. Questions may focus on
what you are doing in your final-year project and why you are approaching it as you are, or
on real or hypothetical technical situations. Be prepared to illustrate your knowledge to the
full, but, equally, to admit to what you don’t know.

Case Studies

Used largely by consulting firms, these can take a number of forms, from straightforward
brainteasers (“How many telephone boxes are there in New York?” or “Why are manhole
covers round?” ) to the analysis of a hypothetical business problem. In all cases you will be
evaluated on how you analyze the problem, how you identify the key issues, how you
pursue a particular line of thinking, and whether you can develop and present an
appropriately-structured response, possibly also using a framework (e.g. 3C – Customer,
Company, Competition) for organising your thoughts. There is no single absolutely right way
to solve each problem, and how you reach your solution will probably be more important
than the solution itself.

5.12 Telephonic interview

They are real interviews held over the phone rather than face-to-face. You will usually be
interviewed by a member of the graduate recruitment or HR team.

A telephone interview will usually be given to candidates who have passed the online
application and/or psychometric test stage of the graduate recruitment process and are
used to sift out applicants to be invited to a face-to-face interview or assessment centre.

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You are more likely to have a telephone interview with one of the large corporate recruiters
than with a small or medium sized company. Telephone interviews are used by all kinds of
employers – banks, accountancy and law firms, consultancies, retailers, manufacturing
companies etc

Companies that use telephone interviews include Tesco, HSBC, Corus, BT, Lloyds of London,
Shell, Glaxo Smith Kline. They are especially common for sales-related jobs, such as
recruitment consultancy and particularly (surprise!) telesales, where verbal communication
skills are paramount.

Advantages of telephone interviews

For the employer:

 They are time and cost-effective - most last about 20-25 minutes.
 They test your verbal communication skills and telephone technique.

For Candidates:

 You can refer (quickly!) to your application form, take notes – even hold on to your
teddy bear for moral support.
 You don't need to dress up or smarten up.
 You don't need to spend time traveling to interview or wonder if the employer will
pay your expenses.

Disadvantages of telephone interviews (from the perspective of the Candidate)

 You can't see the interviewer to gauge their response.

 Tension – you never know when an employer might call to interview you.
 They can seem to go very quickly, without giving you much time to think about your
answers - so be well prepared!

Tips

o Keep a copy of your application and information on

the company handy, plus a pen and notepad to take
notes. Have your laptop turned on if your
application is on this.
o Before the call, make a list of your USP's (unique
selling points): the things that make you better in
some ways than most of the other people who will
be applying.
o Don't just read out your notes as this will sound
stilted.

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o It’s useful to have a glass of water to hand during a phone interview (but
move the phone away from your mouth when you swallow …). You will be
doing a lot of talking and you don’t want your mouth to dry up at a crucial
moment!
o Smile when you dial! (and, more importantly, when you speak): it really does
make a difference to your tone of voice.
o Although the interviewer can’t see you, you may find it easier to come over
in a “professional” manner if you are sitting at a desk or table rather than
lounging in bed.
o In a face to face interview, you show that you are listening via non-verbal
signals such as nodding your head. Over the phone you have to show this by
the occasional "OK", "uh-huh", "I see", "I understand", "yes" or similar
interjections.
o Listen very carefully to the interviewer and try to answer with a lively tone
of voice. Speak clearly and not too fast.
o Reflect back what the speaker is saying in other words. This shows you're
listening carefully and checks you understand. It is often the most useful way
of giving positive feedback to someone: "I hear what you're saying and take it
seriously". You can't keep saying "uh-huh" or "yes" for too long without it
sounding false.
o Immediately after the interview, write down the questions you were asked
and any ways in which you could have improved your responses.

5.13 Interview through videoconferencing

A video conference interview is an ideal component of a long-distance job search. It

minimizes travel and other expenses while giving an employer the opportunity to meet with
a candidate using a human-like interaction. Video conference interviews can connect many
participants who are in different locations. Given the number of remote working
relationships and the advances that technology brings to the workplace, video conference
interviews may connect job-seekers to companies they may not have previously considered.

Preparation

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A video conference interview is like any other face-to-face interview. The only difference is
that you're using technology to bridge the distance between you and the interviewer.
Prepare by practicing interview questions and answers at least several days before your
scheduled interview. Don't skimp on your preparation just because you aren't going to be in
the same room as the interviewer. In addition, test your computer's webcam to ensure that
it's working properly. An effective way to rehearse your interview responses is to practice
with your webcam running. That way, you'll not only see your reflection, but you'll be able
to gauge whether your office seat is positioned correctly so the interviewer can see you
clearly.

Appearance

Wear an interview suit, and not just the jacket and tie or the jacket and blouse. If you have
to reach across your desk or stand up to retrieve something beyond arm's length, you don't
want the interviewer to sense that you're not taking the video conference interview
seriously by dressing only from the torso up. Dark colors are best for video conferences.
Wear a dark suit and pastel shirt or blouse; stark white shirts or blouses are not as appealing
on camera. Men should wear a tie and women should wear a comfortably fitting blouse
with a modest neckline. As you would in a face-to-face interview, refrain from wearing too
much makeup, too much jewelry, loud prints and stripes, or anything else that's distracting.
Being on camera will only magnify distractions.

Equipment

Turn on your computer and webcam long before your interview in case there are any
glitches you need to resolve before the interview starts. Do a test run immediately before
the interview starts, and double check your microphone and speakers to be sure they're in
working order.

Materials

Have a copy of your resume at your fingertips, your email box up and running, and easy
access to electronic versions of your resume and reference files. You may have to quickly

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email the interviewer a copy of your resume or your list of references; you don't want to
leave her hanging while you boot up. Keep a notepad and pen or pencil handy to take brief
notes during the interview; however, avoid rearranging papers or tapping your pen during
the meeting, because those can be very distracting noises that a microphone will magnify.

Etiquette:

• Hesitate slightly: Be prepared for a very slight delay in receiving the audio and video. This
takes a few moments to get used to. Try and get into the habit of hesitating slightly before
speaking to assure that the other person has finished speaking, and again when you
complete what you have to say so that other participants know that you are done.

• Speak clearly and listen carefully.

• Each participant in the videoconference should introduce themselves, and state their
location if there are various offices involved, at the beginning of the interview or anytime a
new participant joins the session. Jot down this information so you can use your
interviewers’ names during the interview, and address your questions and comments as
appropriate.

• Videoconference interviews also differ from in-person meetings in that there is no

opportunity for a handshake to begin or end the session. Therefore, to wrap things up,
summarize your main points, thank the interviewers for their time, let them know you are
interested in the job, and ask about next steps. Pay attention to the time without obviously
glancing at your watch and follow the interviewer’s cues that the session is drawing to a
close.

Body Language:

• Look straight into the monitor at the interviewer. It will give the impression that you are
lookinginto their eyes.

• Most people find that it only takes a few minutes to get comfortable in a Videocon ference

Interview. Focus on the person you are talking to and soon you will forget the camera is
running. Avoid excessive motion. Rocking in your chair or rapid arm movements will appear

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as a blur to the other person. Don't be unnaturally stiff however. Relax just as you would if
you were speaking to someone in person.

• Speak naturally. The microphones will pick up your audio without you having to raise your
voice. There is no need to shout.

• Show your energy and enthusiasm. Remember that the camera will stay static. Image and
voices are all you have to make yourself interesting and stand out. Don’t forget to smile!.

Review Questions and Assessment

5.0 Interview skills

Imagine that you are going to sit for an interview for tech Mahindra for the position of a
middle level manager. Along with other frequently asked questions, prepare answers for the
following set of questions.

 Tell me the time you took the lead on a project .what did you do?

 Describe the worst project you worked on.

 Tell me a time you had to stick to a decision you had made even though it made you
very unpopular.

 Give an example of something very innovative that you have done, which made a
difference in the workplace.

 What happened the last time you missed the deadline of a project.

2. How will you combat your nervousness before and during an interview?

3. Discuss the interview process and the various stages that a candidate has to face for
getting a job.

Job Application

Assuming that you have the required qualifications and skills for the posts advertised, draft
a job application letter in response to the following classifieds:

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World Mega soft Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai, seeks talented and enthusiastic software Engineers and
Software Architects for its new branch office in Gurgaon. The candidates having 3-5 years of
experience possessing expertise in SDP in Services, provisioning, Charging/ Billing, Fraud
Management, Revenue Assurance, NMS, SIP,IMS, IPTV may apply. The candidates are
required to have competence in Java, XML, RMI, C++, Visual Basic and Unix/ Solaries. The
candidates must have excellent communication abilities and outstanding customer facing
skills.

Group Discussion

1. Read and prepare arguments for the following topics.

 To lead a successful life one should live in a hostel for atleast a year.

 There is no right or wrong in life.

 Peace cannot be attained through violent means.

 Children of today are not the same as those of yesteryears.

 Corruption is necessary evil in a democratic system.

 Television and computers are stealing the warmth and creativity of people.

2. Participate in a GD on any of the topics given below.

 Sky is the limit.

 It is easier to speak than listen.

 Aggression has become a way of life.

 History has no relevance in school studies.

 A borderless world is the need of the hour.

 Vegetarian food is better for both physical and mental health.

 The 20-20 matches have killed the spirit of cricket.

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 The internet has increased crimes all over the globe.

 It is better to be happy than successful in life.

PRESENTATION SKILLS

1. Assume that you have associated yourself with Samsung as its sales executive. The
company has asked you to give a presentation on the latest mobile set launched by it, to a
group of potential customers. Write the text of your speech, discussing the essential
features of this mobile set and describing its functions, utility , and added features.

2. “PowerPoint slides are used not just for decorative purposes; they must be
functional.” Discuss and substantiate.

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UNIT-5

Business letter
1.0 Objective

Business letter will illustrate your commitment to the objective at hand, as you demonstrate
the proper techniques of writing a skillful business letter. A letter must be in the desired
format, showing a dedication to the requirements, and an understanding that words and letters
can make a difference in the lives of others. Your words have meaning, and you need to
choose them wisely. Business letters can be informational, persuasive, motivational, or
promotional.

1.1 Introduction

Now-a-days business operations are not restricted to any locality, state or nation.
Todayproduction takes place in one area but consumption takes place everywhere. Since
thebusinessmen as well as customers live in far off places they don’t have sufficient time
tocontact each other personally. Thus, there arises the need for writing letters. In the past
thesituation was not so. Business letters were not essential in olden days. But now the
importanceof letters has increased because of vast expansion of business, increase in demand
as wellas supply of goods.
1.2Essentials of effective correspondence

 Help in maintaining proper relationship

Now-a-days business activities are not confined to any one area or locality. The
businessmenas well as customers are scattered throughout the country. Thus, there is a need
to maintainproper relationship among them by using appropriate means of communication.
Here businessletters play an important role. The customers can write letters to the
businessman seekinginformation about products and businessmen also supply various
information to customers.This helps them to carry on business on national and international
basis.

 Create and maintain goodwill

Sometimes business letters are written to create and enhance goodwill. Businessmen attimes
send letters to enquire about complaints and suggestions of their customers. Theyalso send
letters to inform the customers about the availability of a new product, clearancesale etc. All
this results in cordial relations with the customers, which enhances the goodwillof the
business.

 Help in expansion of business

Business requires information regarding competing products, prevailing prices,
promotion,market activities, etc. If the trader has to run from place to place to get
information, he willend up doing nothing. It will simply result in loss of time. But through
business letters, he canmake all enquiries about the products and the markets. He can also
receive orders fromdifferent countries and, thus enhance sales.

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1.3 Elements of good letter

The most important element of writing a good letter is your ability to identify and write to
your audience. If you are addressing your letter to the department of human resources, avoid
using highly technical terms that only engineers would understand. Even if your letter is
addressed to an engineering company, chances are that the personnel in human resources
does not have an engineering background.

The next element is to make sure you present your objective in a clear and concise manner.
Don't be vague about your objective; most people will not have the patience to sit there and
guess at the meaning of your letter. Most don’t have the time to read a long-winded letter
either, so stick to one page and just get to the point without going into unnecessary details.

Another important element to remember is to remain professional. Even if you are writing a
letter of complaint, remain polite and courteous. Simply state the problem(s) along with any
other relevant information and be sure to avoid threats and slander.

Remember to introduce yourself if your audience is unaware of who you are.

In most cases, the business letter will be the first impression that you make on someone.
Though business writing has become less formal over time, you should still take great care
that your letter's content is clear and that you have proofread it carefully.

Business writing should be clear and concise. Take care, however, that your document does
not turn out as an endless series of short, choppy sentences. Keep in mind also that "concise"
does not have to mean "blunt"—you still need to think about your tone and the audience for
whom you are writing.

Strive to be exact and specific, avoiding vagueness, ambiguity, and platitudes. If there are
industry- or field-specific concepts or terminology that are relevant to the task at hand, use
them in a manner that will convey your competence and experience. Avoid any language that
your audience may not understand. Your finished piece of writing should indicate how you
meet the requirements you've listed and answer any questions raised in the description or
prompt.

1.4 Layout of a business letter

The essential parts of a business letter are as follows:

1. Heading -The heading of a business letter usually contains the name and postal addressof
the business, E-mail address, Web-site address, Telephone Number, Fax Number,Trade Mark
or logo of the business (if any)

2. Date - The date is normally written on the right hand side corner after the heading asthe
day, month and years. Some examples are 28thFeb., 2003 or Feb. 28, 2003.

3. Reference- It indicates letter number and the department from where the letter is beingsent
and the year. It helps in future reference. This reference number is given on theleft hand

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corner after the heading. For example, we can write reference number
asAB/FADept./2003/27.

4. Inside address - This includes the name and full address of the person or the firm towhom
the letter is to be sent. This is written on the left hand side of the sheet below thereference
number. Letters should be addressed to the responsible head e.g., the
Secretary, the Principal, the Chairman, the Manager etc. Example:
M/S Bharat Fans
Bharat Complex
Hyderabad Industrial Complex
Hyderabad
Andhra Pradesh - 500032

The Chief Manager,

State Bank of India
Utkal University Campus
Bhubaneswar,
Orissa- 751007

5. Subject - It is a statement in brief, that indicates the matter to which the letter relates.It
attracts the attention of the receiver immediately and helps him to know quicklywhat the
letter is about. For example,
Subject: Your order No. C317/8 dated 12thMarch 2003.
Subject: Enquiry about Samsung television
Subject: Fire Insurance policy

6. Salutation - This is placed below the inside address. It is usually followed by a comma(,).
Various forms of salutation are:
Sir/Madam:

For official and formal correspondence

Dear Sir/Madam: For addressing an individual
Dear Sirs/Dear Madam: For addressing a firm or company.

7. Body of the letter- This comes after salutation. This is the main part of the letter and
itcontains the actual message of the sender. It is divided into three parts.

(a) Opening part - It is the introductory part of the letter. In this part, attention of thereader
should be drawn to the previous correspondence, if any. For example-with reference to your
letter no. 326 dated. 12thMarch 2003, I would like todraw your attention towards the new
brand of television.
(b) Main part - This part usually contains the subject matter of the letter. It shouldbe precise
and written in clear words.
(c) Concluding Part - It contains a statement of the sender’s intentions, hopes orexpectations
concerning the next step to be taken. Further, the sender shouldalways look forward to getting
a positive response. At the end, terms like Thankingyou, With regards, With warm regards
may be used.
8. Complimentary close - It is merely a polite way of ending a letter. It must be in
accordance with the salutation. For example:
Salutation Complementary close

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i. Dear Sir/Dear Madam Y ours faithfully

ii. Dear Mr. Raj Y ours sincerely
iii. My Dear Akbar Y ours very sincerely (express very informal
relations.)

8. Signature - It is written in ink, immediately below the complimentary close. As far

aspossible, the signature should be legible. The name of the writer should be
typedimmediately below the signature. The designation is given below the typed name.
Whereno letterhead is in use, the name of the company too could be included below
thedesignation of the writer. For example:
Yours faithfully
For M/S Acron Electricals
(Signature)
SUNIL KUMAR
Partner

1.5 Type of Business Letters

Business letters are written for the fulfillment of several purposes. The purpose may be
toenquire about a product to know its price and quality, availability, etc. This purpose
isserved if you write a letter of enquiry to the supplier. After receiving your letter the
suppliermay send you details about the product as per your query. If satisfied, you may give
orderfor supply of goods as per your requirement. After receiving the items, if you find that
theproduct is defective or damaged, you may lodge a complaint. These are the few instances
inwhich business correspondence takes place. Let us learn the details about some
importantbusiness letters.

i. Business Enquiry Letter

Sometimes prospective buyers want to know the details of the goods which they want tobuy,
like quality, quantity, price, mode of delivery and payment, etc. They may also ask fora
sample. The letter written to sellers with one or more of the above purposes is known
asenquiry letter.

Points to be kept in mind while writing letters of enquiry-

 Letters of enquiry should clearly state the information required, which may be asking
for a price list or a sample.
 Write specifically about the design, size, quantity, quality, etc. about the product or
service in which the buyer is interested.
 The period or the date, till which information is required, may also be mentioned.

ii. Quotation Letter

After receiving the letter of enquiry from a prospective buyer, the sellers supply the
relevantinformation by writing a letter that is called quotation letter. These letters are written
keepingin view the information asked for like price list, mode of payment, discount to be
allowedetc. Businessman should reply to the inquiries carefully and promptly.

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iii. Order Letter

We have studied about letters of enquiry and reply to enquiry i.e.,quotation letter. The
prospective buyer after receiving the reply to his enquiry letter maydecide to place on order
with that business house which offers goods at minimum price andat favourable terms and
conditions. Letters written by a buyer to the seller giving the orderto purchase the goods is
called order letter.

iv. Complaint Letter

A complaint letter is written when the purchaser does not find the goods upto his satisfaction.
It is normally written by the purchaser when he receives wrong, defective or damagedgoods
or receives incorrect quantity of goods. It can also be written directly to the transitauthority
when the goods are damaged in transit. Thus, we may define a letter of complaintas the letter
that draws the attention of the supplier or any other party on account of supplyof defective or
damaged goods.

Points to be considered while writing a complaint letter-

 Complaint letters should be written immediately after receiving the defective goods.
 Mistakes as well as difficulty due to mistake should be mentioned clearly
 Proposal to correct the mistakes should be made
 Suggestions on how the complaint should be dealt with, i.e., mention of
compensation,
replacement, discount, cancellation etc, should be made.
 Mention period in which the corrective action should be taken
 Request to be careful in future.

v. Recovery Letter
The letter written by the seller for collection of money for the goods supplied to the buyer is
called recovery letter. The aim of recovery letter is to collect money without annoyingthe
customers. The letter should include information regarding the amount of arrears argument
for payment, and last date for payment. The language of recovery letter should be polite, so
that the customer is not offended and future transactions with him are not adversely affected.

Sample business letter

Mrs. Sabitha Gouri

22/72 Golden Tower
Gandgi Road
Hyderabad 5300264

May 26, 2014

The Tiny Tots Toy Company

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156 Pyramid Way

College Park,
Mumbai7420115

Dear Customer Service Representative:

I recently purchased one of your Tiny Tents (Model # 47485) for my three-year old.
Unfortunately, afterviewing the components that came with the product, I discovered that
four of the parts were missing. Also, the instructions that came with the tent are incomplete.
Both of these situations have resulted in the tent remaining unassembled and unacceptable as
a toy for my daughter.

I am writing to request replacements for the missing parts, and a copy of the full set of
assembly directions for the model I purchased. If reasonable arrangements are not made
within ten business days, I will return the tent tothe store I purchased it from and expect a full
refund. To assist you in processing my request, I am including a copy of my sales receipt and
a list of the missing parts.

I have purchased other toys manufactured by your company in the past, and have always been
impressed with the quality and selection Tiny Tots has made available to its customers. I
sincerely hope this is a one-time incident, and that any future purchases I makewill live up to
the standard my family has come to expect from your company.

Yours Sincerely

Signature
Mrs. Sabitha Gouri

1.6 The Seven Cs of Business Letter writing

1. Correctness

At the time of encoding, if the encoder has comprehensive knowledge about the
decoder of message, it makes the communication an ease. The encoder should know
the status, knowledge and educational background of the decoder. Correctness means:

 Use the right level of language

 Correct use of grammar, spelling and punctuation
 Accuracy in stating facts and figures

2. Clarity

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Clarity demands the use of simple language and easy sentence structure in composing
the message. When there is clarity in presenting ideas, it’s easy for the
receiver/decoder to grasp the meaning being conveyed by the sender/encoder.

3. Conciseness

A concise message saves time of both the sender and the receiver. Conciseness, in a
business message, can be achieved by avoiding wordy expressions and repetition.
Using brief and to the point sentences, including relevant material makes the message
concise. Achieving conciseness does not mean to loose completeness of message.

4. Completeness

By completeness means the message must bear all the necessary information to bring
the response you desire. The sender should answer all the questions and with facts and
figures. and when desirable, go for extra details.

5. Consideration

Consideration demands to put oneself in the place of receiver while composing a

message. It refers to the use of You attitude, emphases positive pleasant facts,
visualizing reader’s problems, desires, emotions and his response.

6. Concreteness

Being definite, vivid and specific rather than vague, obscure and general leads to
concreteness of the message. Facts and figures being presented in the message should
be specif.

7. Courtesy

In business, almost everything starts and ends in courtesy. Courtesy means not only
thinking about receiver but also valuing his feelings. Much can be achieved by using
polite words and gestures, being appreciative, thoughtful, tactful, and showing respect
to the receiver. Courtesy builds goodwill.

Memoranda
2.1 Meaning of Memoranda

A memo (or memorandum, meaning “reminder”) is normally used for communicating

policies, procedures, or related official business within an organization. It is often written
from a one-to-all perspective (like mass communication), broadcasting a message to an
audience, rather than a one-on-one, interpersonal communication. It may also be used to
update a team on activities for a given project, or to inform a specific group within a

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company of an event, action, or observance. A short message or record used for internal
communication in a business.

2.2 Letter Vs Memo

Business memos are internal documents sent to employees to convey information about the
company, while business letters are external communiqués, often related to sales activities or
customer needs or to query a vendor or government agency. The formatting is different for
both, and learning how to properly create each will help you more effectively communicate
your message.Memos are often sent to notify staff members about a meeting or new policy
the company feels is important enough to warrant more than word-of-mouth dissemination.
Memos are often informal, with less attention to structure, formatting, grammar and quality
of paper.Letters are more formal documents sent to people outside your company. They can
include requests for information or clarification from a government agency; responses to
customer complaints or queries; or pitches or proposals to vendors, customers or the media.
Letters are usually put on high-quality paper, rather than copy paper, and are carefully
proofread to avoid even the smallest mistake.

 A letter is a short or long message that is sent by one person to another while a memo
is a short message that is sent by a person to another.

 A letter is more formal and contains more information while a memo is informal and
is very short.

 A memo is more concise and to the point as compared to a letter.

 A letter is exchanged between businesses and their clients while a memo is exchanged
between individuals within an organization.

 A memo usually has a header that states where it is from and who it is intended for
while a letter may or may not have this feature.

2.3 Structure of a Memo

Begin a memo with this standard heading:

TO: This is where the name of the recipient

goes, along with their title in the company.

FROM: the name of the sender, his/her position,

and if the memo is printed, the sender’s initials.

DATE: the date the memo is sent.

SUBJECT or RE: the title of the memo. It mentions

the situation the memo will address.

2. Next, the memo’s content generally follows this structure:

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a. Situation/Problem- an introduction or the purpose of the memo followed by a

description of the issue at hand.
b. Solution/ Action– the steps needed to resolve the problem and how they are to be
carried out.
c. Closing- ends with a polite expression; also, provide a contact number where the
recipient can reach you and offer to answer any questions that may arise.

Sample

MEMORANDUM

TO: Suresh Agarwal, Store Manager

FROM: Deepak Dutta, Assistant Manager
DATE: March 18, 2014
RE: Dress Code Issues

A number of our clients have expressed their concern over the way certain sales associates
are dressed. Clients complain their clothing does not reflect our store’s good image and
quality of service, and instead makes them look trashy and unprofessional.

I think it is necessary for us to establish and enforce a dress code for all our store employees.
Some of the items that can no longer be considered appropriate are excessively baggy pants
and T-shirts, low cut blouses, and any garment that exposes the chest and back.

I would like to discuss this issue with you at your convenience, and also answer any
questions you may have. Please contact me at XXX-XXXX.

2.4 Writing strategies of a memo

Step 1

Send your memo only to those individuals who need to see it. For a communications strategy,
you will want to include your management team, sales, and anyone who has been, or will be,
involved in the communications planning process. If it is confidential, you will want to both
limit the audience to only those who need the information, and clearly note that the contents
are confidential at the top of the memo.

Step 2

State the purpose of your memo in your opening paragraph. Make your opening statement
direct so that the reader clearly understands why he should pay attention. For example, you
might write: “This memo details the communication strategy as determined by the task force
selected by the agency last month.”

Step 3

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Write the context of the memo, or the background information. For example, it might be that
the communications team had been meeting for several weeks and identified a key objective
but could not come up with an agreed-upon strategy.

Step 4

Write your task. This is the action that was taken. In this case, it might be that you were
tasked with assembling a smaller group, including several people from outside the
communications department, to develop some strategies and solicit feedback.

Step 5

Write your summary segment. If your task was to generate a strategy, your summary would
reveal the communications strategy that you, and any others involved, have developed. For
example, your strategy might be to initiate public relations activities using a combination of
agency resources and in-house personnel to reach your agreed-upon objectives.

Step 6

Write your discussion to provide details that support the summary. You may include
reminders that the chosen strategy needs to be feasible, should be the one most likely to be
effective, and that the purpose of a strategy is to achieve the stated objectives with the
resources available. Include alternative strategies that were reviewed, along with their pros
and cons or an explanation of why they were discarded.

Step 7

Write your closing segment. This is where you list action items or offer to be a resource if
there are questions or you want to set up a follow-up meeting for further discussion. You also
want to note here if there are attachments with the memo. For example, you might include
notes from the strategy meeting, or a copy of the communications plan that includes the
objective and key messages -- items that are crucial in determining the communications
strategy. You may also indicate that selecting tactics appropriate to the strategy will be the
next step and give a time frame and responsible party for that.

Notice and Circular

3.1 Difference between Notice and Circular

Notices: It is a form of intra departmental communication. Informational messages

aretransmitted to the members of an organization by putting them up as notices for everyone
to read. It is generally displayed on the Notice Board of the organization and everyone is
expected to go through its contents. In case of legal notice, it is sent by post.

In an organization, the purpose of notice is for :

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1) Inviting everyone for a meeting.

2) Regarding a new rule to be initiated or followed.
3) Regarding events to be held.
4) Regarding a holiday.
5) Regarding deadlines for any particular job assigned.

Circular: It is a written formal document used for inter departmental communication. It

serves thesame purpose as a notice and may be written for the same reason. The only
difference between the two is that the Notice is displayed at one place, whereas the Circular
is widely circulated among the members concerned. Usually the signature of the reader is
taken as a proof to ensure that the information has been transmitted.

3.1 Salient feature of a Circular Letter

A circular letter is a type of letter that is written to share a particularpiece of information with
a very large audience. The purpose of a circular letter is very different from a personal letter,
which is only used to send a piece of information to one or maybe two people.The main
purpose of a circular letter is to announce or reveal new information or perhaps to clarify
certain policies in a political situation. Below are some steps on how to write a circular letter.

Step 1.

The first thing to do when you are trying to write a circular letter is to make sure that you
know your target audience well. For this type of letter, the readership is going to be very
broad so it can be quite difficult to figure out what level of knowledge your audience has. For
this situation, you should think about the majority of your readers, and tailor your letter
towards them.

Step 2.

You then need to think about the difference between external and internal circular letters. An
external letter would be circulated amongst clients or the general public. Whereas an internal
circular letter would be circulated amongst a larger group, however it is limited to that group.

Step 3

When it comes to actually writing the letter, you should think about the exact tone and voice
that is suitable for the letter that you are writing. For example, only use a stern tone when
entirely necessary such as addressing tardiness but not appropriate for a letter to clients.

Step 4

Be careful with the content of your letter. Make sure that you only write about information
that has been authorized to be distributed. Because some circular letters will be distributed to
a large audience, it would not be wise to disclose confidential contact information.

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3.2 Situations requiring Circular letter

Circular letter is written for the following business objectives:

The primary objective of circular letter is to distribute information relating to business.

Circular letter usually circulates the following business information:

 Launching a new business

 Expansion of existing business in any new field
 Changing the nature of business
 Opening or closing branches of the business
 Changing the name of the business
 Shifting the address of the business
 Discharging any officer, executive, agent or representative of the business
 Employing any new business executive or agent
 Admission of new partner
 Retirement or death of any existing partner
 Cancellation of any business deal or contract
 Entering into any new business contract
 News regarding increase or decrease of price
 News regarding trademarks, registered brand etc.
 Amalgamation of some business units and
 Winding up of business partly or wholly

Sample Circular Letter

To : All Employees
From : Dinesh Paresh, MD
Date : October 3, 2013

Our success to become a part of Altair Industries last year is something that we need to
review in the hope that we can enthuse ourselves in setting our next goals in future. I
herewith would like to share with you my thought and plans about the area I believe are
important to all of us in years ahead.

Productivity

I am sure that you are all aware of the effort throughout our country to improve productivity.
Over the past year, we have made heavy capitalinvestment to improve our position.
Productivity, however, depends not only on the acquisition of more efficient equipment but
alsoon the commitment of each employees to see creative ways using resources most
efficiently.

Marketing and Sales

You may be aware that our Target Sales program has helped us improve our sales by over 15
percent. Although that result is gratifying, it is not large enough to offset the week’s position

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in which we found ourselves two years ago. Therefore, I am setting a goal of 25 percent
increase in sales for this next year.

I hope you share the excitement I feel as we implement these plans. Indeed, you must actively
participate if they are to have a chance for success.

Agenda and Minutes

4.1 Notification of Meeting

Memorandum

To:Ashok Sudh

From: Joy Nigam, Team Player

Subject: New group project

Date: 4 April 2014

The group project is about to be launched. A meeting will be held on 10April 2014 at 10am
in meeting room 2 to decide what our starting point is.

Please circulate all Concept Study Reports prior to the meeting and come prepared both to
discuss these and to volunteer for individual tasks.

Agenda

Group LeaderStart-up Meeting

Date: 10 April 2014

Time: 2 PM
Venue: Conference Room

1. Apologies
2. Minutes of Last Meeting
3. Matters Arising

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4. Planning
5. Co-operation and Team work
6. Research and Testing
7. Evaluating
8. Any Other Business
9. Date and Time of next Meeting

4.2 Techniques of compiling Minutes

What is the purpose of minutes?

Minutes are written as an accurate record of a group's meetings, and a record decisions taken.
They are useful because people can forget what was decided at a meeting if there is no
written record of the proceedings. Minutes can also inform people who were not at the
meeting about what took place.

The following is a guide for making this task easier:

 Ensure that all of the essential elements are noted, such as type of meeting, name of
the organization, date and time, venue, name of the chair or facilitator, main topics
and the time of adjournment. For formal and corporate meetings include approval of
previous minutes, and all resolutions.
 Prepare an outline based on the agenda ahead of time, and leave plenty of white space
for notes. By having the topics already written down, you can jump right on to a new
topic without pause.
 Prepare a list of expected attendees and check off the names as people enter the room.
Or, you can pass around an attendance sheet for everyone to sign as the meeting
starts.
 To be sure about who said what, make a map of the seating arrangement, and make
sure to ask for introductions of unfamiliar people.
 Don't make the mistake of recording every single comment. Concentrate on getting
the gist of the discussion and taking enough notes to summarize it later. Think in
terms of issues discussed, major points raised and decisions taken.
 Use whatever recording method is comfortable for you, a notepad, a laptop computer,
a tape recorder, a steno pad, or shorthand. It might be a good idea to make sound
recordings of important meetings as a backup to your notes.
 If you are an active participant in the meeting, be prepared! Study the issues to be
discussed and have your questions ready ahead of time. If you have to concentrate on
grasping the issues while you are making your notes, they won't make any sense to
you later.
 Don't wait too long to type up the minutes, especially while your memory is fresh. Be
sure to have the minutes approved by the chair or facilitator before distributing them
to the attendees.

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 Don't be intimidated by the prospect of taking minutes. Concise and coherent minutes
are the mark of a professional. The very process of recording minutes can give you a
deeper understanding of the issues faced by your organization along with ability to
focus on what's important.

Remember that minutes should capture the three points below – nothing more nothing less:

 What was decided

 What was accomplished
 What was agreed and actions for the attendees

The format for your minutes should be consistent and ideally you should be working from
one template. If your company does not have a branded template you should suggest this to
your manager and design something for them, a simple word template with the
following information will suffice:

 The name of the Committee meeting

 The date, time and location of the meeting
 The attendees
 The apologies
 The name of the minute taker
 Each of the agenda items underlined and listed with details on what was decided,
what was accomplished and the action points to take forward (with the initials of the
person responsible for the action).
 Any other business
 The date of the next meeting

4.3 Key Language Points

1. There are only three main areas of the conversation that you have to capture in your
minutes so try to avoid all of the chat and ‘he said, she said’ dialogue. Unless it is
relevant to the key agenda points leave this dialogue out of the minutes.
2. While preparing minutes try to remain neutral when typing up your notes. If an
argument took place during the meeting or someone stormed out of the room you
wouldn’t necessarily put this detail in the minutes at all.
3. Past tense in the 3rd person. This is the grammar to use when writing minutes, for
example: Raghav Ranjan agreed to distribute the minutes as soon as possible. It is
also recommend to use initials rather than full names to save some time but this is a
style choice and may not be suitable for all companies.
4. If a report or paper has been circulated during the meeting there is no need to write
any of this detail in the minutes. Simply state that the paper was noted by the
Committee and any action points arising from the discussion.
5. Proofread your work once finished. Try to get everything on the page as quickly as
possible and then go back a day later to tweak the wording and sentence structure.
The minutes will probably be proofread by at least two other people before they are
finally circulated so be prepared that some of your work will be changed anyway.

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5.0 Seminars and Conferences

5.1 Significance

The focus of a seminar is to educate a specific group of people on a particular subject; for
example, a seminar for medical professionals may revolve around teaching a new treatment
method. The participants must come away from the seminar with the knowledge, so
attendees' progress sometimes is tracked individually or as a team.

Conferences focus on a specific subject or field of subjects, but the goal is not necessarily to
educate. Conferences are typically a means to showcase new theories, methods and
techniques in a particular field or professional group.

Seminars have programs that are similar to those taught in classrooms and even small,
focused presentations for learning. Attendees must attend particular seminars and typically
have the option to sign up for other related discussions.

Conferences have various offerings. The programs and presentations relate to the main
theme, but talks, group discussions and even debates may be available. Attendees either sign
up for specific activities or follow the presentations on a set schedule provided by the
organizers.

Conference" also refers to meeting for lectures of discussion, whereas a seminar is a meeting
on a specific subject, or a meeting of university or college students for study or discussion
with an academic supervisor. Conference has no such specific meaning.

5.2 Planning and Preparation

Planning Considerations for a Conference or Seminar

1 Set SMART objectives

2 Estimates / budgets
3 Agree overall budget performance requirement
4 Agree human resources, roles and responsibilities
5 Agree areas for subject focus

6 Subject developments
6.1 Define target audience
6.2 Define audience needs
6.3 Brainstorm / research potential themes
6.4 Agree theme and title
6.5 Review competing activities
6.6 Agree potential dates
6.7 Research / testing

7 Budgeting

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7.1 Identify deliverables and timings

7.2 Venue budget
7.3 Entertainment / social event budget
7.4 Speaker budget
7.5 Promotional budget
7.6 Operations budget
7.7 Staff accommodation, travel and expenses
7.8 Delegate revenue
7.9 Sponsorship revenue
7.10 Advertising revenue
7.11 Exhibition revenue
7.12 Cost – benefit analysis
7.13 Decision to go ahead

8 EventVenue
8.1 Research potential locations and facilities
8.2 Shortlist
8.3 Select preferred location
8.4 Refreshments and catering requirements
8.5 Accommodation requirements
8.6 Hospitality and check-in
8.7 Billing arrangements
8.8 Audio – visual requirements
8.9 Seating planning
8.10 Stage layout planning
8.11 Contract with venue
8.12 Date for confirming delegate numbers
8.13 Confirm delegate special requirements

9 Event speakers, session chairs

9.1 Research potential speakers and session chairs
9.2 Shortlist / call for papers
9.3 Approach speakers and chairs
9.4 Confirm availability of speakers and chairs
9.5 Finalisation of speakers, chairs and programme
9.6 Confirmation of event, travel and accommodation details
9.7 Preparation of session briefs
9.8 Send PowerPoint presentation templates
9.9 Receive copies of presentations
9.10 Agree meeting and greeting procedures / speakers’ lounge

11 Promotion
11.1 Prepare and agree event branding and promotion plan
11.2 Agree response procedures
11.3 Prepare promotional materials
11.4 Prepare PowerPoint slide templates for presentations
11.5 Communications to potential delegates
11.6 Advertising
11.7 Website
11.8 Press release / press pack distributed

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11.9 Telemarketing follow up to key potential delegates

11.10 Telephone follow up to key media
11.11 Agree contents and design of delegate packs

13 Event administration
13.1 Agree booking and enquiry processes
13.2 Agree accounting and enquiry processes
13.3 Confirmation letters to delegates
13.3 Joining instructions to delegates
13.4 Produce delegate badges
13.5 Produce delegate evaluation form
13.6 Agree staff planning
13.7 Staff briefings

14 Post-event activity
14.1 Thank-you letters
14.2 Contract settlement
14.3 Promotion / communications

5.3 Symposium

A symposium is a formal gathering in an academic setting where participants are experts in

their fields. These experts present or deliver their opinions or viewpoints on a chosen topic of
discussion. It would be correct to label a symposium as a small scale conference as the
number of delegates is smaller. There are the usual discussions on the chosen topic after the
experts have presented their speeches. The chief characteristic of a symposium is that it
covers a single topic or subject and all the lectures given by experts are completed in a single
day.

Symposium is a bit casual in nature, and there is not much pressure on the delegates to
perform or present lectures in the best possible manner as is the case in other academic
events. There are lunch breaks, tea, snacks etc to break the ice further.

6.0 Correspondence with Bank

Letters written by customer to bank

Letter from a customer to a Bank for opening an account

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Thebank allows a customer to open an account only after verifying his identity, signature and
after introduction. Writing a letter a customer can reduce his trips to bank and get the details
and forms needed for opening an account. The letter should include these details:
1. The desire to open an account and type of account
2. Details like name, address, profession etc.
3. Details like other formalities like introduction
4. Ask about rates of interest and various services
5. Other documents needed for account opening
6. Type ofdeposit account needed

Letter from customer to a bank asking for overdraft facility

Overdraft means the amount drawn above the credit balance. In times of emergencies, a bank
provides overdraft facility to a longstanding, financially sound customer after coming to an
agreement. The customer has to pledge his assets and pay an interest to the bank. It is treated
as a temporary loan and is issued after the bank inspects the assets. Overdraft can be drawn
one or many times upto the limit fixed.

Letter forstopping payment

The customer can stop payment to a cheque by writing to the bank. If the cheque is issued
to a wrong payee or for a higher amount or if a duly filled cheque is lost, payment can be
stopped by immediately writing to the bank. The letter should include these details:
1. Whether the cheque is lost
2. The cheque number, account number, type of account
3. Name of the payee
4. Whether it is a crossed cheque, a bearer cheque or a self cheque

Letter from a customer to a bank regarding non-payment (dishonour of a cheque)

The bank makes payment to a customer if there is sufficient balance in the account and there
is no mistake in the drawing of the cheque. Issuing a check without sufficient balance in the
account is a punishable offence. Whenever a situation arises that causes the bank to refuse
payment to a cheque, the bank returns it with the memorandum mentioning the reason for it.
This is called the bouncing of a cheque.

Letter from a customer to a bank regarding loss of cheque (cheque book)

A letter informing the bank about loss of cheque book includes:

1. Account number and type of cheque
2. The fact of the loss
3. The serial number of the cheque
4. Name of payee, amount and date on the cheque
5. Whether crossed or bearer cheque

Letter from customer to bank regarding instruction for transfer of funds from one
account
to another

The letter should contain:

1. Nameand address
2. Name of account
3. Number of both accounts

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4. Amount to be transferred and the date

5. The period for which amount is to be transferred
6. The length of the period

6.1 Correspondence with Media

7.0 Drafting of Advertisement

Come up with a catchy, snappy tagline. Keep it short and sweet; the average product needs
no more than six or seven words. If you say it out loud and it sounds like a mouthful, edit it
down. Whatever it is, it should grab the consumer's attention and convince him or her that
your product is different from everyone else’s. Consider using:

 Rhyme – “Do you Yahoo?”

 Humor – “Dirty mouth? Clean it with Orbit chewing gum!”
 A play on words – “Every kiss begins with ‘Kay’”
 Creative imagery – Yellow Pages: “Let your fingers do the walking”
 Metaphor – “Red Bull gives you wings”
 Alliteration – “Intel Inside”
 A personal pledge – Motel 6: “We leave the light on for you”

Avoid the same old. The key to a good advertisement is being memorable. The second your
ad borrows a familiar advertising phrase (for example, “new and improved,” “guaranteed,” or
“free gift” — is there any other kind?), it becomes interchangeable with thousands of others.
What’s more, listeners are so used to ad clichés that they don’t even hear them anymore.

 Startling the reader into paying attention is especially useful if you have a lot to say.
For example, this long, environmentally-oriented announcement wouldn’t turn many
heads if it weren’t for the unusual, confrontational tagline; if the reader wants to get
the joke, she or he has to read more.
 Know how to walk the line between controversial and entertaining. Pushing the limits
of good taste to help your ad grab attention is common practice, but don't go too far
— you want your product to be recognized on its own merits, not because it was tied
to a tasteless advertisement.

Use a persuasive technique. There are tried and true methods that advertisers rely on to
make their ads stick. These include:

 Common sense: Challenging the consumer to think of a good reason why not to
purchase a product or service.
 Humor: Making the consumer laugh, thereby making yourself more likeable and
memorable. This pairs especially well with refreshing honesty. Not the most
successful business in your class? Advertise that your lines are shorter.
 Repetition: Getting your product to stick by repeating key elements. Jingles are the
most obvious way to do this, but unless they’re very good, they’re also the most
annoying. If you go this route, brainstorm a more creative, less obvious repetition
technique.
 Exigency: Convincing the consumer that time is of the essence. Limited-time only
offers, fire sales, and the like are the commonest ways to do this, but again, avoid
meaningless phrases that will slip under your customers’ radar.

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8.0 E-mails and E-Filing

The abbreviated form of electronic mail is 'email'. Email is a system used for creating,
sending/receiving and storing data in a digital format over a network of computers. Today's
email technology uses the store-and-forward model. In this model, users send and receive
information on their computer terminals. However, the computer is used only to connect to
the email architecture. The creation, transmission and storage of email takes place only when
connection with an email architecture is established.Email is one of the important
technological developments which has greatly influenced the way we communicate with each
other. It would be interesting to study the benefits and limitations of this popular mailing tool.

Advantages of emails

 Emails are easy to use. You can organize your daily correspondence, send and
receive electronic messages and save them on computers.
 Emails are fast. They are delivered at once around the world. No other form of
written communication is as fast as an email.
 The language used in emails is simple and informal.
 When you reply to an email you can attach the original message so that when you
answer the recipient knows what you are talking about. This is important if you get
hundreds of emails a day.
 It is possible to send automated emails with a certain text. In such a way it is possible
to tell the sender that you are on vacation. These emails are called auto responders.
 Emails do not use paper. They are environment friendly and save a lot of trees from
being cut down.
 Emails can also have pictures in them. You can send birthday cards or newsletters as
emails.
 Products can be advertised with emails. Companies can reach a lot of people and
inform them in a short time.

Limitation of Email

1. Emotional responses. Some emails cause upset or anger. A reply in the heat of the
moment can’t be easily retracted.
2. Information overload. Too many people send too much information. They often cite
‘need to know’ as the justification. Learn how to use email effectively and you’ll
reduce time wasted on this.
3. Lacks the personal touch. Some things are best left untyped. Email will never beat a
hand written card or letter when it comes to relationships.
4. Misunderstandings. Emails from people who don’t take the time to read what they
write before clicking ‘send’. Time is wasted, either to clarify or, worse, acting on a
misinterpretation of the message.
5. Pressure to reply. Once it’s in your inbox, you feel an ever increasing obligation to
act on it.
6. Spam. Having to deal with spam and spoofs is one of the worst avoidable time
wasters online.
7. Sucks up your time. Over checking messages is so common, but it is time wasted on
low value, passive activity.
8. Too long. How long is too long? It’s hard to say exactly, but the longer it goes on, the
harder it is to take in. Email is suited to brevity.

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9. Viruses. A virus could seriously affect your computer. If you want to know how to
use email effectively, it's worth learning how to deal with these.

8.1 Structure and Content

1. Structure

An email includes at least the three following headers:

 From: The sender's email address

 To: The recipient's email address
 Date: The date when the email was sent

It may contain the following optional fields:

 Received: Various information about the intermediary servers and the date when the
message was processed.
 Reply-To: A reply address.
 Subject: The message's subject
 Message-ID: A unique identification for the message.

2. Style

 Always fill in the subject line with a topic that means something to your reader.
 Put your main point in the opening sentence. Most readers won't stick around for a
surprise ending.
 Never begin a message with a vague "This"--as in "This needs to be done by 5:00."
Always specify what you're writing about.
 Don't use ALL CAPITALS(no shouting!), or all LOWR CASE letters either
 As a general rule, PLZ avoid textspeak (abbreviations and acronyms): you may be
ROFLOL (rolling on the floor laughing out loud), but your reader may be left
wondering WUWT (what's up with that).
 Be brief and polite. If your message runs longer than two or three short paragraphs,
consider (a) reducing the message, or (b) providing an attachment. But in any case,
don't snap, growl, or bark.
 Remember to say "please" and "thank you." And mean it. "Thank you for
understanding why afternoon breaks have been eliminated" is prissy and petty. It's not
polite.
 Add a signature block with appropriate contact information (in most cases, your
name, business address, and phone number, along with a legal disclaimer if required
by your company). Do you need to clutter the signature block with a clever quotation
and artwork? Probably not.
 Edit and proofread before hitting "send." You may think you're too busy to sweat the
small stuff, but unfortunately your reader may think you're a careless dolt.
 Finally, reply promptly to serious messages. If you need more than 24 hours to collect
information or make a decision, send a brief response explaining the delay.

8.2 E-mail Etiquette

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There are certain professional standards expected for e-mail use. Here are some things to
keep in mind regarding professional e-mail conduct:

1. Be informal, not sloppy. Your colleagues may use commonly accepted abbreviations
in e-mail, but when communicating with external customers, everyone should follow
standard writing protocol. Your e-mail message reflects you and your company, so
traditional spelling, grammar, and punctuation rules apply.
2. Keep messages brief and to the point. Just because your writing is grammatically
correct does not mean that it has to be long. Nothing is more frustrating than wading
through an e-mail message that is twice as long as necessary. Concentrate on one
subject per message whenever possible.
3. Use sentence case. USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS LOOKS AS IF YOU'RE
SHOUTING. Using all lowercase letters looks lazy. For emphasis, use asterisks or
bold formatting to emphasize important words. Do not, however, use a lot of colors or
graphics embedded in your message, because not everyone uses an e-mail program
that can display them.
4. Use the blind copy and courtesy copy appropriately. Don't use BCC to keep others
from seeing who you copied; it shows confidence when you directly CC anyone
receiving a copy. Do use BCC, however, when sending to a large distribution list, so
recipients won't have to see a huge list of names. Be cautious with your use of CC;
overuse simply clutters inboxes. Copy only people who are directly involved.
5. Don't use e-mail as an excuse to avoid personal contact. Don't forget the value of
face-to-face or even voice-to-voice communication. E-mail communication isn't
appropriate when sending confusing or emotional messages. Think of the times
you've heard someone in the office indignantly say, "Well, I sent you e-mail." If you
have a problem with someone, speak with that person directly. Don't use e-mail to
avoid an uncomfortable situation or to cover up a mistake.
6. Remember that e-mail isn't private. I've seen people fired for using e-mail
inappropriately. E-mail is considered company property and can be retrieved,
examined, and used in a court of law. Unless you are using an encryption device
(hardware or software), you should assume that e-mail over the Internet is not secure.
Never put in an e-mail message anything that you wouldn't put on a postcard.
Remember that e-mail can be forwarded, so unintended audiences may see what
you've written. You might also inadvertently send something to the wrong party, so
always keep the content professional to avoid embarrassment.
7. Be sparing with group e-mail. Send group e-mail only when it's useful to every
recipient. Use the "reply all" button only when compiling results requiring collective
input and only if you have something to add. Recipients get quite annoyed to open an
e-mail that says only "Me too!"
8. Use the subject field to indicate content and purpose. Don't just say, "Hi!" or
"From Laura." Agree on acronyms to use that quickly identify actions. For example,
your team could use <AR> to mean "Action Required" or <MSR> for the Monthly
Status Report. It's also a good practice to include the word "Long" in the subject field,
if necessary, so that the recipient knows that the message will take time to read.
9. Don't send chain letters, virus warnings, or junk mail. Always check a reputable
antivirus Web site or your IT department before sending out an alarm. If a constant
stream of jokes from a friend annoys you, be honest and ask to be removed from the
list. Direct personal e-mail to your home e-mail account.
10. Remember that your tone can't be heard in e-mail. Have you ever attempted
sarcasm in an e-mail, and the recipient took it the wrong way? E-mail communication

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can't convey the nuances of verbal communication. In an attempt to infer tone of

voice, some people use emoticons, but use them sparingly so that you don't appear
unprofessional. Also, don't assume that using a smiley will diffuse a difficult message.
11. Summarize long discussions. Scrolling through pages of replies to understand a
discussion is annoying. Instead of continuing to forward a message string, take a
minute to summarize it for your reader. You could even highlight or quote the
relevant passage, then include your response.

8.3 E-Filing

An electronic filing system is a system of organizing files that utilizes hard drive space or
network space. The system may either be computer software, an Internet-based program, or a
simple file and folder system on the desktop of a computer. Electronic filing systems are used
on multiple devices, ranging from our cell phones to our video game consoles to our digital
video recorders.

Function

An electronic filing system utilizes an electronic device, such as a computer, to store and
organize files for easy access. Simply placing school assignments in a folder on the desktop
of your computer creates an elementary electronic filing system. Electronic filing systems
offer the ability to organize various types of files on one operating system, or one type of file
on a specific operating system. Electronic filing systems are used by gaming consoles, MP3
players, and throughout various applications on a computer.

Features

A computer alone is a vast electronic filing system offering various features. It begins with a
large filing system, the hard drive, and splits into smaller and smaller electronic filing
systems within the programs and applications on the computer. The "My Documents" folder
on a computer is an electronic filing system arranging your documents in order of time
created, alphabetically, or most often used, depending on your preferences. Most electronic
filing systems offer the ability to search or browse through the files, allowing you to pinpoint
the needed file out of the lot.

Benefits

Electronic filing systems allow us to easily find the information and files we need at the time
we need them. Libraries and bookstores use electronic filing systems to keep track of the
location of books. Thanks to these filing systems we can visit a kiosk, type in the book we are
looking for, and be directed to it in a fraction of the time it would take us to fumble through
the room trying to figure it out on our own.

Warning

While electronic filing systems relieve us of a lot of stress when they are working, they can
cause chaos when they are out of order. Doctor's offices that run on electronic systems are at
a loss when the power is out, or when a server tears up and must be replaced. It is always best
to have a backup system when the primary system is out of commission.

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9.0 Cross Cultural Communication

9.1 Different communication styles

Communicating across cultures is challenging. Each culture has set rules that its members
take for granted. Few of us are aware of our own cultural biases because cultural imprinting
is begun at a very early age. And while some of a culture's knowledge, rules, beliefs, values,
phobias, and anxieties are taught explicitly, most of the information is absorbed
subconsciously.

The challenge for multinational communication has never been greater. Worldwide business
organizations have discovered that intercultural communication is a subject of importance—
not just because of increased globalization, but also because their domestic workforce is
growing more and more diverse, ethnically and culturally.

We are all individuals, and no two people belonging to the same culture are guaranteed to
respond in exactly the same way. However, generalizations are valid to the extent that they
provide clues on what you will most likely encounter when dealing with members of a
particular culture.

High-Context vs. Low-Context

All international communication is influenced by cultural differences. Even the choice of

communication medium can have cultural overtones. The determining factor may not be the
degree of industrialization, but rather whether the country falls into a high-context or low-
context culture.

High-context cultures (Mediterranean, Slav, Central European, Latin American, African,

Arab, Asian, American-Indian) leave much of the message unspecified, to be understood
through context, nonverbal cues, and between-the-lines interpretation of what is actually said.
By contrast, low-context cultures (most Germanic and English-speaking countries) expect
messages to be explicit and specific.

Sequential vs. Synchronic

Some cultures think of time sequentially, as a linear commodity to "spend," "save," or

"waste." Other cultures view time synchronically, as a constant flow to be experienced in the
moment, and as a force that cannot be contained or controlled.

In sequential cultures (like North American, English, German, Swedish, and Dutch),
businesspeople give full attention to one agenda item after another.

In synchronic cultures (including South America, southern Europe and Asia) the flow of time
is viewed as a sort of circle, with the past, present, and future all interrelated. This viewpoint
influences how organizations in those cultures approach deadlines, strategic thinking,
investments, developing talent from within, and the concept of "long-term" planning.

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Orientation to the past, present, and future is another aspect of time in which cultures differ.
Americans believe that the individual can influence the future by personal effort, but since
there are too many variables in the distant future, we favor a short-term view. Synchronistic
cultures’ context is to understand the present and prepare for the future. Any important
relationship is a durable bond that goes back and forward in time, and it is often viewed as
grossly disloyal not to favor friends and relatives in business dealings.

Affective vs. Neutral

In international business practices, reason and emotion both play a role. Which of these
dominates depends upon whether we are affective (readily showing emotions) or emotionally
neutral in our approach. Members of neutral cultures do not telegraph their feelings, but keep
them carefully controlled and subdued. In cultures with high affect, people show their
feelings plainly by laughing, smiling, grimacing, scowling, and sometimes crying, shouting,
or walking out of the room.

This doesn't mean that people in neutral cultures are cold or unfeeling, but in the course of
normal business activities, neutral cultures are more careful to monitor the amount of emotion
they display. Emotional reactions were found to be least acceptable in Japan, Indonesia, the
U.K., Norway, and the Netherlands and most accepted in Italy, France, the U.S., and
Singapore.

Reason and emotion are part of all human communication. When expressing ourselves, we
look to others for confirmation of our ideas and feelings. If our approach is highly emotional,
we are seeking a direct emotional response: "I feel the same way." If our approach is highly
neutral, we want an indirect response: "I agree with your thoughts on this."

It's easy for people from neutral cultures to sympathize with the Dutch manager and his
frustration over trying to reason with "that excitable Italian." After all, an idea either works or
it doesn't work, and the way to test the validity of an idea is through trial and observation.
That just makes sense—doesn't it? Well, not necessarily to the Italian who felt the issue was
deeply personal and who viewed any "rational argument" as totally irrelevant!

When it comes to communication, what's proper and correct in one culture may be ineffective
or even offensive in another. In reality, no culture is right or wrong, better or worse—just
different. In today's global business community, there is no single best approach to
communicating with one another. The key to cross-cultural success is to develop an
understanding of, and a deep respect for, the differences.

9.2 Cross Cultural Strategies

Working across cultures requires a diverse skill set and a different approach from business in
general. Regardless of which cultures are being bridged, certain strategies are crucial to
international business success. Here are the strategies for interacting with people from
different cultures.

1.Learn about the business beforehand. This general business strategy becomes
increasingly important when dealing with businesses across cultures. Get on their website,
check out their promotional material. Get a feel for the atmosphere, attitude, and angle that

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the business has. Many cultural factors are passed down from the societal level to businesses.
However, each organization will have its own culture, personality, and way of doing things.

2. Observe. Because your mind is processing a lot of information in new environments, your
observation skills when working across cultures may be flooded or unfocused. Keep your
observation skills engaged and alert to elements that will help you do business. Notice how
people act, dress, and treat each other. Especially if you come from a culture that emphasizes
verbal communication, make a point of looking for messages that are conveyed without being
said. Being able to read a situation will greatly improve your ability to have a successful
meeting.

3. Ask questions. Many people don’t want to reveal how little they know about other
cultures, so they don’t ask questions. Ultimately, they limit their ability to work in other
cultures. Questions show you are interested in your colleague’s culture. This interest and
consideration helps build your relationship, which is especially important if your culture has a
reputation for trying to culturally dominate others (e.g. the U.S.). Demonstrate that you are
working to create synergy between your cultures with questions. In doing so, you create room
for the mistakes you may make; people are more willing to look past cultural blunders if they
know you are trying to learn.

4. Stay aware of yourself. Some people feel like they have somewhat of an out-of-body
experience when in cross-cultural situations because they are focused on everything new
outside of themselves. There can be so much going on around you that you forget to focus on
yourself as well. Take advantage of down time (and make time for it) so you can get in touch
with your body and feelings. What’s your gut feeling? Where is it coming from? This process
can help you feel more grounded and secure in your experience abroad.

5. Allow for more time. Working across cultures takes more time. Communication may be
slowed and logistics may be different. You may be working with a culture with a different
concept of time altogether. Expect most things to take longer than they would when dealing
with a business from your same culture or country. Also give yourself more time to process
all the information before making decisions.

6. Look for individual differences. Overviews of cultures are meant to be guidelines only.
Individuals may have values and behaviors that vary greatly from those of their native
culture. Many people make the mistake of trying to fit people they are working with into
cultural molds, when often they don’t fit. People’s values and behaviors are influenced in part
by their culture, but also by their background, experiences, and personality. Be careful not to
attribute too much of what you observe to a cultural difference.

7. Find the humor. Humor heals and helps you through difficult situations. Travel can be
stressful, as can new environments and change in general. This stress can limit both your
flexibility and your ability to handle cross-cultural situations. Combat stress with humor. Be
able to step away (at least mentally) from situations and find the humor in them.

8. Learn to tolerate uncertainty. This is an essential skill, and one that can be extremely
difficult for people from some cultures where directness and exactness are valued (e.g.
Germany, the US). There will be a great deal of unknowns when doing business across
cultures. Definitive, concrete answers may not always be given, especially if you are working
with a culture with a high tolerance for uncertainty. Focus on what you can determine and try

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to let go of minor details that are unclear. (Similarly, if you come from a culture that doesn’t
place a high value on exactness and are working with someone from a culture that does, try to
provide clarification and details when possible.)

9. Go early. If your meeting is face-to-face and you’ll be traveling abroad, go at least two
days before your scheduled meeting. Give yourself time to adjust; you will have to deal with
physical adjustments (jet lag, different foods) as well as a number of cultural adjustments as
well. These changes can be overwhelming and should be spread out to make them
manageable. Give yourself time to adjust physically and then your mind will be better able to
make cultural adjustments that are essential for success.

10. Build your intercultural skills. When working with people from different cultures, you
need a solid understanding of the norms of that culture. You also need communication skills
and business strategies that can be applied across cultures. The items listed above reflect
some of the necessary skills for intercultural work in general. However, individuals should
develop a list of skills they need to develop to further their intercultural communication skills
based on their own situations and needs.

9.3 Tips to handle Cross Cultural Communication

Here are some simple tips to help you improve your cross cultural communication skills:

Slow Down

Even when English is the common language in a cross cultural situation, this does not mean
you should speak at normal speed. Slow down, speak clearly and ensure your pronunciation
is intelligible.

Separate Questions

Try not to ask double questions such as, "Do you want to carry on or shall we stop here?" In a
cross cultural situation only the first or second question may have been comprehended. Let
your listener answer one question at a time.

Avoid Negative Questions

Many cross cultural communication misunderstandings have been caused by the use of
negative questions and answers. In English we answer 'yes' if the answer is affirmative and
'no' if it is negative. In other cultures a 'yes' or 'no' may only be indicating whether the
questioner is right or wrong. For example, the response to "Are you not coming?" may be
'yes', meaning 'Yes, I am not coming.'

Take Turns

Cross cultural communication is enhanced through taking turns to talk, making a point and
then listening to the response.

Write it Down

If you are unsure whether something has been understood write it down and check. This can

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be useful when using large figures. For example, a billion in the USA is 1,000,000,000 while
in the UK it is 1,000,000,000,000.

Be Supportive

Effective cross cultural communication is in essence about being comfortable. Giving

encouragement to those with weak English gives them confidence, support and a trust in you.

Check Meanings

When communicating across cultures never assume the other party has understood. Be an
active listener. Summarise what has been said in order to verify it. This is a very effective
way of ensuring accurate cross cultural communication has taken place.

Avoid Slang

Even the most well educated foreigner will not have a complete knowledge of slang, idioms
and sayings. The danger is that the words will be understood but the meaning missed.

Watch the humour

In many cultures business is taken very seriously. Professionalism and protocol are constantly
observed. Many cultures will not appreciate the use of humour and jokes in the business
context. When using humour think whether it will be understood in the other culture. For
example, British sarcasm usually has a negative effect abroad. Many cultures have certain
etiquette when communicating. It is always a good idea to undertake some cross cultural
awareness training or at least do some research on the target culture.

Cross cultural communication is about dealing with people from other cultures in a way that
minimises misunderstandings and maximises your potential to create strong cross cultural
relationships.

review questions

1.Assuming yourself to be the Controller , Software Corporations, prepare an appreciation

letter for Mr Sumil who has been working in your company as a software Engineer.

2. assume that as the cultural secretary you are organizing a flute recitation programme in
your college/ University . draft an e-mail informing all the teachers, students and staff
members of your institute about the event and inviting them to attend the programme .

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3. assuming yourself to be the purchase officer of the Budding Brains Incorporations, New
Delhi ,prepare a memo to be written to the Section Heads of your organization informing
them about the new procedure they should follow for sending the departmental requisitions.

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