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In recent years rapid and revolutionary
developments have taken place in the tools
and techniques of communication.
Advancement of communication technology
have overcome the problem of physical
distance between countries and people.
Whole world has become one market.
Only some of the tools of communication
have been discussed here:
10. Tools of
Communication
It is a written message address to a person or an
organization. It may be handwritten, typed or printed. It
may be sent through courier, peon or post. There are
two types of letter. Personal letter: And Business letter: It
is not always possible to maintain personal contacts with
persons or institutions. Letters help to maintain contacts
in such cases.
Business letters are important and indispensable part of
the business communication. Every business, irrespective
of its size and structure, has to establish rapport with
customers, suppliers, government agencies etc.
One can handle business activities over phone but these
systems are either expensive or time consuming.
Moreover people fail to retain more than 25% of what
they hear and chances of misunderstanding are high in
oral communication.
Letters
Effective business letter:
1. Write naturally:
Letter writing is a piece of conversation by post or E-Mail. It should be as
natural as the oral communication.
2. Language:
Difference between personal letter and
Business letter.
Business letters like personal letters are also a
piece of conversation by post. But they differ
in certain aspects.
The objective of personal letter is to establish a
personal contact or to keep alive a personal
relationship or to evoke sense of actual
meeting with the reader. While objective of
business letter is to achieve a definite purpose
like selling product, seeking information,
creating goodwill, etc.
Personal letters being least formal are
supposed to be frank and intimate whereas
business letters are more formal and to the
point.
In writing personal letters heart dominates as
they are written to express feelings and
emotions; where as in business letters the head
dominates as they are written in cool and
calculated way.
HOW TO MAKE BUSINESS LETTERS EFECTIVE?
Business letters act as the silent ambassadors of the company. They should be
written in clear and vivid language, free from confusing and complicating
phrases, and in accurate facts.
Not only should they be written effectively but also displayed attractively on
handsome looking stationery paper.
They should be dispatched in fine envelop, so that all the things associated with
their production and execution should leave a good impression in the mind of
the reader.
Effective business correspondences require more attention and awareness of
the language and avoidance of outworn expressions, wordy phrases and vague
terms. The language of the letter can be improved by following these steps –
Write in simple and straight forward way, Unnecessary and undesirable phrase
should be avoided.
3. Clarity of the message:
The message should be clear and unambiguous and self – explanatory.
Communication is complete only when the receiver understands the message in
the same sense and spirit as the conveyor wants to convey. For this: Avoid the
use of abstract and vague words & phrases. These are meant commonly for
concepts or generalities and ideologies which are far from daily business
experiences. Their use definitely leads to misunderstanding.
4. Brevity:
The effective business letter always expresses the writer’s message in a clear
way and in as few words as possible. Businessman has got limited time at their
disposal to deal with correspondence and will naturally like to get exact
information without the wastage of time. Brevity does not imply saying less
than what is needed but doesn’t also mean saying more. At the same time
clarity should not be scarified for brevity.
5. Accuracy:
Business letters should convey accurate facts and figures to the reader.
Inaccurate information can cost money and goodwill which no businessman
can afford to sacrifice. Therefore, while writing letters, the writer should
ensure that all names, figures, dates, specifications are correctly spelled; and
ideas have been clearly presented.
6. Tone:
Tone, the emotional content of the letter, can be formal, informal, persuasive,
humorous, positive or negative. Each tone has a different role to play in a
different context. While writing to government agencies, formal tone should
be used, whereas for communicating with a friend or friendly business house,
informal tone will be better.
A memo is the short form of the term memorandum. A
memorandum is a brief official note used for
communication between the members of the same
organization. It is also known as ‘letter in brief’. It is
also a written message and serves as a record.
The term memorandum means a note to assist the
memory. A memo is used for internal communication
between Executives and Subordinates. It is never sent
outside of the organization. The word From and To is
important in memo. The main advantages of writing
memo are it is brief, convenient and inexpensive.
Memos are written in the following
circumstance:
To remind subordinate about some
job or duty assigned to him
To seek explanation from the
subordinate on the matter of
conduct
To inform granting or withholding
some permission
To confirm decision arriving at on
the telephone
To issue instruction to the staff
To communicate policy change to
staff
To give/Seek permission
To request help or information.
Following precautions should be taken
while writing memo:
It should be properly dated
It should be written in a direct style
It should be as brief as possible
Name of the person/department
sending as well as receiving should be
mentioned
Matter generally put in paragraph, a
paragraph each for more than one
matter.
It should be written without any
salutation.
No complementary words should be
written in memo.
It should be signed by issuing authority.
Its tone should not be very formal or
very informal too.
Office circulars are used to convey the
same message to a large number of people
in the same organization. Such information
is usually of general in nature and not
confidential. The subject of the circular is
written on the top. Circular may be put on
the notice board.
Office circulars are generally used for the
following purposes:
To highlight some aspects of the office
conduct.
To convey changes in the working hours of
the office, library or canteen.
To inform employees about various
changes in rules and regulations
To invite applications from employees for
promotion, tests, etc.
Office Circular
Telephone: Telephone is one of
the most frequently used means of oral
communication in the present business
world. Most of the urgent matters are
dealt with on phone. Not only one-to-one
contact but group communication is also
possible through audio conferencing when
more than two persons, sitting far away
speak on telephone.
Merits of Telephone
Contact with persons sitting miles away is possible.
It saves the time wasted in transmission of message.
On telephone, instant feedback is possible doubt can be
clarified.
Sometimes it is very difficult to contact a person busy with
his job. Through telephone, he can be contacted without
disturbing his busy schedule.
Telephonic communication can be made more effective
than face-to-face communication.
Demerits:
1. Since telephone lacks visual feedback, it
is difficult to reveal the mood of the
receiver.
2. On telephone it is very difficult to hold
the receiver’s attention for a long time -
not suitable for conveying lengthy
messages.
3. It is expensive especially when
geographical distance between the sender
and receiver is more.
4. Telephone message does not provide a
permanent record for legal purposes,
unless they are recorded on audio tapes.
5. It is very frustrating when the
concerned person cannot pick up the
receiver, because of his touring or
travelling.
How to make effective use of telephone?
1. Before ringing up, plan the message to be conveyed.
2. Always keep pen and paper for noting down the main contents
3. Speak in polite, pleasant and positive manners.
4. Do not waste time in unnecessary and undesirable talks.
5. Do not shout or speak too low. Speak in natural voice.
6. Be more alert and attentive while talking on phone. Listen to the other
person patiently without any interruption.
7. Say ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’ or ‘hello’ before introducing
yourself.
8. Introduce yourself before conveying or receiving the message.
9. Make sure about the identity of the other person before talking.
Type Of Telephone Communication
1. Internal Telephone (intercom) External Telephone
Facsimile (Fax):
A facsimile or fax machine is one of the most
useful media for transmission of written
especially visual material such as diagrams,
copies, etc. Fax machines are connected with
telephone both at transmitting and receiving
end. In Fax a document is fed in the
transmitting end which is converted into
electrical signals. These signals are transmitted
through telephone lines to another fax which
reconverts these signals into printed out hand-
copy.
IMPORTANT FEATURES IN A FAX
MACHINE
Remote Activation: The user can activate his
machine via his cordless or even a parallel
phone line. This telephone works even during
a power failure.
Memory: The fax machine can store the
message in memory if there is no paper for
printing the message.
Transmission Speed: If the speed of
transmitting the message is high, the cost of
transmission and reception decreases.
Auto Paper Cutter: Fax machine has a paper
roll, printing the transmitted message. This
paper is to be cut if auto paper cutter is not
available.
Answering Machine: Usually fax machine
have inbuilt answering machines.
E-mail is another instantaneous medium of
communication. It transmits the written message via
computers connected on networks. For access to
network area, a computer, a telephone, a modem
with software are needed to function on E-Mail. If
the network is linked with internet it provides the
added advantages of global communication at local
charges.
E-Mail facilitates more paperless office and enables
the employees to function even without sitting at
office.
E-Mail has created an easy communication link
among executives and employees transcending
hierarchical barriers and has facilitated them to
work at home beyond their duty hours.
E-Mail is the instant of communication at distant
places at significantly cheaper rates. Through E-Mail,
message can be sent to large number or selected
persons, simultaneously. Like fax, E-mail system also
provides the advantage of message in the memory.
Video Conference:
Videoconferencing is the conduct of a videoconference (also known as a video
conference or video teleconference) by a set of telecommunication
technologies which allow two or more locations to communicate by
simultaneous two-way video and audio transmissions. It has also been called
'visual collaboration' and is a type of groupware.
In a video-conference, voice and image are transmitted through the
microphones and cameras are attached to the computers of the person
participating in the conference. It is much more than talking and seeing. It
permits visual meetings.
Videoconferencing differs from videophone calls in that it's designed to serve a
conference or multiple locations rather than individuals. It is an intermediate
form of, video telephony first deployed commercially in the United States by
AT&T Corporation during the early 1970s as part of their development of
Picture phone technology.
With the introduction of relatively low cost, high capacity broadband
telecommunication services in the late 1990s, coupled with powerful
computing processors and video compression techniques, videoconferencing
usage has made significant inroads in business, education, medicine and media.
Internet is the worldwide or global
network of computer connected
through telephone and other high
speed links. It provides the facility
for communicating and sharing
information with people all around
the world. Internet users can share
information in a variety of forms
through telephone wires, cables
and satellite links.
Benefits of Internet:
1. Fast mode of communication
2. Round the clock and year round facility
3. No distance barrier across the globe
4. Marketing of service and product is
possible
5. Can be used for entertainment.
Internet is also known as cyber space and
information super highway.