SHARMA's BLOG: ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

SHARMA's BLOG: ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION: ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION As a rule, factories process materials, offices process words, and data are processed in both factories and off...

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

As a rule, factories process materials, offices process words, and data are processed in both factories and offices. When IBM introduced its first electronic typewriter – „Selectric‟, in 1964, little did they realize that it would become the precursor of revolutionary changes in communication capability of the organizations, groups, and individuals. Personal Computers (PCs) were introduced in the 1970s and were initially thought to be good toys that companies were giving away to managers to play around but, with the advent of technology of building networks of PCs and integrating them with communication technology around the mid-1980s, it is changing the way of doing business in the twenty-first century. The vast strides in business electronics have had a profound impact on the way people communicate and send/receive information across companies, countries, and continents.
The advancement in computer-centric technologies has made communication travel faster, safer and almost free from distortions during transmission. Possibilities of misrepresentation are negligible although there are still some unresolved issues of security, hacking, etc. Electronic communication has brought in revolutionary changes in written communication. More important tools and techniques of electronic communication that have impacted on written communication, described in this Unit, are:
1. Word Processing
2. Electronic Mail and SMS from Mobile Phones
3. Electronic Meeting System (EMS)
4. Facsimile Transmission or Fax Machines
5. Teletext and Videotext
6. Imaging
7. Optical Scanning
8. Desktop Publishing (DTP)
9. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
10. Blogs

SHARMA's BLOG: CHECKLIST FOR EFFECTIVE LETTER MESSAGING

SHARMA's BLOG: CHECKLIST FOR EFFECTIVE LETTER MESSAGING: CHECKLIST FOR EFFECTIVE LETTER MESSAGING Principles of good communication are equally applicable to written communication and to writing...

CHECKLIST FOR EFFECTIVE LETTER MESSAGING

CHECKLIST FOR EFFECTIVE LETTER MESSAGING

Principles of good communication are equally applicable to written communication and to writing skills for letter messaging. However, a good checklist for business letter writing is as below:

 Promptness
 Subject knowledge
 Appropriateness
 Accuracy, completeness, and clarity
 Courtesy
 Tact
 Persuasion
 Conciseness
 Salesmanship
 The „you attitude‟
 Positive and pleasant approach

These are described below:

(1) Promptness
Letters should be replied the same day. Should one need time to reply, it is better to acknowledge the letter and politely indicate to the sender how soon the reply will be sent.

(2) Subject knowledge
Ability to reply to a business letter has three pre-requisites:
 Knowledge of previous correspondence
 Understanding of the requirements of the sender
 Knowledge of the firm‟s policies applicable

(3) Appropriateness
To acquire a good reputation of choosing words and phrases that are appropriate, we need to vary the tone and tune of the language used in letter messaging. These often change according to the:
 The need for the occasion
 Psychology of the readers

(4) Accuracy, completeness, and clarity
All facts, figures, and statements must be stated accurately and should be verified before using in the letter. If dealing with a business inquiry, one must ensure that the information covers all the points for completeness. If it is a persuasive message, it must be clear and unambiguous so that it accomplishes the purpose it is intended for. Ambiguity can arise from:
 The omission of a word
 Faulty punctuation
 Faulty construction of a sentence, mixing arrangement of words
Effective letter writers should avoid these pitfalls.

(5) Courtesy
Writers must seek favors politely and express their gratitude for favors received already.

(6) Tact
This quality goes hand in hand with courtesy. It is very important for letters:
 Dealing with complaints
 Seeking credits from banks, suppliers, etc
The essence of tactfulness lies in retaining the goodwill in spite of turning down the request.

(7) Persuasion
It means winning over people to own point of view without coercing them. They should genuinely feel that what they are doing is to their own advantage. Therefore, hypocrisy and pretensions have no place in these interactions.

(8) Conciseness
The writer should ensure against loading it with irrelevant and unnecessary „ifs‟ and „buts‟ – more concise the message, more effective it will be. Also, there is no justification of using telegraphic language and construction of sentences that hampers understanding. Two golden rules are:
 No letter is long enough if clarity has to be achieved
 A short letter is not good enough if the message is not clear.

(9) Salesmanship
Every letter that goes out of the company should be treated as its ambassador. It must carry and convey the message precisely and enhance the reputation of the firm.

(10) The „you attitude‟
The letter message should always take in to account the readers‟ point of view – he is the customer! Use of „I‟ and „we‟ should be avoided; instead writers should use „you‟ in the text as often as possible.

(11) Positive and pleasant approach
Avoid using „no‟ and „sorry‟ – they are unwelcome words. The writers must always emphasize pleasant and positive things. For example:
 „No‟ can be easily rewritten as „another time‟.
 „Sorry‟ can be replaced by „I will try‟.

SHARMA's BLOG: STYLE IN WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS

SHARMA's BLOG: STYLE IN WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS: STYLE IN WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS There is nothing like the commercial style of the English language. Commercial correspondence differs ...

STYLE IN WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS

STYLE IN WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS

There is nothing like the commercial style of the English language. Commercial correspondence differs from ordinary correspondence in the nature of content and construction and not in style.

A suitable style reflecting the personality of the writer is always more wholesome and refreshing. It makes a good impression on the customers.

It is not difficult to acquire skills in writing effective business letters provided one has:
 Good knowledge of the language
 The constant habit of reading
 Persistence with writing letters

A business letter is much like a conversation – it is a piece of conversation in writing and delivered by post. Alexander Pope emphasized the point:
„True ease in writing comes from art, not chance,
As those move easiest who have to learn‟d to dance.‟

Business letters differ from personal letters in the sense that the goal or purpose is paramount. A few useful tips to serve as a checklist are:
 Will it irritate or annoy?
 Is it a kind of letter everyone would like to receive?
 Will it persuade one to do what is asked?

SHARMA's BLOG: TRADITIONAL CLASSIFICATIONS OF LETTERS

SHARMA's BLOG: TRADITIONAL CLASSIFICATIONS OF LETTERS: TRADITIONAL CLASSIFICATIONS OF LETTERS Letter messages have evolved over a long time. A traditional way of classifying these letters in f...