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...

Components of Communication An understanding of the process of communication makes it easy to improve the process of communication. The process of  business communication  involves five components of communication, they are as follows: Sender Receiver Message Channel Feedback Sender Sender is the person who initiates the communication process. The sender should know the techniques of initiating an effective communication process. These techniques include both verbal and non-verbal. Good writing and speaking skills, make easy and understandable arguments, good eye contact, command of grammar, sharing exact information are some of the techniques to be followed for an effective communication. The sender should be aware of his receiver to make changes in the message, if it is not readable for the receiver. Receiver Receiver is the other party who receives the message. A receiver is either an individual or the whole audience, and the receiver can communi...

The importance of communication in an organization can be summarized as follows: Communication  promotes  motivation  by informing and clarifying the employees about the task to be done, the manner they are performing the task, and how to improve their performance if it is not up to the mark. Communication is a  source of information  to the organizational members for decision-making process as it helps identifying and assessing alternative course of actions. Communication also plays a crucial role in  altering individual’s attitudes , i.e., a well informed individual will have better attitude than a less-informed individual. Organizational magazines, journals, meetings and various other forms of oral and written communication help in moulding employee’s attitudes. Communication also  helps in socializing . In todays life the only presence of another individual fosters communication. It is also said that one cannot survive without c...