COMMUNICATION

DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION

[mass noun] the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking,

writing, or using some other medium:television is an effective means of

communication

(communications) means of sending or receiving information, such as

telephone lines or computers:satellite communications

communications) means of travelling or of transporting goods, such as roads

or railways:a city providing excellent road and rail communications

the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or

exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to
someone else.

IMPORTANCE AND BENEFITS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

a direction for those involved in a dispute or issue

an understanding to the varying groups of what these issues involvehelp and
support for those who need it
the ability to change opinion about a dispute in a way that leads to it being
resolved.
For organizations to be successful, a listening culture is vital. It brings
greater performance, higher productivity and more staff buy-in, because
when staff feel valued and recognised they do more to support the business.

Effective communication reduces the incidence of misunderstanding and

consequent errors, and enables employees to be more readily aligned to the
vision and leadership of the organisation, and to work more efficiently. This in
turn reduces the opportunity for disharmony, discontent or dissatisfaction,
and supports a healthy working culture.

Effective communication enables managers to be more aware of the internal

and external pressures on employees, and promotes the opportunity for
flexible and efficient management for example by enabling the provision of
suitable interventions in the instance of sickness absence, care issues or
bereavement that might benefit from temporary, flexible working
arrangements.

IMPORTANCE OF ACTIVE LISTENING

It goes without saying that effective communication includes active listening

skills - engaging with the person youre listening to and responding appropriately.

The ability to listen actively enables the person who is speaking to talk without
interruption or contradiction and, by virtue of having a sounding board, clarify
his or her opinion or circumstance. This improves self-confidence and encourages
a better assessment of any proposed action, prior to it being taken.

Unfortunately, its often the very people who require the most help who will deny
theyre in need of such support. They will frequently assure colleagues that they
can manage and are in control of a situation, when the reality is not only that they
cant cope, but that they have never been actively encouraged by the
organisational culture to seek help.

Active listening should therefore be seen as an essential managerial tool and part
of effective people management. It should be within the skills portfolio of all
managers, and used in the maintenance of a stress-free work environment and the
avoidance of disruption or discontent within the workforce.

TYPES OF LISTENING

Marginal Listening
Projective Listening
Empathetic Listening
Informative Listening
Evaluative Listening
Appreciative Listening
Critical Listening
Discriminative Listening
Fake Listening

ESSENTIALS OF LISTENING

Cooperate with the speaker

Avoid distractions
Ask questions
Withhold judgmental attitude
Avoid giving advice
Display appropriate body
language

KINDS OF COMMUNICATION
Verbal Communication
Nonverbal Communication

VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Communication is done by word of mouth and a piece

of writing. Objective of every communication is to
have people understand what we are trying to
convey. In verbal communication remember the
acronym KISS(keep it short and simple).
Usually people bring their own attitude, perception,
emotions and thoughts about the topic and hence
creates barrier in delivering the right meaning.
Verbal Communication is further divided into:

Oral Communication
Written Communication

ORAL COMMUNICATION
In oral communication, Spoken words
are used. It includes face-to-face
conversations, speech, telephonic
conversation, video, radio, television,
voice over internet. In oral
communication, communication is
influence by pitch, volume, speed and
clarity of speaking.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF

ORAL COMMUNICATION
Advantages of Oral communication are:
It brings quick feedback.
In a face-to-face conversation, by reading
facial expression and body language one can
guess whether he/she should trust whats
being said or not.
Disadvantage of oral communication
In face-to-face discussion, user is unable to
deeply think about what he is delivering, so
this can be counted as a

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
In written communication, written signs or symbols are used to
communicate. A written message may be printed or hand written.
In written communication message can be transmitted via email,
letter, report, memo etc. Message, in written communication, is
influenced by the vocabulary & grammar used, writing style,
precision and clarity of the language used.
Written Communication is most common form of
communication being used in business. So, it is considered
core among business skills.
Memos, reports, bulletins, job descriptions, employee manuals,
and electronic mail are the types of written communication used
for internal communication. For communicating with external
environment in writing, electronic mail, Internet Web sites,
letters, proposals, telegrams, faxes, postcards, contracts,
advertisements, brochures, and news releases are used.

ADVANTAGES OF WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
Advantages of written
communication includes:
Messages can be edited and revised
many time before it is actually sent.
Written communication provide record
for every message sent and can be
saved for later study.
A written message enables receiver to
fully understand it and send appropriate
feedback.

DISADVANTAGES OF WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
Unlike oral communication, Written
communication doesnt bring instant
feedback.
It take more time in composing a written
message as compared to word-of-mouth.
and number of people struggles for
writing ability.

NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Nonverbal communication is the sending or receiving
of wordless messages. We can say that communication
other than oral and written, such as gesture, body
language, posture, tone of voice or facial
expressions, is called nonverbal communication.
Nonverbal communication is all about the body
language of speaker.
Nonverbal communication helps receiver in
interpreting the message received. Often, nonverbal
signals reflects the situation more accurately than
verbal messages. Sometimes nonverbal response
contradicts verbal communication and hence
affect the effectiveness of message.

ELEMENTS OF NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION
Appearance
Speaker: clothing, hairstyle, neatness,
use of cosmetics
Surrounding: room size, lighting,
decorations, furnishings
Body Language
facial expressions, gestures, postures
Sounds
Voice Tone, Volume, Speech rate

MATRICES OF NON VERBAL

COMMUNICATION

Body language
Chronomatics
Chromatics
Kinesics
Proxemics
Haptics
Paralinguistics

Types of Communication Based on Purpose

and Style
Formal Communication
Informal Communication

FORMAL COMMUNICATION

In formal communication, certain rules,

conventions and principles are followed while
communicating message. Formal
communication occurs in formal and
official style. Usually professional settings,
corporate meetings, conferences undergoes in
formal pattern.
In formal communication, use of slang and
foul language is avoided and correct
pronunciation is required. Authority lines are
needed to be followed in formal communication.

INFORMAL COMMUNICATION
Informal communication is done using channels that are
in contrast with formal communication channels. Its just
a casual talk. It is established for societal affiliations of
members in an organization and face-to-face discussions.
It happens among friends and family. In informal
communication use of slang words, foul language
is not restricted. Usually. informal communication is
done orally and using gestures.
Informal communication, Unlike formal
communication, doesnt follow authority lines. In
an organization, it helps in finding out staff grievances as
people express more when talking informally. Informal
communication helps in building relationships.

COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

Any factor that disrupts smooth flow of

communication
Communication failures at personal and
professional level

FACTORS CAUSING COMMUNICATION

BARRIERS

Lack of Planning
Lack of trust
Ambuiguity
Distortions
Implied meanings
Drawing inference
Noise
Time and distance
Wrong choice of medium

FACTORS CAUSING COMMUNICATION

BARRIERS

Intra-personal communication barriers

Inter-personal communication barriers
Environmental communication barriers

INTRA PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

BARRIERS

Physiological barriers
Attitudinal barriers
Perceptual barriers
Psychological barriers
Emotional barriers

INTRA PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

BARRIERS:PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS

False assumptions
Overconfidence and apathy
Fear and defensiveness

INTRA PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

BARRIERS:PERCEPTUAL BARRIERS

Mental blocks

INTRA PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

BARRIERS:ATTITUDINAL BARRIERS

Egocentrism
Judgmental attitude

INTRA PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

BARRIERS:EMOTIONAL BARRIERS

Individuals with higher emotional

intelligence

INTRER PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

BARRIERS

Sender- centric communication barriers

Receiver- centric communication barriers

SENDER-CENTRIC COMMUNICATION
BARRIERS

Lack of preparation
Lack of credibility
Over or under confidence
Lack of interest
Inappropriate audience analysis
Lack of emotional intelligence
Lack of social intelligence
Incorrect choice of communication channel
Time deficit
Lack of cross cultural intelligence
Over or under qualification
Lack of respect towards the reciever
Lack of right attitude
Lack of language competency

RECIEVER CENTRIC COMMUNICATION

BARRIERS

Non listening or poor listening

Paucity of relevant information
Inattentiveness
Time deficit
Lack of language competency
Interpretation of words
Bypassed instructions
Denotations and connotations
Information overload
Lack of the collaborative effort
Overconfidence/underconfidence

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATION
BARRIERS

Physical barriers
Chronomatic barriers
Social barriers
Cultural barriers
Technological barriers
Organizational barriers
Gender barriers

COMPONENTS OF COMMUNICATION
CONTEXT
SENDER ENCODER
MESSAGE
MEDIUM
RECIEVER DECODER
FEEDBACK

DIMENSIONS OF BUISNESS
COMMUNICATION IN AN ORGANIZATION

Intra-personal communication
Inter-personal communication
Verbal communication
Non-verbal communication
Inter-organization communication
Intra-organization communication
Inter-cultural communication

INTRA-PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

Self
Self
Self
Self

image
talk
esteem
confidence

INTER-PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

Empathy
Assertiveness
Cultural Sensitivity
Perseverance

VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Language Competency
Vocabulary
General Awareness
Domain knowledge

INTRA-ORGANIZATIONAL
COMMUNICATION

Organizational culture
Organizational politics
Innovative Communication
Traditional Communication

INTER ORGANIZATIONAL
COMMUNICATION

Corporate Identity
Networking
Innovative Communication
Traditional Communication

INTRA-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Contextual Similarity
Social Similarity
Legal and ethical similarity
Communication similarity

INTER CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Contextual Diversity
Social Diversity
Legal and ethical Diversity
Communication Diversity

THE SEVEN CS OF EFFECTIVE

COMMUNICATION
COMPLETENESS
CONCISENESS
CONSIDERATION
CONCRETENESS
CLARITY
COURTESY
CORRECTNESS

COMPLETENESS
MENTAL FILTERS
NECESSARY INFORMATION
ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS ASKED
GIVE SOMETHING EXTRA WHEN
DESIREABLE
OMISSIONS CAUSE SUSPICIONS
GIVE SOMETHING EXTRA WHEN
DESIREABLE

CONCISENESS
A COMPLETE MESSAGE WITHOUT BEING
WORDY
COMBINED WITH A YOU VIEW
RESPECT FOR RECIPIENTS
AVOID UNNECESSARY REPETITION(BOOK)
INCLUDE ONLY RELEVANT MATERIAL

CONSIDERATION
FOCUS ON YOU INSTEAD OF I
SHOW AUDIENCE BENEFIT OR INTEREST
IN THE RECIEVER
EMPHASIZE POSITIVE PLEASANT FACTS
EMPHASIZE ON BENEFITS OF THE
READERS

CONCRETENESS
SPECIFIC,DEFINITE AND VIVID RATHER
THAN VAGUE
USE FACTS AND FIGURES
PUT ACTION IN YOUR
VERBS(SPECIFIC,PERSONAL,CONCISE,EM
PHATIC)
CHOOSE VIVID IMAGE BUILDING WORDS
USE ACTIVE VOICE

CLARITY
CHOOSE AS PRECISE OR AS CONCRETE A
WORD AS POSSIBLE
SELECT A WORD THAT HAS A SENSE OF
APPROPRIATENESS FOR THE READER
OPT FOR THE FAMILIAR WORDS
LIMIT SENTENCE LENGTH TO 17 OR 20 WORDS
INSERT NO MORE THAN ONE MAIN IDEA INTO
THE SENTENCE
ARRANGE WORDS SO THAT THE MAIN IDEA
OCCURS EARLY IN A SENTENCE

COURTESY
BE SINCERELY
TACTFUL,THANKFUL,THOUGHTFUL,APPRE
CIAITIVE
HAVE A SINCERE YOU ATTITUDE
USE EXPRESSIONS THAT SHOW RESPECT
CHOOSE NON DISCRIMINATORY
EXPRESSIONS
USE NON SEXIST LANGUAGE
NON DISCRIMINATORY WORDS

CORRECTNESS
USE THE RIGHT LEVEL OF LANGUAGE
CHECK ACCURACY OF FACTS AND
FIGURES AND WORDS
MAINTAIN ACCEPTABLE WRITING
MECHANICS

WRITING EFFECTIVE BUSINESS LETTERS

PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE WRITING

Solid structure
Crystal clear clarity
Candid consistency
Level-headed selection of medium

SOLID STRUCTURE

A structure holds true to any form of

communication-a letter,a memo,an
email,webpage
Introduction: to the pointopening
Body:Gist of the message lies
Conclusion:Sum up the messaget
Primary Effect and Recency Effec

CRYSTAL CLEAR CLARITY

A high degree of clarity is essential to all

written communication

CANDID CONSISTENCEY

Avoid contradicting yourself

Do not try to play smart

LEVEL- HAEDED SELECTION OF MEDIUM

High level of accuracy

Likelihood of receiver comprehension
Cost effectiveness
Be direct and conscise
Be honest and concise
Be honest and genuine
Be present and open
Be confident and be measured

LEVEL- HAEDED SELECTION OF MEDIUM

Intensity
Integrity
Simplicity
Succinctness

WRITING PROCESS

3 into 3 writing process:

Pre-writing
Writing
Revising

PRE-WRITING

Step 1: Analyzing
Will anything change as a result of your
message?
Is your purpose realistic?
Is it the right time to convey the message?
Identify your primary reciver
Determine receiver size and compositin
Determining the geographic distribution of the
recievers
Gauging receivers level of undersatnding

PRE-WRITING

Understanding your recievers

expectations and preferences
Forecasting the receiver's probable
reaction

STEP 2: ANTICIPATING

To
To
To
To

inform
persuade
collaborate
determine

STEP 3:ADAPTING

Combines the analysis and anticipation

stage
Be sensitive to your recievers needs
Build a strong relationship with your
reciever
Control your style to maintain a
professional tone

WRITING

RESEARCHING
ORGANIZING
COMPOSING

RESEARCHING

Considering the view point of others

Reading reports and other authentic
documents
Talking with supervisors or colleagues
Using search engines

ORGANIZING

Five Ws one H
Providing accurate information especially
about your company and its operations
Maintaining ethical standards
Ensuring information is pertinent to
receiver's needs

COMPOSING

Include functional words:including

conjuctions,prepositions,articles,pronoun
s
Content
words:nouns,verbs,adjectives,denotative
words or connotative words
Using short sentences
Organize coherent paragraphs:topic
sentence,support sentence
Well developed paragraphs are
unified,well-supported,choherent,using

REVISING

Revising or editing
Proof reading
Evaluating

DIFFERENT FORMS OF WRITTEN

COMMUNICATION

Business letters
Memorandums
Office order
Office circular
Notice, agenda,minutes of meeting
Performance appraisal

Business letters

Drafting at convenience
Extensive reach
A record for the purpose of law
A record for reference
Solidifies a business brand
Helps to expand business
Saves money in communication
Convenient for giving not so good news

PARTS OF A BUINESS
LETTER

Heading
Inside address
Salutation
Body of the letter
Complimentary close
Signature block

HEADING

Letterhead:
Dateline

DATELINE STYLES

INSIDE ADDRESS

Receiver's courtesy style

The receiver's name
The recivers professional title
Department name
Company name
Receiver's standard address
Left margin

SLAUTATION

Dear Sir
Dear Madam
Dear Sirs
Dear Shri Bakshi
Dear customer,Dear subscriber,Dear
editor

BODY OF THE LETTER

Real message of the letter, begins below

the salutation with a double spaced in
between
It may have blocked or intended
paragraph depending on the letters
format
Clear introduction
Main body
A line seeking action and response
A closing section

COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE

Ends the message

Goodbye and signature of the writer
Double spaced format after the text

SIGNATURE BLOCK

Writers signed name

Four lines beneath the complimentary
close

LETTER FORMATS

Full Block Format

Modified block format
Semi block format

FULL BLOCK FORMAT

Return address:helps the reciever find

out where the letter has come from,a
space between return address and the
dateline can be skipped
Dateline:written below the return
address in the style applicable to the
geographic location.a line space
between dateline and the inside address
can be skipped
Inside address:Recievers address
mentioning his/her name,title and

Salutation:Dear Ms/Mrs/Mr last name.A line

between the salutation and subject line can be
skipped
Subject line:optional element and can be
skipped
Body of the letter:Paragraph should be single
spaced.A line between the end of the body and
the complimeantary close may be skipped.
Complimentary close:It indicated to the reader
that you have finished your letter.A comma after
the compliemntary close

FULL BLOCK FORMAT

Signature block:signature in pen

Printed name:typed name

MODIFIED BLOCK FORMAT

Return address,dateline,complimentary
close,signature block,printed nameRIGHT SIDE OF THE PAGE

SEMI-BLOCK FORMAT

Indentation on the right half of the

page.First line of the paragraphs are
always intended.Indentation of the first
line is the only difference between the
semi block and modified block format
l

MEMORANDUMS
Within the organization communication
Most common form of written
communication
A memorandum (abbrev.: memo) was
from the Latin verbal phrase
memorandum which means"to mention,
call to mind, recount, relate",[1] which
means "It must be remembered
(that)...".

PURPOSE
for decision is to support decision making
to help (or sometimes influence) a decisionmaker to make a better decision in a particular
problem situation than he might otherwise
have made without the analysis.[5]
conveying information; informing decisions,
making a request, providing a response to a
question, making a suggestion, presenting an
informal report, proposing a solution to a
problem, or documenting a reference for future
use.

ADVANTAGES OF WRITING MEMOS

Historical Signficance
John Guillory of the University of Chicago and
Critical Inquiry website explains that as
businesses evolved and become more complex
at the end of the 1800s, it became increasingly
important for companies to communicate
effectively and keep records of what they were
doing. Businesspeople thus developed memos as
a new style of internal business communication.
By the 1920s, memos had transformed business
interactions and were commonplace.

ADVANTAGES OF WRITING MEMOS

Inexpensive
A major advantage of business memos is that they
are inexpensive to create. Even when
businesspeople physically print the memo, doing so
usually costs the company far less than it would to
halt work entirely to have a formal meeting about
what the memo addresses. If businesspeople send
the memo via email, the company also is able to
communicate without without having ink and paper
expenses, and there is no physical disposal of the
memo papers necessary for which the company
could be charged

ADVANTAGES OF WRITING MEMOS

EVIDENCE:Memo information is harder to
dispute than oral communication
because the memo is evidence of what
the writer said. If there is a dispute,
employees and managers can refer to
the memo to resolve the conflict. The
memo also may serve as a reference for
employees for the future as a way of
maintaining memory clarity. This keeps
operations efficient.

ADVANTAGES OF WRITING MEMOS

TIMELINE SNAPSHOT:Business memos
show what was happening in a company
at a specific point. They show who was
involved in company actions, what the
goals were and who initiated them. By
keeping a minimum of a digital copy of
each memo produced, the company has
records of operations. These are useful
for audits and showing investors and
other interested parties that the
company is progressing toward goals.

ADVANTAGES OF WRITING MEMOS

LESS DISRUPTIVE:Businesspeople are able
to produce and deliver memos
unobtrusively. Even when the memo is
physically printed, employees can read
the memo at their leisure. This is less
disruptive than other means of
communication such as phone calls,
instant messaging or meetings.

ADVANTAGES OF WRITING MEMOS

DELIVERY:Delivery of memos is easy. With
hard-copy memos, it takes just one
person to hand the memo out to
employees or put it in the employee
mailbox. It usually does not take more
than one business day for the memo to
travel from department to department.
With digital memos, businesspeople can
send the memo to hundreds or even
thousands of workers with a single click,
getting the memo out in just seconds

ADVANTAGES OF WRITING MEMOS

CRITICAL THINKING:Business memos are
designed to be short and to the point.
Whatever is in the memo is evidence, as
well. These two points encourage the
writer of the memo to think critically
about what he puts into the memo. By
doing this, the writer gets a clear picture
of the intent behind the writing and thus
is better able to defend the memo's
purpose in the future

TIPS FOR MEMO WRITING

Check for stylistic requirements with your job. Does the
company that you work for have a standard form when it comes
to writing memos? If so, is it downloadable?
Make sure that the body of the text is written in clear, concise
and grammatically right language.
Do not use long and overly wordy sentences. Keep it simple.
Do not use a greeting or a salutation. You should simply go right
into the subject of the memo.
Feel free to use bulleted lists and headings to convey your
message.
Conclude the memo with any closing statements that may
inspire the recipient to take action.
Mention any and all attachments at the end of the memo using
the single word Attachment.

PARTS OF THE
MEMORANDUM
TO
FROM
SUBJECT
DATE
MESSAGE

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

The process of offering for consideration or display

A social introduction, as of a person at court
A demonstration, lecture, or welcoming speech
A manner or style of speaking, instructing or putting oneself forward
The manner of presenting, esp the organization of visual details to
create an overall impression
The formal introduction of a person, as into society or at court; debut
There are six types of presentations:
Informative
Analyzing
Persuasive
Instructional
Arousing
Decision Making

PURPOSE OF ORAL
PRESENTATION
To inform
To persuade
To build good will

THREE STEP OF ORAL PRESENTATION

PROCESS
Plan your presentation
Write your presentation
Complete your presentation

PLAN YOUR PRESENTATION

ANALYZE:study your purpose
Investigate:Gather needed information
Adapt:Adapt your presentation to
audience and occasion,then establish a
good relationship with your audience

PLAN YOUR P`RESENTATION

ANALYZE:study your proposal,lay out
your schedule and profile of your
audience
INVESTIGATE:Gather information through
formal or informal research methods
ADAPT:Adapt your presentation to
occasion and audience;then establish a
good relationship with your audience

AUDIENCE
Audiences can be classified into four basic
categories:
Captives
Pragmatists
Socially motivated
Committed
Visuals[edit]

2:WRITING
ORGANIZE:define your main idea,limit
the scope,choose your approach and
style
Compose:compose main idea ensuring
that the introduction,body,close,and
question and answer period all
accomplish the necessary tasks of an
oral medium

ORGANIZE ORAL PRESENTATION

Define the main idea:How your audience
can benefit from your message
1.Convince
2.Adudinece concerns

ORGANIZE ORAL
PRESENTATION
Limit your scope:fit your presentation to
the time alloted
Choose your approach:structure it like a
memo
Prepare your outline:they can help you
compose your presentation and stay on
task
Decide on an appropriate style:a casual
style for small groups and a formal style
for larger groups

ORGANIZE ORAL
PRESENTATION
Developing oral presentation
1.Introduction
2.Body
3.Close

DEVELOPING ORAL PRESENTATION

INTRODUCTION:
Arousing audience interest
Use humour
Tell a story
Ask a question
State a startling statistic
Match the introduction to the tone of your presentation
To capture attention,connect your topic to listeners
needs and interests
Build crdibilty
Preview your presentation

DEVELOPING ORAL PRESENTATION

BODY:
Limit the body to three to four main
points
Connect your ideas with puntuation
marks
Holding your audience attention

Holding your audience attention

Relate subject to the audience needs
Anticipate audience questions
Use clear vivid language
Explain the relationship between your
subject and familiar ideas

ORGANIZE ORAL
PRESENTATION
CLOSE:
Strong and lasting impression
Summarize the main idea
Restate the main points
Describe the next to be taken steps

3:COMPLETING THE ORAL PRESENTATION

Mastering the art of deleivery:
1.Memorizing
2.Reading
3.Speaking from notes
4.Impromptu speaking

3:COMPLETING THE ORAL PRESENTATION

Preparing to speak
Overcoming anxiety
Handling questions responsively

COVER LETTERS

A cover letter introduces you and your resume to potential employers or

organizations you seek to join (non-profits, educational institutions, etc).
It is the first document an employer sees, so it is often the first
impression you will make. Take advantage of this important first
impression and prepare the reader for your application, stating why you
are writing, why you are a good match for the job and the organization,
and when you will contact him or her.
Cover letters do more than introduce your resume, though. A cover
letter's importance also includes its ability to:
Explain your experiences in a story-like format that works with the
information provided in your resume
Allow you to go in-depth about important experiences/skills and relate
them to job requirements
Show the employer that you are individualizing (tailoring) this job
application
Provide a sample of your written communication skills

CONTENTS OF COVER
LETTERS

Heading
Provide your contact information.
Include the date you are writing the letter.
Include the address of the company.
Introduction
Greet the specific person with whom you are corresponding.
State the position you are applying for and where you heard
about it.
Name drop if you have a good connection.
State why you believe you are a good match for the position
and the organization, including 2-3 key qualifications that you
will address in the rest of the letter (these items should
match up with your resume).

CONTENTS OF COVER
LETTERS

Argument/Body
Tailor cover letter for each job application.
Focus each paragraph on one qualification that shows you are a good match
for the job and organization.
Give specific examples to prove where you got these skills and how you have
used them before.
Tell a story; do not just list your skills.
Refer to your resume; do not repeat it.
Do not use contractions.
Closing
Close with a strong reminder of why you are a good match for the job and the
organization.
Request an interview in some way.
Provide contact information.
Thank the person for reading your material.
Sign your name and print it underneath.

FORMATTING

Remember that the basic format of a cover letter follows that of a business
letter. As you design the page, think about the following:
Length
Keep to one page.
Write one paragraph of introduction, one-three paragraphs to highlight your
skills, and one paragraph to conclude.
Spacing
Single-space your cover letter.
Leave a space between addresses and dates in the heading.
Leave a space between your heading (contact info) and greeting ("Dear...:").
Leave a space between each paragraph.
Leave at least three spaces between your complimentary close
("Sincerely,") and typed name.
Sign your name in ink between your complimentary close and typed name.

FORMATTING

Margins and Alignment

Use standard margins (one-inch margins,
usually).
Can use smaller margins (to about 0.7inch) as long as you are consistent on all
sides.
Align all paragraphs to the left of the
page. (You can also indent the first line
of each paragraph, but that is not used
as often.)

COVERLETTER

In order to provide the most professional image of

yourself to potential employers, you want to have
polished documents with no mistakes. Here are
some final tips to get this professional look:
Proofread the cover letter after a few hours or days
(improve sentences, grammar, typos).
Give your cover letter to friends, professors, and/or
colleagues for proofreading and suggestions.
Go to the Purdue University Writing Lab in Heavilon
226 for a free cover letter tutorial (if you are
affiliated with Purdue).

PURPOSE OF THE
COVERLETTER

What is the purpose of the cover letter?

A cover letter:
introduces you and your resume to an employer
explains why you are writing or applying for the job
details why you are a good match for the organization and the position
demonstrates your abilities and helps to establish your credibility
draws your readers' attention to specific qualifications
provides a sample of your written communications skills
explains when you plan to contact your prospective employer.
Tailor your cover letter to:
show specific needs of employers and how you meet them
persuade that your goals align with the organization's goals (mission) and that your skills
align with the position requirements (also see our Effective Workplace Writing resource).
An effective cover letter:
highlights the qualifications related to the position as laid out in the job criteria
proves that you align well with the organization and that you meet the job requirements
provides contact information and a plan for future contact.

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE COVERLETTERS

Learning about the job

Your ability to learn the needs of your readers will help you write a cover letter
effectively. You should learn as much as you can about your audience (your potential
employer) before writing your cover letter. Your goal is to learn about the organization,
its goals and needs. Then, you should learn about what kind of employee the
organization needs and what an employee will be expected to do.
After reading a job advertisement, ask as many questions as you can to learn what your
prospective employer wants. Lastly, think about who will be reading your job
application documents - human resources, prospective employers, etc. Think about
how your document many move through the organization you want to join (also see our
Audience Analysis resource).
Some questions to begin with are:
"What values and skills would a good match have for the prospective organization/job?"
"What kind of personality do I have?"
"What level of education do I need?"
"What kind of work experience do I need?"
Read the job advertisement carefully. Most advertisements are divided into two
sections, a qualifications section, and an explanation of what duties the hired candidate
will perform.

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE COVERLETTERS

Contact the organization

Another way to learn about a good match for the organization and job is by contacting someone with "inside
information" (insiders).
Insiders include, but are not limited to:
a professor
your potential employer
an expert in your field
a person who holds the position you want at a different company.
Insiders may be able to tell you what a job entails, and what kind of person an employer is likely to hire.
If you decide to call insiders, it is essential for you to be kind and truthful at all times. Being kind will help you to avoid
offending someone with whom you might work in the future. It is best for you to see each contact with a company as an
opportunity to make a good impression.
When calling insiders, try to plan the flow of your conversation ahead of time.
Start by explaining who you are and why you are calling.
Ask questions that will facilitate an informative, friendly conversation.
Write questions before calling to avoid a lull in the conversation.
Questions such as the following will help you to start an effective conversation:
"What are the organization's goals/missions?"
"What kind of person is your company looking for?"
"What qualifications are most important for this position?"
"Is there anyone else I can contact to learn more about your company?"
"Is there anything you think someone with my experience should do to improve my qualifications?"
Try to keep the conversation rolling, and maintain a pleasant tone at all times. Also remember to thank your contact for
speaking with you, even if he or she was unable to provide you with helpful information.

TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE COVERLETTERS

Read the organization's website

Another good way to do your audience analysis is by reading an
organization's website.
Corporate/organization websites provide a good idea of what a
company/organization values. Look for words that describe the company
and its employees. Words repeated throughout the website reveal
particularly important values. Some organization websites may even have a
"Mission Statement" you can read to learn about what they want to achieve.
Use the language on the website and in the missions statement to help
guide your language in your cover letter.
Use college career centers
If you are in college, see what information is available at your university's
career center. See if the university has any connections to this company.
Career centers should have any information concerning upcoming visits of
companies to career fairs. At Purdue University, the
Center for Career Opportunities (CCO) maintains a number of resources that
are helpful for students looking for internships and jobs.

WRITING ROUTINE,GOOD NEWS AND

GOOD WILL MESSAGES