Business Communications: Overview

Business Communications

I.                     Introduction

A.      Overview of Communication in Business

1.       Creation

2.       Attainment of Global Peace

3.       Business Stability

i.                     The Meaning of Business

ii.                   Communication

iii.                  Business Communication

iv.                  The Process of Communication

v.                    Goal of Communication

vi.                  Advantages of Printed Communication

vii.                 Metacommunication

viii.               Kinesic Communication

B.      Organizing and Composing Messages

1.       Structure of Letters and Documents

i.          Parts of the Letter

ii.          Format of a Letter

iii.         Addresses, Salutations and Complimentary Closes

2.       Postal Products and Services

i.                     Classification of Mails

ii.                   Stationeries

iii.                  Address Format

iv.                  Non-mailable Items

II.                   Revising and Proofreading Business Messages

A.      Improving Writing Techniques

B.      Effective Business Writing

1.        Characteristics of Effective Letters

2.        Fog Index

3.        Eliminating Weaknesses in Writing

III.                  Electronic Mails and Memoranda

A.      Electronic Office

B.      Technologies in Business Communication

C.      Electronic Transmission

D.      Teleconferencing

E.      Inter-Office Documents

F.      Policies

G.     Contracts

IV.                Process Writing

A.      Institutional Meetings

B.      Notices

C.      Agenda

D.      Election

E.      Minutes

V.                  Persuasive Writing

A.      Proposal Writing

B.      Letters for Public Relations

C.      Favorable and Unfavorable Replies

VI.                Writing a Report

A.      Report Preparation

B.      Business Report

C.      Classification of Reports

D.      Narrative Report

E.      Periodic Report

F.      Technical Report

G.     Special Report

H.      Annual Report

I.         Analytical Report

J.       Information Report

VII.               Employment-Process Communication

A.      Curriculum Vitae

B.      Personal Data Sheets

C.      Application Letter

D.      Recommendation Letter

E.      Special Orders

F.      Application for Leave

G.     Resignation

H.      Letter of Termination

VIII.             Employment Interviewing, Follow-up Messages

IX.                 Oral Presentations

X.                   Job Interviews

Philippine Literature: Socio-Historical Background

The Pre-War (from the 20's to 1941)

            Historically, Philippine Literature in English began with the coming of the Americans in 1898. The Filipinos learned another foreign language and were introduced to another alien culture. Used to the “leisurely tempo and ornate phraseology of the Castilian speech”, they had to adapt to a new language that was more or less direct and less florid. Spanish continued to dominate the circle of the elite but in the 30’s, it began to give way to English. At the same time, the vernacular languages continued to be used in the homes even while Tagalog, the language of the capital and the provinces around it, successfully held its own against English and Spanish.

            “The most effective means of subjugating a people,” write Renato Constantino, “is to capture their minds.” The Americans made English the medium of communication in the bureaucracy, and the medium of instruction in schools. It became therefore both an instrument for the acquisition of social status and even a requisite for employment. Hence, English was considered the official language of communication.

            As previously mentioned, Spanish was retained in the homes and the business establishments of the old aristocracy who clung to the power and prestige which they had during the Spanish era. Soon, however, English gradually replaced it and was picked up by the middle class, the new economic and intellectual elite. The young generation became themselves the purveyor and staunch exponents of English, making it the medium of communication among themselves.

            With the improvement of Fil-American relationship, American soldiers who were the first public school teachers, were replaced by professional teachers who at the start were all American teachers, in fact, who exercised the initial and one of the more important influences on the first Filipino writers in English.

            A landmark in the literary development of the country along the lines of Western cultural traditions, was the establishment of the University of the Philippines in 1908. More and better teachers, Americans and Filipinos alike, here harnessed. Inevitably, therefore, for better or for worse, both in concept and technique, the educational system followed that of the United States.

            The changes wrought since the Commonwealth era in 1935, like the teaching of the lives of Filipino national heroes, the introduction of a wider concept of education, and the introduction of community schools affected literature to a considerable degree, mostly for the better. With the inauguration of the Commonwealth, Tagalog began to assume a national role. It is now taught in schools and since 1940 has been considered one of the official languages of the country. Sympathizers to the cause of English blame the teaching of Tagalog, or Filipino, as a factor in the deterioration of English especially among college students after the war.

            The almost four centuries of foreign dominations had made many Filipinos proficient in several tongues. By learning Spanish and English, educated Filipinos came into contact with the humanistic and scientific works of the most advanced countries of the world. On the other hand, some scholars claim that the acquisition of this Western cultural orientation resulted in the “submergence of those Asian values which are the bases of the national culture evolution,” quoting Renato Constantino historian-writer.

            With American textbooks, American instructors, American writers as models, the Filipinos started to learn not only a new language and a new way of life alien to their traditions. This began their Western education, or mis-education, as some would put it; the start of a colonial orientation, or disorientation. On the other hand, there were those who insisted that this kind of education was really “a grace rather than a scourge,” an evolution into progress, from dark obscurantism into enlightenment.

            However, one would want to look at it, the fact remains that literature of the pre-war years was influenced, shaped, and inspired by the historical conditions that surrounded the country.

            The Commonwealth period was interrupted by the Japanese naval bombers attacking Pearl harbour in Hawaii in December, 1941. The United States declared was against Japan and the war in the Pacific was on. The bitter experiences during the Japanese occupation, the three long agonizing years of war, became the subject of literature and continued to be long after the last sounds of war had died down.

            The damage done by this historical event to the Filipinos was indeed incalculable. The ravages of war had left an imprint not only on the economy of the country but on its literature as well.

>>Philippine Literature: Post War Years (from the late 40's to the 70's)

            ref: Philippine Contemporary Literature in English, Ophelia A. Dimalanta, et.al.

Philippine Literature

I.                     Introduction

A.      Socio-Historical Background

B.      General View of Literature

II.                   Poetry

A.      Pre-War Poetry (1920s to 1940s)

1.       The Spouse by Luis Dato

2.       I Have Begrudged the Years by Angela Manalang-Gloria

3.       Sonnets to a Gardener by Trinidad Tarrosa-Subido

4.       Extract: Like the Molave by Rafael Zulueta da Costa

B.      Post War Poetry (late 1940s to 1970s)

1.       Poem 10 by Jose Garcia Villa

2.       Gabu by Carlos Angeles

3.       Song for a Dry Season by Emmanuel Torres

4.       Order for Masks by Virginia R. Moreno

C.      Contemporary (1970s)

1.       Finder Loser by Ophelia A. Dimalanta

2.       A Kind of Burning by Ophelia A. Dimalanta

III.                  Fiction Stories

A.      Introduction to Fiction

B.      Pre-War Fiction

1.       The Small Key by Paz Latorena

2.       Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez

3.       Zita by Arturo B. Rotor

C.      Post War Fiction

1.       Faith, Love, Time and Dr. Lazaro by Gregorio C. Brillantes

2.       A Bread of Salt by N.V.M. Gonzales

3.       The Virgin by Kerima Polotan Tuvera

D.      Contemporary

1.       The Boy Who Ate Stars by Alfred A. Yuson

2.       Children of the City by Amadis Ma. Guerrero

IV.                Essay and Drama

A.      Intro to Essay and Drama

B.      Pre-War Essay: What are Filipinos Like? by Leon Ma. Guerrero

C.      Post War Essay: Four Values in Filipino Drama Film by Nicanor G. Tiongson

D.      Drama: New Yorker in Tondo by Marcelino Agana, Jr.

ref: Philippine Contemporary Literature in English, Ophelia A. Dimalanta, et.al.

The Word

1.       The Word

The writer must have a control over the usage of words – this means that one must be able to give name to an idea and the ability to select the right term for it. The key to word usage is the writer’s ability to maximize his or her senses and put it into words. Word power increases as the user continuously name ideas and its usage fits correctly in application.

Ex: stammer = stutter, falter;

      Said = cried, groaned, urged, demanded, pleaded

      Whispered = murmured, muttered, moaned, choked

Words can be use to reveal or conceal thoughts. The word ‘free enterprise’ for example may mean capitalism for some or a business opportunity for others.

Here are some tips in word usage:

v  Have a clear idea of what you mean

v  Do not be afraid of new words

v  Keep dictionary handy

v  Use words in exact sense

v  Use figures of speech to empower ideas

v  Avoid ‘blanket’ words that could be expressed directly

General and abstract words may sound clever but on the contrary, usage of these words may not communicate much what the writer wants to explain.

Ex: love, happiness, vehicle, faith, movement, wisdom, female

These words that describe qualities or attributes, classes of things, ideas and action often do require explanations and writers are obliged to provide such. In semantics, there is a diagram that is called abstraction ladder that as you step down words becomes more specific and concrete:

Abstract – General

Medium of exchange

Money

Coin

A centavo

Concrete - Specific

                                                                                                                                                                       

In terms of the level of meaning, words can be classified into two:

1.       Denotation – literal, ordinary, neutral meaning of a word; little more than the official meaning of the word

Ex: Scarlet = red

2.       Connotation -  what the word suggests or implies; helps to fill out its personality

Ex: Scarlet = revolution, blood, heat, royalty, sin wealth

ref: Serrano, Josephine B., et al; 'Advanced Composition'; National Bookstore. 1981

Building Blocks of Composition

The building blocks of a good composition are words, sentences and paragraphs. The ability to choose the correct word to express precisely the idea that you have in mind will give your speech and writing an admirable distinction; the ability to write coherent, unified and effective sentences will give you a sense of power; the ability to develop your ideas into logical comprehensive paragraphs will show you that you have mastered the art of good writing.

Experienced writers use inductive method of thought development – smaller unit to larger units of information. Herbert Reade writes:  “It is nearer the truth to say that a writer seizes upon some particular aspect of his subject and holds that aspect in his mind until he has seen it in all its profitable lights.”

ref: Serrano, Josephine B., et al; 'Advanced Composition'; National Bookstore. 1981

Introduction: Pre-Writing

Pre-writing is the total process of finding and shaping a subject. This stage confronts the psychological problems of composition writing.

 Pre-writing is a method of discovering the subject to write that involves the willingness to think your own thoughts, to sort them out, to explore why you have them and to come to a tentative conclusion about what they are and why they  interest you.

               

In the later stages of pre-writing, you will have to be more specific by limiting your subject and consider your audience in preparing to write.

Evaluative Categories of a Good Composition

1.       Thesis

Thesis is the declaration of a statement and what is intended to be proven. This should contain the clear stand on a subject and a brief background of the supporting details.

A good thesis should be authoritative that indicates the writer’s knowledge about the subject area.

To achieve a strong thesis, statement should be narrowed down so that the writer in his theme can properly qualify and support his generalizations in the space allowed.

Homologous discourse of the statements about one thing or class of things provides an avenue of the thesis to be unified which is another good quality of a thesis.

Moreover, thesis should be specifically worded for this will help the writer to choose and develop his subject.

2.       Organization

Organization pertains to the logical arrangement of parts of the composition –from introduction to conclusion. An organized composition will be able to provide a clear and logical perspective of the writer.

3.       Content

The content of the composition should be able to provide detailed information about two general questions: ‘what are you talking about?’ and ‘what do you mean?’

This is also the part of the composition that gives supporting details that are relevant, accurate, convincing and interesting. Though the stand of the writer might be clear and the write-up is tight, without a good content, both will be meaningless.

4.       Use of Words

Choice of words provides the register or tone of appropriateness of the composition, its accuracy gives a clear view of what the writer wants to say and its clarity connects the writer to his or her readers.

5.       Sentence and Style

In writing a composition, proper choice of words would not be enough if not logically connected with each other. Putting them together creates sentences that should present variation and in effect displays style.

6.       Mechanics

Mechanics refers to grammar, spelling and punctuation, physical appearance that denotes legibility.  As a general rule, composition should be free of any mechanical errors. Nowadays, mechanical errors are the least worries of writers with the aid of technology – from personal software to online assistances.

ref: Serrano, Josephine B., et al; 'Advanced Composition'; National Bookstore. 1981

Advanced Composition Syllabus

Eng 105: Advanced Composition Syllabus

I.                    Introduction

A.      Pre-Writing

B.      Strategies

C.      Words

D.      Figures of Speech

E.       Sentence

F.       Coherence

G.     Paragraph

H.      Style

II.                  Composition

A.      Content

B.      Organization

C.      Mechanics

D.      Composition Building

E.       Outline

III.                Exposition

A.       Classification of Composition

B.      Planning the Exposition

C.      Types of Exposition

IV.                Research Paper

A.      Steps in doing a Research

B.      Footnoting

C.      Bibliography

D.      Final Paper

E.       Putting into Paper

V.                  Business Letter

A.      Parts of a Business Letter

B.      Types of Business Letter

VI.                Narration

A.      Definition of Narration

B.      Elements of Narration

C.      Selection Details

D.      Patterns

E.       Narrative Exposition

VII.              Description

A.      What is a Description

B.      Kinds of Description

C.      Dictation

D.      Point of View

E.       Singleness of Impression

F.       Details Selection

G.     Order of Details

H.      Descriptive Exposition

VIII.            Argumentation

A.       Definition of Argumentation

B.      The Proposition

C.      Nature of Proof

D.      Evidences

E.       Evaluating Evidences

F.       Evaluating Authority

G.     Probability

H.      Refutation

I.        Argumentative Exposition