BUSINESS COMMUNICATION - BM 132

TOPIC: TYPES / FORMS OF COMMUNICATION

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
In this form of communication, all messages
are in writing
Written communication can be used as
evidence of previous discussions.
Writing, unlike speech, involves one’s
understanding of various parts of the speech
not just vocabulary.
Writing is an individual activity, unlike oral
which is a shared activity. Therefore it
requires a lot of preparation
PURPOSES OF WRITTEN COMM.
Establish a formal basis for communication
Provide a source of historical data
Summerise key issues
Express corporate strategy and ideologies
To give credibility to the spoken word
Access a wider audience
Present information independently of
interpersonal skills
ADVANTAGES

Written communication gives words and

thoughts permanence/ future referencing
Capable of transfering detailed and
complex ideas
Capable of disseminating information to
dispersed audience/receivers
Provides recipients time to evaluate
messages
DISADVANTAGES

Strictly for the literate

Delayed feedback, i.e At times instant
feedback is impossible
Makes the communication process more
formal which may not be good for
interpersonal relationships
It can be costly to produce
EFFECTIVE WRITTEN COMM.
To ensure effectiveness, competent writers use some of
the following:
They take extra care when writing messages , i.e good news, bad
news, routine and persuasive messages and carefully choose
either direct and indirect approaches in writing such messages
They avoid impressing the audience with extensive vocabulary ,
rather they focus on being sensible, logical and objective
They rely on good organisation of a message by being precise &
avoid mixing up ideas
EFFECTIVE WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
Competent writers adhere to the following
principles when writing:
They get straight to the point-avoiding long winded sentences
(brevity)
Avoid use of extensive vocabulary
They avoid mixing up ideas (good organisation of a message)
They keep messages short and simple: KISS principle- CLARITY
Use of appropriate tone - Written messages sometimes sound, polite,
friendly, firm, courteous, bossy, sarcastic, rude, etc
Use of appropriate approaches; i.e. direct & indirect depending with
the type of message (good news, bad news, routine, persuasive)
They avoid use of old fashioned, boring cliches & terms
They use bias free language , e.g. gender bias, age bias, etc
EFFECTIVE WRITTEN COMM.
They use audience centered communication, e.g. by adopting a
you attitude/approach
They emphasize on the positive, e.g. when communicating bad
news messages
They ensure accuracy of messages, esp when numbers are
involved
Ensure consistency of presentation & expression, e.g. use of fully
blocked style; use of I, WE, etc.
CONTENT CRITERIA:
Accuracy
Brevity
Clarity
Emphasis
THE 3-STEP WRITING PROCESS
The 3-step process helps writers to create
effective messages in any medium
Planning, Writing and Completing
Planning involves analyzing the situation, info
gathering, choosing right medium and
organizing info.
Writing involves being sensitive to the
audience needs with a “you” attitude. Polite,
positive and bias free language has to be
used.
Completing involves revising, proof reading,
producing and distributing the message
FORMS OF WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
⚫ Written communication has many forms. It varies
from an intimate personal letter to books and
newspapers.
⚫ All the forms have their own special features
⚫ Business letters
⚫ Memoranda
⚫ Notices
⚫ Circulars
⚫ Press releases
⚫ Advertisements
⚫ Reports
⚫ Proposals
BUSINESS LETTERS

There are various types of business letters

Enquiry letters
Order letters
Complaint letters
Adjustment letters
Invitation letters
Application letters
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE
BUSINESS LETTER
• Promptness: As a rule, respond to the letter the day it is
received.
• Knowledge of the Subject: Knowledge of the past
correspondence, if any
• Appropriateness: Vary the tone and language of your
letter according to the need of the occasion.
• Accuracy, Completeness and clarity: All facts, figures,
statements, quotations etc. must be accurately
mentioned.
• Tact: Proper handling of complaints and adjustments
and letters seeking credit.
• Courtesy: Courtesy implies that we seek favours politely
and express our gratitude for the favours done to us
CHARACTERISTICS CONT…

Persuasion: It means winning people to

your point of view not by coercing them
but by making positive suggestions.
• Conciseness: Don’t load you letters with
irrelevant details and unnecessary ifs and
buts.
• The Positive and Pleasant Approach:
Avoid no’s and sorry’s. They are
unwelcome words
REPORTS
A report is a systematic, well organised
document which defines and analyses a
subject or problem, and may include:
The record of a sequence of events
Interpretation of the significance of these events
or facts
Evaluation of the facts or results of research
presented
Discussion of the outcomes of a decision or
course of action
Conclusions
Recommendations
EFFECTIVE REPORT WRITING

Effective writing communication skills are of

great importance to an individual
The important elements in effective report
writing are:
The planning and general organisation of the
report,
The structure of the content,
The style of writing,
The presentation of numerical and graphical data
and
The use of references
PREPARATION FOR REPORT WRITING

Before writing the report one has to

identify:
The purpose of the report,
Plan the contents and
Research the material
The first thing is to is determined by who
the report is to be written for and what they
are going to do with it
2nd why is the report needed
PLANNING & RESEARCH

Writing reports involves gathering facts.

It is essential to start off by brainstorming
what one have been asked to do.
Research involves gathering information
from different sources such as books,
journals , magazines, internet documents,
etc
STRUCTURE OF A REPORT
Technical and business reports are normally
divided into a series of sections which have
distinct and well recognised functions
These are :
Executive summary/ Abstract,
Introduction ,
Main body of the work,
The discussion (or interpretation) and the
Conclusion
They may be followed by a list of references and
appendices
STRUCTURE CONT
Title Page- highlights the central theme of the
report and includes the title, author’s name, date
and, if necessary, the name of the person or
organisation who commissioned the report
Contents Page- a list of all your chapters, sections,
headings, sub headings, appendices and
illustrations
Executive summary- The purpose of the summary
is to give a very brief outline of the rest of the
report for people who do not want to read the
whole of it, or who want to know what is in the
report before reading it
CONT:
The acid test is whether the content of the
report is clear to someone who reads only the
summary
The summary should, therefore, contain such
information (from the introduction, main text,
discussion and conclusion) that is needed to
comprehend the contents fully
The summary should be:
written after the rest of the report;
presented at the start of the report;
factual, concise, and in an appropriate style.
INTRODUCTION

Introduction
The purpose of the introduction is to tell
the reader what the aim of the work is and
how you are going to tackle it
The introduction must:
What you are going to write about,
Why you are going to write about it,
How you are going to deal with it.
MAIN BODY OF THE REPORT

The main body of the text should be

arranged under a series of headings
according to the purpose of the work
Methods used to investigate are to be
included here
The subheadings in this section must
follow a logical order
Findings are also discussed in this section
CONCLUSION

The purpose of the conclusion is to draw

out the message from the work and to
suggest what the consequences of that
message are
the conclusion should say:
what the body of the work tells ;
what should be done about it (action, further
research, etc.).
STYLE OF WRITING THE REPORT

The style of effective reports is direct,

simple and straightforward
The use of words and sentences must be
carefully done
Avoid using superfluous/surplus words
Ensure that the right tenses are used,
usually past tense
Reports are written in impersonal form e.g
It is recommended that NOT I recommend
that ..
PRESS STATEMENTS

This is a publicity statement issued out by

an organisation to its stakeholders
Press statements are usually used when
announcing :
Appointment of a new executive/director
Change in address or contact details
A challenge being experienced by
customers with a firm’s products and
services
An anniversary
WRITING PRESS STATEMENTS

Before writing a press statement it is

important to have 4 questions in mind:
Who are you writing for?
What have you got to say?
How are you going to say it?
Where are you going to send it?
It is important to think about the audience
targeted so as to choose the right sort of
language.
WHAT GOES IN A PRESS STATEMENT
There are five main elements to be included:
Headline – should be informative, short and is
designed to catch the reader’s attention.
Sometimes the headline is set in all caps, a
larger font, or in bold
Opening sentence – make people want to read
more!
Opening/Lead paragraph – sum up the story,
what it is about and why it matters. This may be
the only part of the release that gets read, so it
has to provide the “gist” of the story in a few
CONT:

Middle bit –. Several paragraphs that address

the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of the
story in more detail.
It may contain quotes, background
information, interesting details
Concluding bit – call to action and notes to
editors (eg. who to contact for more
information)
CHARACTERISTICS OF PRESS
STATEMENTS
They are factual
They help build the image of the
organisation
They contain contact information
They are designed for the external
stakeholders of the organisation
MEMORANDUM

These are messages written within the

organisation, i.e. intra-organizational
communication
A memo may be a paragraph or two, or it
may run on several pages
Memos may be sent to a single recipient or
dozens of people, in this case some memos
may be sent as carbon copies “cc”
Memos may be communicated through
paper or emails
PURPOSES OF MEMOS

Communicating new policies

Appointment of new personnel, e.g.
directors
Giving instructions
Reporting on certain activities
Reminding people on what they must do
FORMAT OF A MEMO

To: HR Officers
From: HR Executice
Date : 1 October 2013
Ref: MIN13/22
Subject: New overtime calculation
procedures

Regards
ADVERTISING

Advertising is the structured and

composed non-personal communication of
information, usually paid for and usually
persuasive in nature, about products
(goods, services, and ideas) by identified
sponsors through various media
Advertising is a type of communication,
that is very structured form of applied
communication, employing both verbal and
nonverbal elements
CHARACTERISTICS

Non-personal – directed to groups of

people i.e mass communication
Persuasive & convincing– aimed at winning
converts to a products , service or idea
It reaches the targeted audience through a
certain channel of communication/
medium
EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING

Any advertising message requires three

things to be effective
It must be noticed i.e. attracts attention
It must give the buyer reasons to consider
the entire message
Message must be clear and persuasive
AIDA method
Attention, Interest, Desire, Action
THE END