Chapter 5

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

Written communication is interaction in the form of written words. It may be in

the form of handwritten or printed. May be email or letter. May be even a diagram
drawn.
 Characteristics of written communication

1. It is permanent record of facts

2. Considered as legal document
3. Can be reached to large number of people simultaneously
4. Helps to fix responsibility.
 Medias of written communication
1. Memo
2. Reports
3. News papers
4. Emails
5. Blogs
6. Business proposals
7. Press release

Many more
 Advantages of written communication
1. Serves as permanent record for future
2. Idealistic way to convey long messages
3. Assists in proper delegation of responsibilities
4. Tends to be comprehensive and accurate
5. Helps in laying down policies and principles
6. Suitable for conveying messages to large number of people at the same time
 Disadvantages of written communication
1. Does not save on costs
2. Time consuming as feedback is not immediate
3. Too much paper work and email burden
4. Difficult to maintain privacy
5. Too rigid and does not give any scope for changes.
6. Involves too many formalities
7. Represented in different ways by different people
Principles of effective writing
Types of Letters:
1. Informative Letters
Examples: Enquiries about goods and prices
Quotations
Orders
Resume and Bio-data
Appointment contracts
Complaint letter

Techniques:
1. Correctness, clarity and conciseness
2. If large amount of information – Organize into sub headings
3. Use simple vocabulary
4. Use bullet points
Types of Letters:
2. Good news Letters
Examples: Offering admission/employment/grants in response to applications
Agreeing to terms or favours requested by customer
Granting customers claim
Granting request for credit items
Awarding a contract
Letters of appreciation/promotion

Techniques:
1. They are easiest to write and should convey pleasant message
2. Should be in just two paragraphs – a. Good news b. Actions of reader
3. Should be courteous and prompt
4. Friendly and cheerful tone
5. Agreeing should not be ambiguous
Types of Letters:
3. Persuasive Letters
Examples: Sales
Collection
Bargaining
Asking for favours
Cover letters

Techniques:
1. The writer’s credibility, reputation and expertise must uphold whatever is said
2. Writer’s concern for reader’s need and desires must be reflected
3. Logic of proposal must be clear
4. The appeal should not go against will and belief of reader
5. Tone should be respectful to reader and self-respecting to writer
Types of Letters:
4. Bad news letters
Examples: Unable to give information
Unable to give quotation
Cannot grant credit/customer claim
Cannot deliver goods on agreed date/cannot accept delivered goods
Cannot give concessions, discounts, favours
Rejected of application for admissions/job interviews
Warning/Layoff/Termination/Complaint

Techniques:
1. Clarity and positive attitude (Appreciation, willingness to help)
2. Think carefully of the reason for refusal
3. Offer a substitute
Sample Enquiry letter
A memorandum, or memo, is a document shared with a group of people to disperse information on a task,
project, event, or other. The purpose of a memo is to bring immediate attention to that information in a quick
and brief manner.

A press release is an official statement (written or recorded) that an organization issues to the news media and
beyond. Whether we call it a “press release,” a “press statement,” a “news release,” or a “media release,” we're
always talking about the same basic thing.

A blog post is any article, news piece, or guide that's published in the blog section of a website. A blog post
typically covers a specific topic or query, is educational in nature, ranges from 600 to 2,000+ words, and
contains other media types such as images, videos, infographics, and interactive charts. (Content hub, wix,
wordpress, squarespace)

A business proposal is a document designed to outline a business plan to convince potential client, investor
or partner to engage in a business agreement with you or your company. It’s basically a sales pitch in writing to
persuade potential clients to show them benefits of working with you or your company for their business
success.

blog.hubspot.com
Blog Press Release

Memo
 Report writing
A report is a presentation and summation of facts and figures either collated or
derived.
It is a logical structuring of ideas, information and concepts

Purpose:
1. To guide decision making
2. To convey essential information in useful format
3. To implement policies and procedures (SOP)
4. To document client work
5. To comply with regulatory requirements
 Features of a good report
1. Should have clarity with appropriate usage of words and unambiguous
sentences
2. Must always be self explanatory
3. Should be brief and compact, but provide complete information
4. Should be accurate, formal and reliable.
5. Should have all essential components like title, introduction, findings and
recommendations which should be arranged in a logical order.
6. Relevant details of methodology, tools and techniques used.
7. Conclusions and recommendations provided should be supported to data
collected by reliable sources.
 Principles of report Planning:

1. Define the problem and purpose

2. Outline the issues for investigation
3. Prepare a work plan
4. Conduct research, analyze and interpret
5. Draw conclusions
 Types of reports:

1. Based on function
a. Informational reports – Ex. Principal asking number of students taking exam
b. Analytical reports – Ex. Sales reports
c. Research reports – Ex. Academic project reports
2. Based on formality
a. Statutory reports – Ex. Auditing report
b. Non-statutory reports
i. Routine reports - regular period
ii. Special reports – Ex. Accident/ death of an employee at work place.
 Structure of a report

1. Title page (specific, must give basic idea of the report)

2. Table of contents
3. Executive summary/abstract
4. Introduction (theoretical background)
5. Body (literature review, methodology, discussion, analysis)
6. Conclusion
7. Recommendation
8. Bibliography
9. Appendices (ex. Questionnaire, attachments)
 Resume writing
Difference between resume, cv and bio-data

Resume is a French word meaning “summary”. A resume is ideally a summary of one’s education,
skills and employment when applying for a new job. A resume does not list out all details of a profile,
but only some specific skills customized to the target job profile. It thus, is usually 1 or at the max 2
pages long.

Curriculum Vitae is a Latin word meaning “course of life”. It is more detailed than a resume,
generally 2 to 3 pages, or even longer as per the requirement. A C.V. lists out every skill, all the jobs
and positions held, degrees, professional affiliations the applicant has acquired, and in chronological
order.

Bio Data is the short form for Biographical Data and is an archaic terminology for Resume or C.V. In a
bio data, the focus is on personal particulars like date of birth, gender, religion, race, nationality,
residence, marital status, and the like.
Elements to be included in the resume:
1. Objective
2. Personal Information – Name, permanent address, valid contact number, email id,
date of birth, languages known.
3. Academic/educational information
4. Experience
5. Technical/domain specific skill sets
6. Projects handled
7. Strength
8. Hobbies and Extracurricular activities
9. References
10. Activities and achievements
11. Declaration
 Characteristics of Style and tone of written communication

1. To be polite
2. Use appropriate emphasis (Short sentence, bold, capitals, underlines etc.)
3. Avoiding discrimination (Age, race, ethnicity, religion etc.)
4. Consider reader’s perspective
5. Write appropriately for target audience (Avoid jargons, slangs, acronyms,
complex sentences)

5W and 1H framework of report

What – What is the issue?
Why – Why is it important?
Who – Who involved in the situation?
When – When did the issue begin?
Where – Where would the reader be at the time?
How – How would the report be written?
 Numbering and use of Visual aids

Types of visual aids:

1. Bar graphs
2. Line graphs
3. Pie charts
4. Scatter plots

Advantage: Helps to visualize the statistics

Use of pictures
Indispensable images – Information that can not be presented verbally (maps, passport
photo etc.)
Supportive images – Related to verbal description
Eye-catching images – Plays crucial role in advertising, to stimulate interest.
Image against boredom – News paper articles with images
Decorative images – Ex. background images
Symbol – Logos, flags
Image for atmosphere – For topics like history, space etc.
Parts of a letter:
1. Heading or return address
2. Date
3. Inside address
4. Salutation
5. Subject line
6. Body of the letter
7. Complimentary close and signature
8. Reference and enclosures
9. Copy line
Frequently used formats of a letter:
1. Full block style
2. Semi block style
3. Indented form
4. Hanging indented