Unit 4

Reading

Q1) What is the purpose and structure of memo?

A1) In business, the purpose of a memo is to provide or request information from people within your organisation. It is important to carefully consider the key point of the memo and who should receive it. A memo that is written clearly using a friendly and professional tone avoids any opportunity for misinterpretation.

Structure

TO: provide the names and titles of everyone who will receive your memo

FROM: provide your complete name and title

DATE: provide the complete and accurate date – don’t forget to include the year

SUBJECT: provide a brief, yet specific description of what the memo is about

Part 2: MESSAGE

Introduction – explain the purpose

Body – addresses the information required

Conclusion – (Summary and possible recommendations)

Q2) Write a memo regarding postponement of New Year party sent to employees of a company.

A2) Memo *To: All employees

From: Management (Swadisht Foods Ltd.)

Date: [Day Month Year]

Subject: Postponement of New Year Party

As you all know, we hold a New Year party every year on [day] of [month]. This year, the workload has been quite hectic in [month] due to Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown in the preceding months. Hence, the management has decided to postpone the New Year party for this year to the second Saturday of [month]. Please find the party details below:

Date: [day] [month] [year]
Time: [party start time] to [party end time]
Venue: [location details]
Dress code: [dress code details]
Special Events: [event details]

Please accept our sincere apology for having to make you wait for the New Year celebrations, but believe us, it will be worth the wait. Those interested in volunteering for the event may call [name of the person] on [mobile number].

Wish you all a Happy New Year in advance.

Q3) Your school organised an exhibition-cum-sale of the items prepared under Work Experience Certificate by your school students. There was an overwhelming response from the public. Prepare a report in 100-125 words for a local daily. You are the Coordinator, S.U.P.W. Activities, Nita School, Gurgaon.

A3)

An Exhibition-Cum-Sale
By: ABC, Coordinator, SUPW Activities
Nita School, Gurgaon

3rd Aug. 20xx, Gurgaon. Our school organised an exhibition-cum-sale of items prepared under Work Experience by our students on the 31st of July in the school lawns. It was heartening to see the overwhelming response our endeavour got from not only the parents but also from the general public who showed a lot of interest in the items made by the students. A wide array of items such as candles, greeting cards, jewellery boxes, wooden handicrafts had been prepared by talented students.

The students were really encouraged by the positive feedback they got from everyone present. Our principal too was personally present there all the time interacting with everyone. He appreciated the students’ hard work and creativity and announced that the money collected from the sale of items would be donated to an old-age home in the vicinity of our school. Our principal also decided that such initiatives would be taken up by our school more frequently to motivate the creative students and to help a noble cause.

Q4) What do you understand by Precis Writing?

A4) Precis Writing is a summary. It is an exercise of compression. A precis writing is a gist of any passage in as few words as possible. A precis should mention all important details of the original paragraph so that anyone who is reading it is able to understand the idea of the original passage.

Taking the above example forward, to describe the essential highlights and events that take place in The Merchant of Venice, you will not add your own thoughts and maintain the tone and expressions of the characters. You will also avoid mentioning events that aren’t essential. This is how precis writing works. You express or rewrite a paragraph or any piece of writing and make it as concise as possible without having to change the crux of the subject matter.

In precis writing, you must be carefully objective and maintain the theme of the passage without excluding the important points. Comprehend the passage carefully to conclude about what is important in an article or a story. You might take a while to read it the first time, but as you keep reading it, the later times might just be an easy skim over the pages. Precis writing requires a very strong understanding of the story/ text to convey the same message in a miniature form. 

Q5) Write a business letter for inviting them to the Liberal Arts department job networking event.

A5)

Linda Lau
Northern State University
123 Main Street
Anytown, CA 12345
555-555-5555
linda.lau@email.com

March 5, 2020

Oscar Lee
Managing Editor
Acme Graphic & Design
123 Business Rd.
Business City, CA 54321

Dear Mr. Lee,

I would like to invite you to attend our upcoming Liberal Arts department job networking event. The event will be held on the afternoon of May 1, 2020. We wish to provide our graduating seniors with an opportunity to meet business leaders in the area who may be looking for new hires who hold degrees in the Liberal Arts.

The event will be held at the Cox Student Center at Northern State University and will last about two to three hours. If you have an interest in attending or sending a company representative to meet with our students, please let me know at your earliest convenience and I can reserve a table for you.

Thank for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.

Respectfully,

(signature hard copy letter)

Linda Lau
Liberal Arts Department Chair

Q6) Expand Knowledge is power?

A6) A person who has knowledge is equipped with power. Here power does not mean the power of money or brute force or the power wielded by money. Rather it means the power to understand, discriminate between what is right or wrong and the power to make right or wrong choices. The illiterate person has limited choices of opportunity and advancement.

Knowledge makes a man resourceful. When he is faced with a difficult situation, he is able to tackle it better. His mind is able to come up with many ways to solve a problem. He is not bogged down by paucity of thoughts. He can even think up new ways of doing things. The world is moving faster each day. No one can afford to remain illiterate. Everyone has to keep up with the knowledge of the times.

Q7) Gandhinagar is a thickly populated locality inhabited mainly by working-class people. Unfortunately, there is no Amul milk booth in the locality. Write a letter in 100 – 120 words to the editor of a local daily drawing the attention of the authorities to the problem faced by the people, requesting them to open a milk booth. You are Sham / Shobha, 4, Gandhinagar, Mumbai.

A7)

Shobha
4, Gandhinagar
Mumbai.
Dated: 15th March 2021
The Editor
Hindustan News
Mumbai.
Subject: Absence of Amul milk booth in Gandhinagar
Respected Sir / Madam
I am Shobha, a resident of Gandhinagar. I am writing to you in order to raise the issue of the absence of an Amul milk booth in my locality.
Gandhinagar has a huge population that comprises daily wagers. Still, the area does not have an Amul milk booth. The residents face many problems as they have to walk upto 10 kilometers every morning to get their daily stock of milk and milk products. This has also led to black marketing. The people of the area are getting harassed.
As the situation is serious, I request you to highlight it through your newspaper so that the Amul authorities are sensitized towards it and do the needful.
Thanking You
Yours sincerely
Shobha.

Q8) Write a cover letter to the manager of Acme corp.

A8)

Molly Smith
21 Spring Street
Anycity, NY 12000
555-122-3333
msmith@email.com 

December 11, 2020

John Brown
Sales Manager
Acme Corp.
321 Main Street
Anycity, NY 12000

Dear Mr. Brown,

I wish to apply for the sales position advertised on Monster.com. Terry Johnson suggested that I contact you directly, as we have worked together, and he felt that I would be a good fit with your team.

For the past two years I have been working in sales for Goodman & Co.. I have consistently exceeded my targets and I was recognized last quarter for outstanding service. As an avid cyclist and user of many of your products, I'm aware that Acme Corp. Is a company with tremendous potential. I am confident that my experience, communication skills, and ability to convey product benefits effectively would enable me to excel in the sales role.

I would be delighted to discuss with you how I might be an asset to the Acme Corp. sales team. Thank you for your consideration; I look forward to hearing from you.

Respectfully yours,

Signature (hard copy letter)

Molly Smith

Q9) Write a formal email replying to the job advertisement.

A9)

Subject: Web Content Editor position

Dear Sir/Madam, 

With reference to your job ad in xxx, I would like to submit my application for the position of Web Content Editor in your company. 

I graduated in Communication Sciences at the University of xxx and worked for several years in a Digital Agency as Content Specialist. I believe my skills and experience are in line with the requirements for the job position. I will be glad to introduce myself in an interview, that will allow you to better evaluate my possible recruitment. 

Please find attached a copy of my resume. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

…

Q10) What do you understand by note making?

A10) Note making is not just about writing down everything you hear or read. It is a process of reviewing, connecting and synthesising ideas from your lectures or reading.

Making notes helps you to:

• Stay active and engaged during your lectures, reading and revision
• Understand what you are learning and clarify your thinking
• Be selective and identify key ideas
• Remember the material
• Organise your ideas and make connections
• Plan and structure written assignments
• Review and revise before exams.

You can also see our note making techniques tutorial, which explores the different approaches you can take to note making. You will learn the various options for note making in different contexts and explore the advantages and features of each approach.

Q11) What do understand by interviewing for newspaper?

A11) Set Clear Goals for Yourself

You should never agree to an interview unless you are sure of what you want to convey. Not all press is good press. If you sound like you are uninformed of your message shifts erratically in the interview, you will not help your cause. Before you begin, consider how this article could be helpful to your organization and its ultimate goal. Then, think about whom you want to sway and what language or arguments would best accomplish that.

Use your goals to determine your “message.” Throughout the interview, you want a clear theme to develop. That’s your “message.”

Be Prepared

Before the interview, you should prepare possible questions you expect the interviewer to ask and come up with answers to those questions. Then make an effort to sit down, preferably with someone else to help you, and practice your responses. Try to be clear, concise, and interesting. You don’t want to drone on long after the reporter has stopped taking notes. Remember, you should have a clear message you reiterate when appropriate. For example, in preparing for your interview you and another organizer have come up with some possible questions the reporter might ask.

When brainstorming your responses, try to find ways to insert your message. You don’t need to use your catchphrase in every response, but the general message should be conveyed as often as possible. When practicing, try to anticipate difficult questions the reporter might ask you. Find different ways of answering the question and consider possible follow-up questions. When brainstorming responses to tricky questions, think two or three questions ahead to see where the reporter might try to lead you. It sounds like a lot of speculation, but it’s worth it when a little forethought can help you avoid a sticky situation.

In the interview, you want to respond to the reporter, not just answer her questions. That means you want to tailor your remarks in such a way as to lead the reporter back to your key point, your “message.” If you feel that the interviewer’s questions are straying away from the real issue, steer the dialogue back to the topic by saying something like, “That’s an interesting question, but I think the real issue is . . .” or “While that may be one aspect of the problem, the greater issue is . . . .” You don’t want to antagonize or appear to belittle the reporter, but you also don’t want to jeopardize the value of the interview.

The reporter has been trained to think of the interview and the story as theirs. Therefore, you shouldn’t expect her to docilely follow what you think the agenda for the interview should be. There’s a certain tension between any good reporter and her savvy interviewee. It’s your job to get your points across as effectively as possible and still maintain a mutually beneficial relationship. It’s in her interests to fold your perspective of the issue into the story they envision.

You should realize that most interviews will take place without a lot of preparation time for you. You shouldn’t expect to have much advance notice. Therefore, by the time you present yourself as a resource for journalists, you should have already practiced and given considerable thought to your interview techniques. You don’t want to be caught off-guard.

Understand the Reporter’s Needs

Some reporters at a newspaper have a specific beat, or topic area, that they are expected to cover and on which they can be very knowledgeable; others are general assignment reporters, or reporters who are expected to write on a variety of issues that may constantly change. When a reporter first approaches you for an interview, you should determine how much they already knows about the subject. Oftentimes, reporters new to the topic will inform you that they will need more than the usual amount of background information. This presents you with an excellent opportunity to educate them and strengthen your professional relationship. Good information from you now will make it more likely the reporter will rely on you in the future.

If you are working with a reporter new to your issue or organization, it’s a good idea to give them as much comprehensible background information as you think necessary to understand the issue. This doesn’t mean that you should fax them a hundred-page treatise. What you should do is give them one to two pages of background information and let them know about any informative and easy to use websites that are available. A bulleted fact there would be easy to read and quickly convey the key points. Remember that reporters need to prepare for interviews almost as much as you do. They’ll appreciate the extra information and the opportunity to prepare their questions in advance of the interview.

If the reporter is an old hand on the subject, you don’t need to steer them toward any information unless you think they is unaware of something new that is integral to the topic. In this case, you might want to mention the new piece of information and let them know where they can find it. If the reporter asks you about any new information, you should feel free to let her know about the latest data available, for example.

The Format

Most interviews take place over the telephone. The reporter may call you a few hours before her article is due and ask to interview you on the subject. They’ll ask you to spell your name slowly and to give them your exact title and the name of your organization. They may also ask you to succinctly describe your organization. You should have a standard description of your organization developed before your first interview.

During the interview, if you falter and inadvertently give incorrect information, make sure to correct yourself as soon as possible. Be as accurate, succinct, and clear as possible, even as you put forward your message. With practice, this will become second nature.

On the Record vs. Off the Record

Anyone who’s ever seen “All the President’s Men” has heard about on the record and off the record. On the record means that your words can be used in a story and attributed to you. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, this is how you should be speaking to reporters. It’s rare that you would need to go off the record for any reason. Off the record is a gray area that is often dependent on different reporters. Before you enter this murky area, make sure that you and the reporter understand each other about how the information will be used. For the most part, off the record means that your information cannot be used in the article and the reporter cannot repeat it to anyone using you as the source. What the reporter can do is to ask other people to confirm what they have learned from you, on the record.

Q12) Define the term vertical communication?

A12) Vertical communication is a communication process in which information or messages flows between or among the superiors, supervisers, leaders, or manager to subordinates, employees or team members of different levels of an organizational structure in the downward or upward direction. As such, vertical communication may be upward or downward in nature. Some examples of vertical communication include instructions, formal reports, business orders, and work reports. This form of communication may be formal or informal.