BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TERM REPORT

LEARNING BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

ANUM ARSHIA
FA14-EX-0060
SEMESTER: FALL-14

DECEMBER 21, 2014

MBA WEEKEND PROGRAM
MUHAMMAD ALI JINNAH UNIVERSITY KARACHI

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 1

Objective ....................................................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 3
Communication In Business ......................................................................................................................... 3
Communication ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Business Communication.......................................................................................................................... 3
Types Of Business Communication .......................................................................................................... 3
Assertive Communication ......................................................................................................................... 4
Importance Of Business Communication ................................................................................................. 4
Different Forms Of Communication ......................................................................................................... 4
Communication Model ............................................................................................................................. 5
Business Writings ......................................................................................................................................... 6
Writing A Business Letter ........................................................................................................................ 6
Writing A Resume .................................................................................................................................... 6
Writing A Notice/ Memo .......................................................................................................................... 6
Writing An Agenda ................................................................................................................................... 6
Sentence Structures ....................................................................................................................................... 7
Simple Sentences ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Compound Sentences ................................................................................................................................ 7
Complex Sentences ................................................................................................................................... 7
Compound-Complex Sentences ................................................................................................................ 7
Guffeys 3x3 Writing Process ....................................................................................................................... 7
Prewriting.................................................................................................................................................. 7
Writing ...................................................................................................................................................... 8
Revising .................................................................................................................................................... 8
Persuasive Messages ..................................................................................................................................... 8
Preparing To Write Persuasive Messages ................................................................................................. 8
Organizing The Message .......................................................................................................................... 9
Writing A Successful Persuasive Request ................................................................................................ 9
Negative Messages........................................................................................................................................ 9
Bad News .................................................................................................................................................. 9

Report Writing ............................................................................................................................................ 10

Types Of Business Reports ..................................................................................................................... 10
Informal Reports ..................................................................................................................................... 10
Formal Reports........................................................................................................................................ 11
Difference Between Formal & Informal Reports.................................................................................... 11
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 12

TERM REPORT ON LEARNING BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The main idea behind this report is to share the knowledge, I gained during my course of Business
Communication in an effective and efficient manner. Communication is necessary to convey an idea,
knowledge and information successfully, this can be intentional or unintentional and can take place in
several forms like verbal, non-verbal, signs, symbols and in written form therefore Business
Communication is essential for any MBA graduate to become a successful manager since it aids in learning
effective communication skills.
Communication is life blood of an organization, when communication stops, organized activity ceases to
exist. Business Communication.
Business Communication Skills gives you a clear insight into what constitutes effective oral and written
business communication in a fast-paced global business environment, and provides you with the
opportunity to develop your own workplace communication skills.
In Business, parties communicate with the help of several means like business letters, memos, notice,
agenda, publications and emails. Business Messages can be positive with convincing facts and figures and
they can be negative with critical points.
Sometimes it is also needed to right reports either informal or formal in an organization these reports can
be memos, show cause, incidental report, request for proposals and quotations etc.
All above are formal business documents, written with the intention to grow business and achieve the
desired objective. Business Communication is an essential tool and an art to convey any sort of message
clearly positively and under pressure. If one learn this art, can become a successful manager in his/ her
career.

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TERM REPORT ON LEARNING BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of writing this report is to convey my knowledge and understanding which I
have gained regarding business communication in classes conducted at Muhammad Ali Jinnah
University by Mr. Ramman Rajput.
Telling the benefits of learning this course and its importance in the business organizations as well
as non-profit organizations.
With the help of this proposal I recommend and put forward a necessary need of business
communication to become successful manager or an entrepreneur in the modern business world.

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TERM REPORT ON LEARNING BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

INTRODUCTION
Every student striving to seek higher degrees must have some dreams, similarly I took admission in
Muhammad Ali Jinnah University to become a successful manager after getting my MBA degree. Although
I have done B.E in Industrial Engineering & Management but it gives me technical skills to deal with work
and people in work life, for conceptual and human skills to develop and for becoming a successful and
knowledgeable manager MBA has become very important now a days in this competitive world.
During my course of study I am required to learn many managerial skills out of them one is Communication
Skills, which is the basic need today to get a separate identity and to highlight yourself in a crowd. Business
Communication is the course which aids Graduates in developing effective communication skills. In
Business Communication, I learned several techniques and skills of listening, speaking, communicating,
writing and responding. Every mean of communication in business has separate importance and
requirements. For example while writing an email, memo, letter, tags and brochures there is a separate
requirement of each, having alike patterns, methods and most importantly audience.
Every document in business should have positive appeal, attention grabbing tactics and a proper format.
This report is based on all these techniques and methods which I learned during four months trimester,
required to seek the attention of audience and making message clear, concrete, concise and complete.

COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS
Communication is a life blood of any business. If we somehow remove communication from the
organization it would be dead since businesses all around the world are running on the basis of information
flow with the help of several means and channels like
internet, media, advertisements, publications and
campaigns.

COMMUNICATION
It is exchange of information from one to one or one to
many. It is an act by which one person gives or receives
from another person, information, ideas and opinions in
written, verbal, symbolic and signs form.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Business Communication is any communication held
with an aim of the promotion of product, service or organization to fulfill the objective of making sale.
Communication in businesses take place for several other purposes too but all has the same goal of making
business profitable.

TYPES OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

There are two types of business communication in an organization
1. Internal Communication
2. External Communication

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TERM REPORT ON LEARNING BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Internal Communication
Communication held within the organization is called internal communication. For Example
communication between employees, managers and other staff. This communication is helpful to achieve
the goal of the organization. Internal Business Communication is further divided into sub types
a. Upward Communication: This communication is sort of requests, feedback and outcome which
a subordinate give to its supervisor. When a first line or lower level employee communicates with
his/ her superior such type of communication is referred to as upward communication.
b. Downward Communication: When Manager, top level managers commands their subordinates
than downward communication takes place.
c. Horizontal/ Literal Communication: When two equal level employees have conversation and
communicate with each other they are in literal communication with each other.

External Communication
Communication with people outside the organization is called External Communication, For example,
purchase managers talking to vendors and sales force communicating with customers etc.

ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATION
It is a communication tool used to express positive and negative ideas and information in an open, honest
and direct way. This method of communication can be perceived as aggressive at times when one deliver
some negative message openly and directly. It gives self-satisfaction to the sender of information and
reduces anxiety of the receiver. It enables sender to express any sort of feelings and thoughts, verbally and
non-verbally but assertive communicates does not has warranty of successful positive desired feedback.

IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Business Communication has big significance in any business to achieve its goals;
Flattened Management Hierarchies: If an employee has good communication skill he can easily
communicate with the vendor or the customer and can make decision himself and no need to convey
messages to the superiors and wasting time is transferring information.
More Participative Management: Management now a days are more participative rather than
commanding therefore they expect their subordinates to be more intellectual and participating in the main
goals of the organization.
Globalization: As world is now a global village and business has crossed the geographical boundaries
therefore interacting with people belonging to different cultures is now very necessary.
Innovative Communication Technologies: Email, fax, internet, social networking all need effective
communication skills to communicate more rapidly than ever before therefore writing and speaking skills
are becoming essential for one to must learn.
Increased Emphasis on Project Teams: Work organization are structured in matrix and team forms now
a days and working in those teams need an effective communication skills for the purpose of interacting,
listening and sharing ideas, solutions, managing conflicts and implementing decisions.

DIFFERENT FORMS OF COMMUNICATION

1. Announcements
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TERM REPORT ON LEARNING BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

2.
3.
4.
5.
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7.
8.
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10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

Publications.
Emails
Memo
Notice
Agenda
Resume
Policies
Minutes of Meeting
Public Addressing
Press Releases
Media
Newspapers
Presentations
Declarations

COMMUNICATION MODEL

PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
Sender: Person having an idea and an intention to share an information
Sender Encodes an idea in a message: Sender converts his/ her idea into a verbal written or any other
transferable form.
Message travels over a Channel: Channel or medium is the means through which message is transferred
from encoder to decoder
Receiver Decodes Message: Receiver as gets message his/her brain converts the message into
understandable form.
Feedback: It is a response from the receiver after getting the message. It is the sign of completion of any
communication.
Noise is the disturbance or distortion which stops message to successfully deliver to the receiver and as
a result required feedback is not received by the sender.

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TERM REPORT ON LEARNING BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

BUSINESS WRITINGS
Business Writing are referred to as the documents we write for the transfer
of information within or outside the organization. Such documents are
named as business letters, notice, memo, agenda, minutes of meeting and
resume.

WRITING A BUSINESS LETTER

It is document often used for communication in between two organizations.
A formal letter written to social, political and other business organizations
for achieving some objective is a business letter. A formal business letter consist of six parts; heading,
inside address, salutation, body, close and signature. Business letter are written in full blocked and semiindented formats.
Business letter are sent in an envelope with the senders address at the
top left corner and receivers address in the right in the center. Business
Letter writing involves selection of appropriate format and composing
by fulfilling the pattern requirement and finally it should follow the
communication Cs.

WRITING A RESUME
Resume showcases an individual in an efficient manner. Resume writing is an essential part of job search.
It consist of summary on education, experience, contact details, skills and bio data of the job seeker. Resume
writing is also an effective communication skill necessary to get an ideal job. Business Communication
helps in writing a good resume. In a competitive world one must know how to write a complete and concise
resume so that he/ she can be chosen among several candidates on the basis of the effectively written
summary of work life.

WRITING A NOTICE/ MEMO

Notice and memos are written for transferring an information inside the organization. It consist of 5 parts;
To: addressed to the concerned people or the audience it is mostly written as to whom it may concern.
From: Sender can be MIS department or the manager who routes the message.
Date: Date on which document is written.
Subject: Main idea behind writing the notice or memorandum.
Body: It consist of message in which information is encoded by the sender.

WRITING AN AGENDA
An agenda is a list of the items to be discussed at a meeting. Agenda is as important as a captain is important
for a ship. Agenda serves as a guide to the members of the meeting, it is routed in an email or is displayed
before a presentation to acknowledge the participants of the main idea behind the discussion and meeting.
A well written agenda serves many functions like participants prepare before the meeting with necessary
deliverables and updates.

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TERM REPORT ON LEARNING BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

SENTENCE STRUCTURES
Written Communication needs a good vocabulary and grammar knowledge therefore in business
communication it is also taught to the graduates to write messages correct without any spelling and
grammatically mistakes.

SIMPLE SENTENCES
Simple Sentences are independent sentences having a complete thought and expressing a complete idea in
simple words. Simple sentences have one subject and one predicate.
Example; I have my own car

COMPOUND SENTENCES
Two or more independent sentences join to form a compound sentence.
Example; It is a cloudy day today and it is expected to rain heavily.

COMPLEX SENTENCES
One independent clause when joins with one or more dependent clauses they form a complex sentence.
Example; He reached late to school because van came late.

COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCES
When two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses join together they form a
compound complex sentences.
Example; Mr. Ahmed was a good cricket player and he played for international team but leg injury caused
him to retire.

GUFFEYS 3X3 WRITING PROCESS

Marry Ellen Guffey, introduced this writing method in which there are three steps and each steps consists
of further three steps. These steps are prewriting, writing and revising as mentioned in the picture

PREWRITING
It is the stage before writing when sender Anticipate of the audience and analyze the purpose of writing
and finally adapt the best possible method to appeal the audience with effective writing.
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TERM REPORT ON LEARNING BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

WRITING
It is the process of scripting when sender research using several means the best possible ways and words
and sample scripts and then organize the material in a suitable manner and compose an attention seeking
document for the audience.

REVISING
After writing the draft version sender/ writer revise the document and edit and remove the further
irrelevancies and make a document fulfilling the 7Cs of communication and then again proofread the
written script after editing for grammar, punctuation, format and overall appearance and finally evaluate
the document as per the readers perspective and anticipate that whether the final document will achieve its
objective of writing or not.

PERSUASIVE MESSAGES
Persuasive messages are information for convincing audience with the help of facts and figures. For
example, suggesting a more efficient production process to the manager with research and past data
graphical represented so that managers belief can be frequently change after viewing the message.
Persuasive requests are to two types:
1. Persuasive requests for action
2. Persuasive requests for adjustments.

PREPARING TO WRITE PERSUASIVE MESSAGES

Here are some vital points of persuasive writing, and an explanation of the human nature that makes these
points pertinent to persuasive writing. As you study these tactics, you will come to better understand your
readers, enabling you to perhaps get more effective in writing persuasive copy.
Make an Emotional Appeal: The object is to get his core emotions into play (fear, anger, guilt, passion,
etc.). When using emotions in your writing, the reader will react almost automatically and will be hooked
on reading the copy, and if done right, moved to action.
Tell a Story: Storytelling is the art of creating a scenario that moves forward, conveying events with words..
Starting sales copy with a story is a well-known technique to pull in the reader and enable him to better
relate to the message.
Use Analogy and Comparisons: Without becoming too literary, you can use analogies and comparisons
to make the topic clearer and more compelling
Repeat Important Factors: Repeating important concepts in an article or within web copy is effective in
persuasion.
Tell the Reader the Reason Why: Relating the benefits of some product or service is one way to
communicate the reason a person should buy or take some action.
Be Consistent: Changing your message mid-stream is destructive of obtaining agreement since valued
social trait is being consistent in thoughts and actions. Readers agree and associate with copy that is rational
and stable.

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Provide Authorities or Proof: Using testimonials or quoting authority is a way to lend importance to what
you are communicating. This is a great force in social media marketing today. Mentioning a well-known
personality, aligning him with your message, can give more credence to your writing. Name-drop if you
must. Its effective in persuasion.

ORGANIZING THE MESSAGE

A-Attention
The main idea serves as the attention grabber.
I-Interest
The writer could build interest with the reasoning and explanation. Showing the
problem and revealing the solution.
D- Desire
The desire would be created through evidence. Back up your claims, and give
examples of how the audience would benefit.
A-Action
Again restate the main idea, and detail the exact action you would like your reader
to take.

WRITING A SUCCESSFUL PERSUASIVE REQUEST

A successful persuasive request is one having all appealing tactics along with accomplishing the AIDA
requirements. If any message containing all these components is a successful persuasive request or a claim
for any action or adjustment.

NEGATIVE MESSAGES
In business writing, a letter, memo, or email that conveys negative or unpleasant information or information
that is likely to disappoint, upset, or even anger a reader is termed as negative messages.

Should have an indirect approach

Need to be empathetic
Must contain a reason
Need to be explained very clearly

BAD NEWS
Bad-news messages include rejections (in response to job applications,
promotion requests, and the like), negative evaluations, and announcements
of policy changes that don't benefit the reader.
A bad-news message conventionally begins with a neutral or positive buffer
statement before introducing the negative or unpleasant information. This
approach is called the indirect pattern.

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The introductory paragraph in the bad-news message should provide a buffer to cushion the bad news.
Deliver the bad news in the body of the message. State it clearly and concisely, and explain the reasons
briefly and unemotionally. Avoid apologies; they weaken your explanation or position. Try to embed the
bad news in a supporting, not the topical, sentence of a paragraph. Furthermore, try to embed it in a
subordinate clause of a sentence. The purpose is not to conceal the bad news, but to soften its impact
The closing of a message containing negative news should be courteous and helpful. The purpose of the
closing is to maintain or rebuild good will. The closing should have a sincere tone. You can even offer the
receiver another option, presenting another option shifts the emphasis from the negative news to a positive
solution.

REPORT WRITING
Report is a self-explanatory statements of facts relating to a specific subject and serves the purpose of
providing information for decision making. Reports are a commonplace way of communicating in a variety
of professions and academic disciplines. Many scientists, for example, write lab reports and research
reports; social scientists write field reports and research reports; and people in business write a range of
formal and informal reports. Each type of report has its own conventions, its own customary ways of
communicating.

Characteristics of Reports

Complete & Compact document

Systematic Presentation of Facts
Prepared in writing
Provide information and guidance
Self-explanatory document
Acts as a tool of internal & external communication
Acts as a permanent record

TYPES OF BUSINESS REPORTS

Informal business reports are typically communicated via email, memos, letters, or orally.
A formal business report is customarily submitted in print and may be the final document submitted in a
series of reports--the completion report--or it may be the only document submitted in a project.

INFORMAL REPORTS
Informal report is more condensed than formal but it is just as important. The writing style and audience
for the short report are the same as the formal report.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Activity reports
Minutes of meetings
Information reports
Justification/ Recommendation Reports
Feasibility Reports
Policy or procedural directives
Progress or status reports
Survey reports
Trip reports
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10. Summaries

FORMAL REPORTS
Formal report is the term used for a group of documents that informed, analyzed or recommend.
1. Analytical reports convey information accompanied by the writer's analysis or interpretation of it.
Progress reports, for example, are usually analytical, reporting not only what has taken place but
the writer's analysis of it.
2. Informational reports convey information (results, facts, and data) alone, with no commentary.
Both formal and informal reports may be solely informational; Minutes of meetings, for example,
convey only the events and conversations of a meeting--nothing more.
3. Recommendations convey information; the writer's analysis; and the writer's ideas about
appropriate actions that might be taken. Policy directives, in which one or more people announce
policy by which the members of a group or organization will abide, are an example of this type of
business report.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORMAL & INFORMAL REPORTS

Formal Reports
Often External or distant within organization
Usually long sections and sub-sections
More impersonal
Appears on separate title page
Content page is useful if report is over 5 pages

Informal Reports
Often Internal
Usually Short several sections
Personal
Appears as subject line in Memo heading
Content page in not required

A few general guidelines are applicable to many types of business reports.

Introduction: Begin the report with a brief overview of its contents.
Summary: Summarize the situation on which you are reporting, or describe the problem or opportunity
that your report is exploring.
Discussion: Provide some explanatory detail, including the results of whatever research you may have
conducted. List the available options. Explain your methods, if appropriate. If you are writing an analytical
report or recommendation, give the criteria by which you are making judgments.
Conclusions: If you are writing an analytical report or recommendation, explain the implications of each
of the available options. If you are writing an analytical report, offer your evaluation here. If you are writing
a recommendation or feasibility study, explain which option you think is best, and why.
If your report is extensive (more than two pages), you should include descriptive headings for the major
sections, to help readers navigate the report easily.

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CONCLUSION
In order to be a successful business writer and achieve a good position in the work life it is necessary for
every graduate and even every person to be a good listener, speaker, reader and writing. Now a days, in
business world it is necessary to be an effective communicator. Business Communication embosses the
individuals as well communication skills of corporations. It is a foundation of becoming an entrepreneur
and helpful for managers while they plan, organize, lead and control. It is a key to success if one has the
ability to write for his organization a concise and complete business letter to the peers, persuasive letter to
the customers, negative responses to the external and internal parties and the agreements, formal Request
for proposals and show cause reports. Business Communication gives knowledge of all these mandatory
letter, requests and writing to an individual so it is an obligatory course which institutes must teach their
students with and organizations also facilitate their employees with seminars, workshops and trainings to
develop effective communication skills in them.

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