MUSINGS

General Business Letter Sample Your name Your address Your phone number Your email address ( include extra line of space here ) Date (type out the date in full: “January 1, 2017” as opposed to “1/1/17”) ( include extra line of space here ) Recipient’s name Recipient’s title Recipient company name Recipient’s address (or company address) ( include extra line of space here ) Dear Ms. Smith: ( use a formal greeting unless you have a personal, close relationship with the recipient. Be sure to include a colon rather than a comma after the recipient’s name.) Write your letter in this format (left justified) using a simple font (Times New Roman or Arial are good examples of plain font styles) in size 10 or 12 points. In your introductory paragraph, get right to the point by explaining the purpose of your letter. Your letter should be single-spaced, but make sure you leave an extra line of space between each paragraph. Keep your letter as brief and concise as po...

Large organizations have different hierarchical levels or tiers. Banks, finance companies, insurance businesses, railways and such other people-oriented organizations have typically a 3-tier or a 4-tier structure. The  process of communication  to be complete and effective, should encompass all these levels and tiers. Upward communication is one which moves upward, i.e., from bottom to top levels in the hierarchy. Any communication that moves from employees to supervisors, supervisors to managers, managers to executives, regional manager to general manager and so on, may be categorized as upward communication. Similarly, communication from branches to regional offices, regional offices to zonal offices, zonal offices to head office is referred to as upward communication. Employee suggestions, market reports, performance reports, feedback on new products and requests for facilities or instructions are all examples of upward communication in the organizational context.

Communication can flow down, up and laterally in an organization. In this lesson, you'll learn about downward communication, including some of its advantages and disadvantages. A short quiz follows the lesson. Downward Communication Downward communication  occurs when information and messages flow down through an organization's formal chain of command or hierarchical structure. In other words, messages and orders start at the upper levels of the organizational hierarchy and move down toward the bottom levels. Responses to downward communications move up along the same path. Advantages Downward communication provides certain advantages to an organization: Organizational discipline Downward communication follows the organization's hierarchy, meaning that organizational discipline and member compliance is much easier to maintain. Efficiency   Downward communication offers efficiencies because instructions and information come from the sources in power that are a...

Forms of Communication There are eight forms of communication. Intrapersonal: Intrapersonal is a term that describes communication in your internal being. What exactly does that mean? Well, it basically refers to how you talk with yourself. Self-talk can encompass such behaviors as the thoughts you think, affirmations you recite, and the mental notes you make throughout the day. Interpersonal: Interpersonal refers to interaction between two or more people. It follows then, that interpersonal communication involves communication between two or a few people. This is one of the most easily identifiable forms of communication because it is in our everyday lives at nearly every moment. Computer Mediated: This term wraps all forms of communication, that takes place between people into one.  Computer mediated communication allows  people to talk through email, texting, blogging, instant messaging, tweeting or chatting on social networks such as the snap shot b...

Communication can be categorized into three basic types: (1) verbal communication, in which you listen to a person to understand their meaning; (2) written communication, in which you read their meaning; and (3) nonverbal communication, in which you observe a person and infer meaning. Each has its own advantages, disadvantages, and even pitfalls. Verbal Communication Verbal communications in business take place over the phone or in person. The medium of the Message is  oral . Let’s return to our printer cartridge example. This time, the Message is being conveyed from the Sender (the Manager) to the Receiver (an employee named Bill) by telephone. We’ve already seen how the Manager’s request to Bill (“We need to buy more printer toner cartridges”) can go awry. Now let’s look at how the same Message can travel successfully from Sender to Receiver. Manager (speaking on the phone): “Good morning, Bill!” (By using the emp...