Course: MBA

Year : I
Semester : I
Subject Code: KMBN107
Subject: Business Communication

UNIT III: Business letters and reports: Introduction to business letters – writing routine
and persuasive letters – positive and negative messages- writing memos – what is a report
purpose, kinds and objectives of report writing.

Presentation skills: What is a presentation – elements of presentation – designing a

presentation. Advanced visual support for business presentation types of visual aid

What is a Business Letter?

Business letters play a crucial role in professional communication. They are used to convey
information, make requests, or deliver messages in a formal and structured manner. Positive and
negative messages are two common types of business letters that serve distinct purposes.

Positive Messages:
Positive messages are used to convey good news, express appreciation, or provide positive
feedback. These letters are typically well-received and aim to maintain or enhance a positive
relationship between the sender and the recipient. Here are some common types of positive
messages:
• Job Offer Letters: These letters are sent by employers to offer a job position to a
candidate. They outline the terms of employment, including salary, benefits, and start
date.
• Appreciation Letters: These letters express gratitude or appreciation to a person or
organization for their efforts, achievements, or contributions.
• Congratulations Letters: These are sent to celebrate an individual or organization’s
achievements, milestones, or successes.
• Acknowledgment Letters: These confirm the receipt of a document, payment, or an order.
They serve as a record of the transaction.
• Compliment Letters: These express admiration or praise for a person, product, or service.
They can be used to strengthen business relationships.

Negative Messages:
Negative messages, on the other hand, are used to deliver unwelcome news, convey bad news, or
address difficult situations. It’s important to handle negative messages with sensitivity and
professionalism. Here are some common types:
• Rejection Letters: These inform applicants, vendors, or partners that their application,
proposal, or request has been declined.
 • Complaint Letters: These are written to address a problem, issue, or grievance. They aim
to seek resolution or draw attention to a specific concern.
• Termination Letters: These are sent to inform an employee that their employment is
being terminated. They typically include the reason for termination and any relevant
details.
• Collection Letters: These are used to request payment for overdue invoices or outstanding
debts.
• Negative Performance Feedback: These letters are used to address performance issues
with employees and outline areas for improvement.

Writing Routine and Persuasive Letters

Writing routine and persuasive letters are two common types of business communication that
serve distinct purposes. Here’s an introduction to both:

Routine Letters: Routine letters are standard, everyday business correspondence that convey
information or handle routine matters. They do not typically require a persuasive tone. Instead,
they focus on providing information in a clear, concise, and professional manner. Some common
types of routine letters include:
1. Inquiry Letters: These are used to seek information from another party. They can be used to
ask for product details, pricing, availability, or any other information relevant to the business.
2. Order Confirmation Letters: These are sent to confirm that an order has been received,
processed, and is being prepared for shipment.
3. Acknowledgment of Receipt Letters: These confirm that a document, payment, or
shipment has been received. They serve as a record of the transaction.
4. Transmittal Letters: These accompany documents being sent to someone, providing an
overview of what is enclosed and why it is being sent.
5. Follow-Up Letters: These are sent to reiterate or confirm details after a conversation or
meeting has taken place.
6. Appointment Letters: These confirm a scheduled meeting, interview, or appointment,
including details like date, time, and location.

Key Elements of Routine Letters:

1. Sender’s Information: This includes the sender’s name, title, company name, address,
and contact information.
2. Date: The date the letter is written.
3. Recipient’s Information: The name, title, company name, and address of the person
receiving the letter.
4. Salutation: The formal greeting addressed to the recipient.
5. Body of the Letter: The main content of the letter, which includes the message, relevant
details, and any necessary explanations or justifications.
6. Closing: A polite closing phrase, such as “Sincerely” or “Thank you,” followed by the
sender’s signature and printed name.
7. Enclosures or Attachments: If there are any additional documents or materials included
with the letter, they should be mentioned here.
Persuasive Letters: Persuasive letters are written with the intent of convincing the recipient to
take a specific action, make a decision, or adopt a particular point of view. They often employ
rhetorical techniques and persuasive language to influence the reader’s thoughts or behavior.
Some common types of persuasive letters include:
1. Sales Letters: These are used to promote a product or service, aiming to persuade the
recipient to make a purchase.
2. Proposal Letters: These are used to present a business proposal or idea, with the goal of
gaining approval or support.
3. Recommendation Letters: These advocate for a specific course of action or choice, often in
a professional or academic context.
4. Complaint Letters (with a persuasive tone): While complaint letters can also be routine, a
persuasive approach may be used to request a resolution or compensation.
5. Request for Funding or Sponsorship Letters: These seek financial support for a project,
event, or cause.

Key Elements of Persuasive Letters:

1. Clear Call to Action: Clearly state the action you want the recipient to take. Make it specific
and easy to understand.
2. Emphasis on Benefits: Highlight how the recipient will benefit from taking the desired
action.
3. Strong and Convincing Language: Use persuasive language and arguments to make your
case.
4. Addressing Potential Concerns: Anticipate and address any potential objections or
concerns the recipient may have.

What is a Memorandum?
A memorandum is a form of official interdepartmental communication that is used to convey
essential decisions or information. A memorandum is thought to be a step below a formal letter
and often contains details needed for specific meetings, projects, policies or others. So what is a
memorandum? A memorandum’s definition is that it is essentially an intra-office tool for
communication usable to announce specific events or changes. A memorandum or memo for
short is a way of communication that is also recorded for posterity. Memos are usually issued
when vital changes have been made to a company’s policy or one of its projects. The
memorandum letter that is displayed above displays the kind of topic this tool is often used for.
An office memorandum’s meaning should be clear and concise to make sure information is
delivered with no possible misunderstanding. Office memorandums are a little different from
normal memorandums. So what do you mean by an office memorandum? An office
memorandum meaning a memo issued by a member of a governing body or an organization is
simply a method of communication which will convey certain details between two members (or
department heads in some cases) of the same organization/governing body.
Purpose of a Memorandum :

A memo can have many uses and this versatility combined with its official capacity is why it is
used quite often in an organization. The uses of a memorandum are as follows:
• A way to transfer knowledge of a specific process
• To convey specific details on a project
• To request specific information
• To offer suggestions on a matter
• To report to a superior
• To offer congratulations or positive news
• To share ideas

Advantage of a Memorandum
• Memos are a timesaving mode of communication and are quite convenient to use.
(especially with an intranet)
• Given that memos are intra-office, there will be no need to use expensive paper. The
recycled paper will be acceptable.
• Memos are stored for the future, and such can be referred later if needed.

How to Write a Memorandum

Memorandum writing consists of multiple segments. A memorandum paper comes with the
following parts:
1. The Header: The head segment can be split into four parts:
• To: Enter the recipient’s name and position
• From: Enter the sender’s name and position
• Date: Enter the date of sending
• Subject: Enter a short reason for the memo
2. Opening Segment: The opening should contain a brief version of why this memo is
necessary, so the recipient knows exactly what is happening.
3. Context: If there are any specific reasons or circumstances for the memo, they can be
listed in this section.
4. Action Segment: This segment should be used to instruct the recipient on any steps to be
taken or tasks to be performed related to the context or subject of the memo. One should be clear
and specific about this task to avoid any confusion later on.
5. Summarizing: While memos should be short, some can turn out to be rather long based
on the subject in question. In such cases, a memo should also carry a summary to help the
recipient (or recipients) understand what is required and why.
6. Discussion: if necessary, one can attach this segment to convey the various ideas that
lead to the reason for this memo and the possible policy behind it.
7. Closing Segment: This segment should end the memo politely and in a positive note to
help initiate whatever action may be required. It is also important that any needed attachments
supporting the content in the memo be displayed as well.
 Report Writing
Purposes or Objective of Business Reports.

Reports are the primary means of communication in organization. In large-scale organizations,

there is no alternative to use reports. Reports also play an important role in small-scale
organizations. Some points highlighting the purposes or objectives or important of business
report are presented below:

• Transmitting Information: Business report is very important for transmitting

information from one person to another or form one level to another. Although a manager
can personally collect required information in a small scale enterprise, it is not possible in
the context of a large scale organization. In the latter case, the managers rely on reports
for obtaining necessary information.
• Making decisions: A report is the basic management tool for making decisions. The job
of a manager is nothing but making decisions. Reports supply necessary information to
managers to solve problems.
• Communication with external stakeholders: In addition to internal use, reports also
communicate information to the external stakeholders like shareholders, creditors,
customers, suppliers, government officials and various regulatory agencies. In the
absence of formal business report such stakeholders would remain at dark about the
organizations.
• Development of information base: Reports also contribute to the development of
information based in organization. It develops an information base in two ways. Firstly,
day to day information is recorded permanently for writing reports. Secondly, the written
reports are preserved for future reference. In these ways, reports help in developing an h3
and sound information base.
• Developing labor-management relationship: Reports also help to improve labor-
management relationship particularly, in large organizations. In a large organization,
there is little opportunity of direct communication between top-level management and
employees. In this case, report is used as mechanism of keeping both sides informed
about each other and improving their relationships.
• Controlling: Controlling is the final function of management It ensures whether the
actual performance meets the standard. In order to perform the managerial function of
controlling, report serves as a yardstick. It supplies necessary information to impose
controlling mechanism.
• Recommending actions: Reports not only supply information but also recommend
natural actions or solutions to the problem. When someone is given the charge of
investigating a complex problem and suggesting an appropriate remedy, the investigator
usually submits a report to the concerned manager.

Types of Business Reports used by Organizations

1) Formal Business Reports: These reports are prepared in a given format and they are
presented to the authorities in an already established manner. They are submitted to committees
and bodies or heads of various departments or organizations. Since the report talks only about
business in a formal way they are termed as, formal business reports. Formal reports of other
classified into the statutory report and non-statutory report.
2) Informal Business Reports: These reports are prepared in a convenient format which is
convenient to the reporter and presented to the required person immediately after demand. These
reports can also be presented in the form of a memorandum or a Business Letter. Since there is
no fixed format for these reports it is termed as informal reports.
3) Informative Business Report: These are types of Business reports which are prepared with
the intention of providing information in a descriptive way which address is a particular issue or
situation or a problem. They provide information in an exhaustive and detailed manner which is
used for the by the authorities to gain an insight on the matter that is why they are termed as
informative reports.
4) Interpretative Business Report: Unlike informative report which contains only information,
the interpretative report contains facts opinions views or numbers which help to interpret a
certain information situation or a problem. The interpretative report may also contain reasons for
a certain issue as to why a certain event or an issue occurred and what would be the course of
action along with a recommendation for the same.
5) Verbation Business Reports: The report which is prepared by secretaries or any other
individual which record word to word discussions that are made in the meeting are called
verbatim reports. For example, in case of auditor appointment resolution has passed in the
meeting and that reservation is recorded as word to word as Verbation report. Also, in the case of
voting where joint votes of different members are taken into consideration, the verbation reports
include names and manners of voting along with the results. These types of business report
should not be confused with minutes of the meeting which is a record of proceedings and
decisions a summary of the meeting.
6) Summarized Business Reports: The report that is made with the assistance of important
details that have been discussed in the meeting is called a summarized report. These types of
business reports are made with the intention of sending it for the press release or for the
shareholders of the company or a member of the certain institution.
7) Problem Solving Business: Report As the name suggests, problem-solving business report
help to solve a problem by suggesting or recommending a plan of action regarding a certain
situation. The report also contains causes of such problems and the conclusion is done in various
ways that can be adopted to solve the problem. The report also contains ways in which that
problem can be avoided in the future by implementing certain steps.
8) Fact Finding Business Report: There are numerous situations in an organization where a
finding of a fact is required. For example, the breakdown of machinery in factory premises or
rivalry between associate and the manager. The situations require in-depth reasoning for the
situation that has arisen. In those cases, the fact-finding report comes in handy which present
facts in the report from a third person view. These reports are presented to the top management
based on which they can take action about the situation at hand.
9) Performance report: The management likes to know the performances of each department
on a regular basis. Not only that but also about the newly opened branch, newly appointed
employee or even the performance of existing employees who are due for promotion are
analyzed by the management for which the performance report is generated. These reports are
important for the management to arrive at a decision and hence these reports are prepared by the
seniors of the respective people.
10) Technical Business: Reports Technology is advancing faster than the speed of light and that
is the reason why companies upgrade themselves with new technology is from time to time.
Whenever such a monumental change and Technology is taking place in an organization a
Technical Business Report is prepared to assess the level of Technology. These reports include a
detailed way to undergo the change including time and money that will cost, which helps the top
management to take a decision.
11) Standing Committee: Report A committee which is appointed for a specific reason is called
standing. The reason may be financial assessment, employee Assessment, or departmental
assessment, the standing committee is expected to submit a detailed analysis of these things. The
report submitted by the committee is known as a standing committee report. In many
organizations please reports are submitted at frequent intervals.
12) Ad-hoc Committee Report: Ad-hoc reports are also termed as special committee reports.
As the name suggests special committee is appointed to deal with the investigation and that
committee is dissolved as soon as the report is presented. Special communities are found in
special cases like fire in factory premises are employee accidents during work.
13) Minority Report: A team of the special committee is appointed to submit a report which
will be e based on an investigation of a special subject. 3 members may be selected to form the
committee one of each is the chairman of the said committee. If members have a difference of
opinion on the subject the other members may submit the report separately. This separate report
submitted by dissentient members is called minority report.
14) Majority Report: The members of a committee which including the chairman, usually have
unanimous decision amongst them. In such cases, only one report is prepared and presented to
the official committee. If that is not the case then the majority of the member from their own
report and submitted to the examining authority. Such a report is termed as majority report.
15) Annual Report: A yearly report, which consists of the yearly processes of the business
including the sales profits and the turn overs is called the annual report. Such a report generated
only once a year and is submitted to the corporate heads for studying the business year in detail.
Majority of crucial decisions like investments, product portfolio changes, marketing strategies,
marketing campaigns etc. are planned on the basis of the Annual report. Pre-decided plans may
be modified or changed based on Annual reports.

How to write a Report!

• Title Section – This includes the name of the author(s) and the date of report preparation.
• Summary – There needs to be a summary of the major points, conclusions, and
recommendations. It needs to be short as it is a general overview of the report. Some
people will read the summary and only skim the report, so make sure you include all the
relevant information. It would be best to write this last so you will include everything,
even the points that might be added at the last minute.
• Introduction – The first page of the report needs to have an introduction. You will
explain the problem and show the reader why the report is being made. You need to give
a definition of terms if you did not include these in the title section, and explain how the
details of the report are arranged.
• Body – This is the main section of the report. There needs to be several sections, with
each having a subtitle. Information is usually arranged in order of importance with the
most important information coming first.
 • Conclusion – This is where everything comes together. Keep this section free of jargon
as most people will read the Summary and Conclusion.
• Recommendations – This is what needs to be done. In plain English, explain your
recommendations, putting them in order of priority.
• Appendices – This includes information that the experts in the field will read. It has all
the technical details that support your conclusions.

Presentation skills: What is a presentation elements of presentation designing

a presentation.
Presentation skills are the abilities needed to deliver a compelling presentation that effectively
communicates information and ideas. Presentation skills are important in many contexts,
including academic, educational, business, and professional settings. For example, you might
need to present reports to colleagues or managers, conduct training sessions, or update clients on
project progress.

12 elements of a successful presentation

1. Thorough preparation: One important element of a successful presentation is thorough

preparation and ensuring that you tailor your presentation toward your audience and its needs. A
presentation for a group of financial executives, for example, is likely to differ from one for a
community environmental group. Research and preparation can help you create a presentation
that appeals to the right audience. Also, if you're pitching a product or service, it's important to
study your product and its competitors, which allows you to display expertise on your topic.
2. Rehearsal material: Rehearsing your material is an important step for any presentation and
has several benefits:
• Allows you to eliminate unnecessary information that may distract your audience
• Uncovers issues with your content or equipment before presenting in front of others
• Reduces stress
• Increases confidence
Consider practicing your presentation in front of a mirror, recording yourself with a video
camera or voice recorder or asking friends or family members to listen. This allows you to
receive immediate feedback and eliminate unnecessary information. If possible, practice your
presentation with the equipment you plan on using in front of your audience to familiarize
yourself with the technology you want to use.
3. An effective hook: An engaging start to your presentation helps you quickly build rapport and
connect with your audience's emotions. A hook to begin your presentation may include a
surprising statistic or fact, interesting quotation, relevant question, joke or story. Whatever hook
you choose, it's important to ensure that it clearly connects to your content.
4. Clear objective and agenda: A clear objective and agenda help you effectively outline your
presentation and avoid any unnecessary information. Some presenters may choose to share their
objective and agenda with their audience, which allows them to easily follow a presentation's
narrative arc and understand how each section relates to the main topic. Consider determining
your objective and agenda early in your preparation process.
5. Story-like structure: Most effective presentations have a clear beginning, middle and end. It's
important to maintain a simple structure in your presentation but vary the technical language of
your information according to your audience. Tailoring statistics, stories and product
demonstrations to the experience level of your audience allows your information to remain
understandable and relevant.
6. Audience engagement: Whenever possible, it's important to involve your audience members
in your presentation. Here are a few of the most common audience engagement strategies for a
presentation:
• Use audience polls: Whether you are presenting online or in person, a poll is a great way
to determine audience interest and receive feedback on your topic.
• Ask direct questions: Asking direct questions helps build rapport with your audience and
naturally builds interest in your subject matter.
• Make eye contact: Direct eye contact creates a bond between you and your audience.
This also fosters a more conversational format that an audience might appreciate.
• Interactive activities: Activities, such as trivia or other team-based games, allow audience
members to use your information to solve problems and collaborate. This can create a fun
environment that makes your presentation memorable.
7. Effective delivery: An effective presentation delivery can keep your audience engaged. Some
effective delivery techniques you can practice include:
• Slowing down: Consider speaking more slowly or adding pauses into your presentation if
your material is new to an audience. This technique allows an audience to absorb and
understand the information you present without getting overwhelmed.
• Avoiding monotone: Another effective presentation technique is varying the pitch and
volume of your voice to emphasize keywords and main ideas.
• Pacing yourself: It's important to maintain a proper pace when presenting to avoid either
overwhelming your audience with a fast pace or boring your audience with a slow pace.
Practicing in front of other prior to your presentation can help ensure proper pacing.
• Using positive language: Positive language and phrasing can help maintain audience
engagement and participation. This also helps to create a more enjoyable atmosphere for
an audience.
• Simplifying your material: A presentation that is straightforward, focused and avoids
using complicated sentences or excessive statistics helps keep your audience engaged.
• Adding humor: A humorous story, comment or joke can help foster a positive mood and
relax your audience.
• Using notes, not scripts: Reading from a script may feel impersonal, so simple notes are a
great way to maintain pacing and focus throughout your presentation.
8. Multimedia tools: Slideshows or video presentations can be effective formats that maintain
audience engagement, but it's important to follow certain tips to optimize your presentation. Here
are some tips you can follow to create effective slideshows or videos:
• Write short, simple lines of text rather than large paragraphs.
• Include large text font that's easy to read for all members of an audience.
• Use visual aids, such as pictures, whenever relevant to your topic.
Incorporate animation sparingly, as it may distract from your presentation if used too much.
Allocate a certain amount of time for each slide you present so your audience has time to read
each one.
9. Contact information: Consider including your contact information, such as your phone
number or email address, at the end of your presentation so audience members can request
further information or ask questions after your presentation's conclusion. Prominently displaying
your contact information is especially important when you're presenting at a conference or other
professional event, as you can develop professional networks from these types of events.
10. Call to action: A clear call to action can help an audience engage with your presentation
even after it ends. Effective calls to action often motivate your audience to act upon the
information you presented or invite your audience into the next step of the process. Common
calls to action include inviting audience members to buy a product, subscribe to a newsletter,
learn more about a topic or join a group.
11. Comfortable setting: If you are conducting an in-person event, ensure that your presentation
space has comfortable seating for your audience. When your audience is comfortable, they can
focus on you and your material. If you're presenting in an unfamiliar place, consider requesting
to see the presentation space beforehand and brainstorming ways to optimize its layout.
12. Question-and-answer session: A question-and-answer session with your audience can occur
repeatedly throughout your presentation or as a separate session at the end of your presentation.
Whichever method you choose, consider following these tips to optimize your question-and-
answer session:
• Inform your audience about the time in which they can ask questions at the beginning of
your presentation.
• Repeat questions for the benefit of all audience members.
• Involve the audience by asking for their opinions on certain questions.
• Spend time prior to your presentation preparing answers to commonly asked questions.
• Remain updated on current issues related to your topic.\

Advanced visual support for business presentation types of visual aid

• Poster Boards, Flip Charts, and Tri-Folds: Poster boards have their time, place, and
purpose, but when attempting to establish credibility, speakers need to think critically
about the impressions each visual aid imparts on the audience. A poster board made at
home with markers and cut-outs from a magazine simply will not do the job; a
professionally printed poster has a more likely chance of creating a positive impression.
However, creating such posters are fairly expensive in comparison with other visual
options, so use a poster board or tri-fold as a last resort or when no other option will
suffice. For example, a poster would likely work well at a convention or trade show,
which would allow passers-by to stop and review information for themselves, up close, at
their leisure. They could also work in a smaller meeting with limited access to electronic
media. Everyone in the meeting could easily view the poster, but for larger audiences and
rooms, however, posters simply will not work.
• Static Display: A static display offers a visual accompaniment to the presented
information, and serves mostly as a passive visual aid. For example, while delivering a
biographical speech on a well-known author, a speaker could set up a static display of
some of her or his most popular books on a table near the center of the room. This adds
value to the presentation because it adds listener interest and reinforces the speech’s
subject matter.
 • Maps: When discussing a location that may be unfamiliar to members of the audience,
consider using a map to show the location. For example, if a speaker discussed how to
take a family road trip with an audience, he or she could use a map as an active visual aid
to explain the process of designing a route, which would effectively reinforce the topic’s
main point. Speakers can use maps for anything from explaining historical trade routes to
how to navigate to a scenic hiking path. When incorporating a map, be sure to avoid
overcomplicating the visual. This keeps listeners from straining to read captions.
• Graphs/Charts: Graphs and charts present a highly effective method for showing an
audience how statistics and figures affect them personally. As with maps, remember to
keep them simple and clear, allowing the listeners to digest all the information at once.
❖ A pie chart uses regions of a circle to show how the proportion of each component
represents the whole. Use this type of graph to show how elements relate to one another,
giving the audience an idea of size and relationship.
❖ A line graph is a useful type of visual aid to show trends over time. An effective line graph
must have a clearly labeled x- and y-axis, along with data labels showing how the numbers
change over time.
❖ A bar graph effectively demonstrates quantity relationships between items (as with pie
charts) and and how things can change over time (as with a line graph). Bar graphs present a
method for potentially detailing a large and complex amount of information using a single
image.
• Physical Objects: An object, whether large or small, can bring an element of presence to
the visual presentation of information. It is one thing to present a picture of the topic of
discussion on a two-dimensional screen, but it is another to allow the audience to
physically see the object in question. For example, in a speech on breast cancer and early
detection, a student utilized a set of marbles of varying sizes to show the audience the
scale of real-life tumor sizes when discussing breast cancer detection. The student walked
the samples around the room as she talked, allowing listeners to see what she discussed,
before returning to the front of the room, where she displayed the very same marbles
using a picture on the screen. Had this student only used the visual on the screen, the
audience may have had difficulty formulating a sense of proportion when discussing the
size of the items in question. Since size represented the most important characteristic of
the visual aid, this student thought critically about how best to present it. Avoid passing
around physical objects during the speech unless absolutely necessary. When most
listeners receive an object, their attention span is broken momentarily, causing them to
miss out on potentially important information in the speech. Instead, as in the example
above, presenters could walk around with the object, still allowing everyone the
opportunity to see it, but maintain focus on the speaker.
• Video/Audio: If one believes the old saying, “A picture is worth 1,000 words,” then
a brief video clip can be worth 100,000 words! For example, if delivering a speech about
the importance of supporting a specific charity, look into the charity to determine if they
have a brief promotional video or commercial to supplement the main talking points
within the presentation. When using a clip, preface it with some sort of introduction,
pointing the audience in the right direction and priming them to watch for or listen for
specific information. Also, avoid talking over the sound in a clip, as competing for the
audience’s attention during such a viewing could prove difficult at best.
• Handouts or Leave-Behinds: A handout is something, usually printed material, given to
audience members to remind them of what they learned during the presentation.
Sometimes, these are called “leave-behinds.” For example, in a speech on the science
behind chocolate chip cookies, the speaker might want to hand out a copy of a favorite
recipe. If speaking on donating blood, a handout might include a summary of the steps
involved and where audience members can go to donate blood. Regardless of the leave-
behind, be sure that, as with physical objects, that they do not get passed out during the
speech, as they can create an unneeded distraction.