AMITY SCHOOL OF DISTANCE LEARNING

Post Box No. 503, Sector-44

Noida 201303
( Business Communication)
Assignment A
Marks 10
Answer all questions.

1. Explain the process of communication?

Ans
Communication is the process we humans use to achieve
understanding. When you want others to understand what is in
your mind, you choose "words" to form your message to your
intended receiver. The receiver must "read" the message as it
comes in if he or she is to understand the ideas you are trying to
get across. Then the receiver reacts to your ideas, which is
called feedback.
Memory
** Memory is considered the brain's storage bin, for later use in
communicating.
** In addition to storing information and experiences, your brain
also stores the words needed to express these ideas.
** Words are symbols that stand for ideas or experiences.
Reasoning
Reasoning is the ability to put two or more ideas together and
produce a new idea.
Humans have a highly developed reasoning.

Needing to Communicate
Humans need to communicate because we are social creatures
by nature. There is a certain need to communicate.

Choosing Symbols
Once you have decided to communicate with someone, your next
step is to use symbols to encode your ideas. You must then
transfer ideas into a symbol system, or code known to both you
and your receiver, and then hope that the receiver will decode,
or translate the symbols correctly.
You use symbols for a variety of purposes. A symbol can be a
word, gesture, eye contact, dress, or anything that stands for an
idea and is used to communicate.
Language Symbols
Words are language symbols. They are also called verbal
symbols. Language is a medium of exchange for ideas.
Nonverbal Symbols
These include all the ways you encode your ideas without words.
You can smile, nod, or tap your feet. One nonverbal symbol is
kinesics, which is the use of body motions to communicate.
Examples of kinesics is rolling one's eyes, frowning, staring,
laughing, gesturing, crossing one's legs, or any similar body
movement.

Proxemics is another nonverbal symbol. Proxemics is the study

of spatial communication to communicate. An example would be
good friends sitting or standing closer to each other rather than
a new acquaintance.
Paralanguage is another category of nonverbal communication.
It consists of the ways in which you says words. This includes
volume, pitch, speaking rate, and voice quality.
** Volume indicates how loudly or softly you are speaking.
** Pitch is how high or low the sounds of your voice are.
** Speaking rate is how fast or slow you are speaking.
** Voice quality is what makes people able to recognize your
voice alone.
Feedback
The signals that a receiver continuously gives to a sender
indicating how well the message is being received are known as
feedback. Feedback is extremely important for senders, since it
allows them to discover such matters as whether they are
speaking too fast, using words that are too complex, or even
whether they are offending or angering their receivers.
Feedback can consist of words, nonverbal symbols, or both.
Feedback makes it possible for speakers to judge how well they
are communicating. For example, in a face-to-face conversation,
interviews, and small group discussion, a good balance of verbal
and nonverbal feedback is possible.

Talking on the phone consists of verbal feedback. In public

speaking, the form of feedback is usually nonverbal. This is
because, if a large number of audience members begin
responding aloud, it would soon be impossible to hear the
speaker. Most audience speakers confine their feedback to
kinesic symbols--smiles, frowns, and nods of their heads. Some
paralanguage symbols such as yawning, occasional boos, or
hisses and clapping may also be used as feedback.

2. Why is recognizing common barriers to effective communication

important? Identify one common barrier from each of the
following three barrier zones.
-Barriers by surrounding environment
-Barrier between the people
-Barrier made by words
Ans:

Recognising the most common barriers to effective communications

can help people to prevent them from occurring. These barriers can
take place at any stage during the
communication process.
(a) Barriers by surrounding environment
- Distraction Sending and receiving messages may be difficult in
some environments
because so many other things are competing for attention: noise,
bright colours, sudden
movements, e.g. ringing of the telephone, people rushing in and out of
the office, etc.
Solution : Create an effective environment that enhances
communication; cut down on
noise and other distractions.
- Space and distance The distance between the sender and receiver
affects their
communication. It affects our ability to transmit and receive messages.
For example, a
telephone conversation is less direct and immediate than a face-toface conversation.
Solution: Arrange the physical space effectively; always choose the
most direct
communicating tool possible.
- Physical appearance The appearance of a document or person has
a strong impact on a
reader or listener. For example, a poorly typed and mis-spelled report
creates a bad
impression on the reader. Solution: Make sure the written
communications are error-free
as well as neat and easy to read.

Barriers between people

- Anger, depression, excitement or other emotions can interfere with
the communication
process. For example, after quarrelling with someone, the two parties
may feel angry and
upset. Solutions:

- Try to understand your reader/audience.

- Encourage feedback.
- Consider carefully the best channel through which to send a
message.

Barriers made by words

- Words are imprecise and may have many meanings when said in
different ways and tones.
- This is most evident when the people communicating are from
different geographic areas.
For example, an American talking to an Australian; both speak English
but may have
different meanings for the same word.
- Problems can also become more pronounced when people deal with
non-native speakers.
- More difficulties happen when people try to communicate in a foreign
language.
- Disorganised messages can also confuse a reader or a listener.
- Too much information overloads a listener or reader.
Solutions:
- Consider carefully the best channel through which to send a
message.
- Choose the words carefully and precisely.
- Organise thoughts and highlight the most important material in the
message.
- Focus on a topic.
- Encourage feedback.
- Improve communication through constant evaluation

3. As you prepare a business presentation for your companys

executive management committee, how will you know whether
you need visual aids? What kinds of visual aids can be used?
Ans:
Visual aids help your presentation make things happen. Visual aids help you reach
your objectives by providing emphasis to whatever is being said. Clear pictures
multiply the audience's level of understanding of the material presented, and they
should be used to reinforce your message, clarify points, and create excitement.
Visual aids involve your audience and require a change from one activity to another:
from hearing to seeing. When you use visual aids, their use tends to encourage
gestures and movement on your part. This extra movement reinforces the control
that you, the speaker, need over the presentation. The use of visual aids, then, are
mutually beneficial to the audience and you.
Visual aids add impact and interest to a presentation. They enable you to appeal to
more than one sense at the same time, thereby increasing the audience's
understanding and retention level. With pictures, the concepts or ideas you present
are no longer simply words - but words plus images. The chart below cites the
effectiveness of visual aids on audience retention.
Types of Visual Aids
Overhead projector slides/transparencies
Overhead projector slides/transparencies are displayed on the overhead projector
(OHP) - a very useful tool found in most lecture and seminar rooms. The OHP

projects and enlarges your slides onto a screen or wall without requiring the lights to
be dimmed. You can produce your slides in three ways:

pre-prepared slides : these can be words or images either hand written/drawn

or produced on a computer;
spontaneously produced slides: these can be written as you speak to illustrate

your points or to record comments from the audience;

a mixture of each: try adding to pre-prepared slides when making your
presentation to show movement, highlight change or signal detailed
interrelationships.

Make sure that the text on your slides is large enough to be read from the back of
the room. A useful rule of thumb is to use 18 point text if you are producing slides
with text on a computer. This should also help reduce the amount of information on
each slide. Avoid giving your audience too much text or overly complicated diagrams
to read as this limits their ability to listen. Try to avoid lists of abstract words as
these can be misleading or uninformative.
White or black board
White or black boards can be very useful to help explain the sequence of ideas or
routines, particularly in the sciences. Use them to clarify your title or to record your
key points as you introduce your presentation (this will give you a fixed list to help
you recap as you go along). Rather than expecting the audience to follow your
spoken description of an experiment or process, write each stage on the board,
including any complex terminology or precise references to help your audience take
accurate notes.
Paper handouts
Handouts are incredibly useful. Use a handout if your information is too detailed to fit
on a slide or if you want your audience to have a full record of your findings.
Consider the merits of passing round your handouts at the beginning, middle and
end of a presentation. Given too early and they may prove a distraction. Given too
late and your audience may have taken too many unnecessary notes. Given out in
the middle and your audience will inevitably read rather than listen. One powerful
way of avoiding these pitfalls is to give out incomplete handouts at key stages during
your presentation. You can then highlight the missing details vocally, encouraging
your audience to fill in the gaps.
Flip chart
A flip chart is a large pad of paper on a stand. It is a very useful and flexible way of
recording information during your presentation - you can even use pre-prepared
sheets for key points. Record information as you go along, keeping one main idea to

each sheet. Flip back through the pad to help you recap your main points. Use the
turning of a page to show progression from point to point. Remember to make your
writing clear and readable and your diagrams as simple as possible.
Video (DVD or VHS)
Video gives you a chance to show stimulating visual information. Use video to bring
movement, pictures and sound into your presentation. Always make sure that the
clip is directly relevant to your content. Tell your audience what to look for. Avoid
showing any more film than you need.
Artefacts or props
Sometimes it can be very useful to use artefacts or props when making a
presentation (think of the safety routine on an aeroplane when the steward shows
you how to use the safety equipment). If you bring an artefact with you, make sure
that the object can be seen and be prepared to pass it round a small group or move
to different areas of a large room to help your audience view it in detail. Remember
that this will take time and that when an audience is immersed in looking at an
object, they will find it hard to listen to your talk. Conceal large props until you need
them; they might distract your audience's attention.

4. How important is body language while appearing for an

interview? Elaborate giving suitable examples.
Ans:
Indeed, body language experts would agree that actions speak louder than words. In
an interview situation, this is an important factor to bear in mind. You may be saying
all the right things, but your body language may be saying something different.
For example, you might be telling the employer that you are keen and sharp, but if
you are lying back in your chair with your arms crossed, you will come across as lazy
and dismissive and thats the impression that the employer will be left with.
Whether you are going for IT jobs, marketing jobs or legal jobs, you need to take
care of your body language in interviews. Try the following tips.
DO

Shake hands with the employer on arriving and leaving. Make your shake
firm, and look your employer in the eye and smile as you do so.

Smile gently and look directly at the employer when they are speaking to you.
Nod your head to indicate that you are listening if they speak for a while.

Establish a decent amount of personal space between you and the employer.
When they ask you to sit down, sit a couple of seats away rather than right
next to them.

DONT

Cross your legs or your arms. Many people read these as defensive gestures.

Rub your head, neck or nose. You might appear disinterested or distracted.

Slouch in your chair. Sit upright to appear alert and engaged.

5. Write short note on any three of the following.

a) Abbreviations( Give examples)
An abbreviation (from Latin brevis, meaning short) is a shortened form of a
word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of
letters taken from the word or phrase. For example, the
word abbreviation can itself be represented by the
abbreviation abbr., abbrv. or abbrev

Example

Doctor

Short
form

Category

Contraction

Dr

Professor

Abbreviation

Prof.

The Reverend

Abbreviation

Rev.

The Reverend

Contraction

Revd

The Right
Honourable

Contraction and
Abbreviation

Rt Hon.

b) Synonyms & Antonyms(Give examples)

Synonyms are words with the same or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms
are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy.
The word comes fromAncient Greek syn () ("with") and onoma () ("name").
An example of synonyms are the words begin and commence. Likewise, if we talk
about a long time or an extended time, longand extended become synonyms. In the
figurative sense, two words are often said to be synonymous if they have the same
connotation:
"a widespread impression that... Hollywood was synonymous with immorality"
(Doris Kearns Goodwin)
Synonyms can be any part of speech (such
as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs or prepositions), as long as both words are
the same part of speech. Here are more examples of English synonyms:

verb

"buy" and "purchase"

adjective

"big" and "large"

adverb

"quickly" and "speedily"

preposition

"on" and "upon"

The term antonym (and the related antonymy) is commonly taken to be synonymous
with opposite, but antonym also has other more restricted meanings. Graded (or
gradable) antonyms are word pairs whose meanings are opposite and which lie on a
continuous spectrum (hot, cold). Complementary antonyms are word pairs whose
meanings are opposite but whose meanings do not lie on a continuous spectrum
(push, pull). Relational antonyms are word pairs where opposite makes sense only in
the context of the relationship between the two meanings (teacher, pupil). These
more restricted meanings may not apply in all scholarly contexts, with Lyons (1968,
1977) defining antonym to mean gradable antonyms, and Crystal (2003) warns that
antonymy and antonym should be regarded with care.

c) Non Verbal communication( Give examples)

Nonverbal communication is usually understood as the process
of communication through sending and receiving wordless (mostly visual) cues
between people.

Messages can be communicated through gestures and touch, by body language or

posture, by facial expression and eye contact, which are all considered types of
nonverbal communication. Speech contains nonverbal elements known
as paralanguage, including voice quality, rate, pitch, volume, and speaking style, as
well prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation, and stress. Likewise, written texts
have nonverbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words, or
the physical layout of a page. However, much of the study of nonverbal
communication has focused on face-to-face interaction, where it can be classified
into three principal areas: environmental conditions where communication takes
place, physical characteristics of the communicators, and behaviors of
communicators during interaction.

There are many different types of posture, including slouching, towering, legs
spread, jaw thrust, shoulders forward, and arm crossing. Posture or a person's bodily
stance communicates a variety of messages. Posture can be used to determine a
participant's degree of attention or involvement, the difference in status between
communicators, and the level of fondness a person has for the other communicator,
depending on body "openness".[4] Studies investigating the impact of posture on
interpersonal relationships suggest that mirror-image congruent postures, where one
person's left side is parallel to the other person's right side, leads to favorable

perception of communicators and positive speech; a person who displays a forward

lean or decreases a backward lean also signifies positive sentiment during
communication

(Business Communication)
Assignment B
Answer all questions.

Marks 10

1. Draft a circular for the office staff mentioning the changes in

timings of the office?
Ans
Dear Collegues
This is to inform you that our office timings has been changedwith effect from
11.8.2008.
The timings are:
9.00a.m to 6.00p.m
Lunch Break:1.00p.m to 1.30p.m
Expecting all your joining hands to keep our punctuality in office timings.

2. Design the promotional material for a management event. It

should include brochures, invites and programs.

Program Details: See what we do and be a part of it

Date:15 Aug 2012
Location: Online
Charges 1500 rs

3. You are the office manager for Smart System, Inc, a startup IT
firm in Udyog Vihar Gurgaon. Recently you bought 10 modems
from Precision Supplies, a computer hardware supplier located in
New Delhi (L2 Block Connaught Palace New Delhi). After two
weeks of installation of modems, you found that two of the
modems are not functioning properly. Since you have paid the
full amount against the purchase of modems you are entitled to
enjoy two years of warrantee including free replacement for any
product within one month.
You called their customer service department to ask for
replacement last Friday that replacement would be delivered on
following Monday. It is now Friday and you havent heard
anything from the supplier company. You need the two modems
immediately as your company is working on a major project and
dead line is approaching fast. This is the first time you have
ordered from Precision Suppliers and may be last.
Write a letter of complaint to demand for immediate replacement
or full refund.
Ans:
Smart System
Udyog Vihar
Gurgaon
304566
12.12.2012
To,
Manager
Precision Supplies

[Department: Customer Services]

[L2 Block Connaught Palace New Delhi]

Dear Customer Care Manager,

We bought 10 modems from Precision Supplies. After two weeks of
installation of modems, we found that two of the modems are not
functioning properly. Since you have paid the full amount against the
purchase of modems we are entitled to enjoy two years of warrantee
including free replacement for any product within one month.
We called your customer service department to ask for replacement
last Friday that replacement would be delivered on following Monday.
It is now Friday and we havent heard anything from your company.
We need the two modems immediately as company is working on a
major project and dead line is approaching fast. This is the first time
we have ordered from Precision Suppliers and may be last.
We demand for immediate replacement or full refund.
I look forward to hearing from you and to a resolution of this problem.
I will wait for 1 week before seeking help from lawyer. Please contact
me at the above address
Yours sincerely

XYS

1. Read the case study given below and answer the questions given
at the end

Case Study
Charisma Corporation
Charisma Corporation (CC) has recently embarked on a new kind of
training. The corporation is teaching many of its employees,
especially those in the marketing and sales to make decisions on
the basis of non verbal communication cues. For Malini Varma, VP
of CC, focusing on non verbal communications has become an
important part of her inter personal dealings. Several years ago,
Varma became interested in how body movements and mannerism
truly reflect what an individual is saying. Continuously reading in
this area of study, Varma has been able to take decisions about
potential employees and potential customers by reading them.
Varma believes that body language can give a person competitive
advantage. It can make difference while closing a deal or, as in CCs
case, while hiring employees. For example, during interviews, Malini
pays constant attention to the candidates eye movements and
mannerism. She believes that she can correctly predict if the
candidate will be aggressive sales person while simultaneously
being personable and friendly. How does she do it? She does this by
looking at their eyes and the way they present themselves. In one
case hiring decision came down to two people. The first person was

animated and made constant eye contact. The second candidate

never looked in the eyes of Malini. , leaned back in his/her chair,
and crossed both his legs and arms. The first candidate
demonstrated the communication skills that Varma thought aligned
with successful performance in her organization.
Malini Varma is convinced that communication skills play
a significant role in helping her organization achieve its annual sales
goals. Personally, she has found that it has helped her quality
customers. For instance even when a potential customer says, yes
with his/her arms and legs crossed emphatically, it means, No!
Understanding this, Varma is in a better position to probe further
into the possible objections the customer has. She has found that,
in many cases, she is able to steer the conversation in a direction
that ultimately leads to successfully closing a sale. And that is a
major competitive advantage.

Questions
1. What problems Varma encounter by her heavy reliance on non
verbal communication?
Ans:
Following are the problem Varma may face by her heavy reliance
on non-verbal communication are:
1) Difficult to You can not have long conversation.
2) Cannot discuss the particulars of your message/Actions
3) Difficult to understand and requires a lot of repetitions.
4) Can not be used as a public tool for communication.
6) Less influential and can not be used everywhere.
7) Not everybody prefers to communicate through non-verbal
communication.
8) Can not create an impression upon people/listeners.

2. What communication guidance would you give to Varma and

individuals like her who place an inordinately high value on body
language? Explain your position.

Ans:
I would give the following guidance to Varma and individuals like her:
1. monitor your nonverbal communication

2. Be tentative interpreting others nonverbal communication

3. Self-awareness

being aware of the ways in which you communicate, and

realizing different people have different ways of using nonverbal
comm.
1. monitor behavior, take note of your posture,
movements, and objects
2. ask friends for feedback
3. videotape yourself in a conversation or speech

4. Expand your repertoire of nonverbal activities

5. by expanding your own vocabulary for sending messages, you will expand
your ability to decode the messages of others
6. Remember that good communication focuses on the receiver of the message
7. You can send appropriate signals to amplify or intensify your verbal messages

(Business Communication)
Assignment C
Answer all questions.

Marks 10

Tick mark () the most appropriate answer

1. Example of external Communication-a) Letter from supplier

b) Meeting of employees in purchase department
c) Conversation between a manager and his assistant
d) Telephone call from area manager to branch manager
2. A manager would give message about social events to
employees using-a) Fax
b) Report

c) Agenda
d) Notice

3. Which size of business is most likely to use informal

communication more regularly-a) Large
b) Medium
c) International
d) Small

4. Which of these are record of a meeting?

a) Agenda
b) Minutes
c) Plans
d) Presentation
5. What type of meeting is AGM?
a) Annual General Meeting
b) Asking Group Meeting
c) Altogether Group Meeting
d) Answering General Meeting

6. Which of these is a disadvantage of e-mail as a form of

Business Communication?
a) Lack of possible details
b) Limited number of recipients
c) Speed
d) Difficult for receiver to determine the tone

7. What do the letters ENC or ENCs at the end of a business

letter mean?
a) Enclosure
b) Encircle

c) Encore
d) Encase

8. A cover letter is-a) Courteous and helpful

b) Unnecessary
c) Considered to be in poor taste
d) Always mailed separately

9. Inquiry letters are letters that-a) Ask for more information

b) Ask for credit
c) Try to reactivate the business
d) Ask for adjustments
10. Which of the following is NOT a component in the
Communication Model?
a) Sender
b) Messenger
c) Encoding
d) Receiver

11.
1.
2.
3.
4.

What kind of information should be included in a resume?

Work experience
Education
Affiliation & Membership
Letter of recommendation
a) All except 1
b) All except 2
c) All except 3
d) All except 4

12. What are the common barriers that impede

communication?
1. Barriers with people
2. Barriers with words
3. Barriers made by cultural differences
4. Barriers made distance
a) All of above
b) All except 2
c) All except 3
d) All except 4
13. Which of the following information should be included in
minutes?
1. Date & venue of the meeting
2. Decisions made at the meeting
3. Comments from members
4. Action to be taken by the members
a) All of above
b) All except 2
c) All except 3
d) All except 4

14. When preparing to write for business purposes , the 4 Ps

include
1. Personal
2. Position
3. Polite
4. Professional
a) All except 1
b) All except 2
c) All except 3
d) All except 4

15. Which of the following is NOT a problem when calling for a

meeting?
a) Personal Agenda
b) Team spirit

c) Interpersonal conflicts
d) Cultural differences

16.
What type of software would a writer uses to produce a
slide show for a meeting?
a) Database application
b) Presentation application
c) Spreadsheet application
d) Personal information application

17. Which of the following is not a component in

Communication model?
1. Sender
2. Messanger
3. Encoding
4. Receiver
a) All of the above
b) All except 1
c) All except 2
d) All except 3
18. Which of the following is NOT a problem when calling for a
meeting?
a) Personal Agenda
b) Team Spirit
c) Interpersonal Conflicts
d) Cultural Differences

19. Which of the following is not an external business written

communication?
a) Complaint Letter
b) Curriculum Vitae
c) Memo
d) Enquires letter

20.
1.
2.
3.

Effective communication can only be achieved when

The audience is understood
Feedback is encouraged
Thoughts are organized
a) All of the above
b) All except 1
c) All except 2
d) All except 3

21. Although spell checks are useful for identifying misspelled

words, it cannot distinguish-a) Words that are spelled correctly but used
incorrectly
b) Troublesome words that are misspelled
c) Homonyms that are misspelled
d) Synonyms that are misspelled

22. What should be avoided when engaging in business

correspondences?
1. Choppy sentences
2. Passive sentences
3. Bias free language
4. Cliches
a) All except 1
b) All except 2
c) All except 3
d) All except 4
23. I invited a friend to come to a street market by my house
where they served some real good Japanese food. My friends
mom wanted to pay for her daughters meal, but I insisted on
paying for both for meals myself, her mom finally said, OK, as
long as we go Dutch next time. What does it means?
a) I pay for your meal

b) You take me with you

c) You let me drive you there
d) We divide the costs

24. I went to a real nice restaurant yesterday. The food wasnt

costly and helping were generous. I asked for a doggy bag
as I couldnt eat the entire food.
a) Package to pack leftover food
b) Dog bowl that you can give the left over to your dog
c) A special order where you get smaller meals
d) Special order where you get larger meals

25. Fabian was a doormat. No wonder his class mates were

always giving him a hard time.
a) Snob
b) Geek
c) Coward
d) Chubby boy
26. When superior provides directions to his subordinates, it is
known as---------------- communication.
a) Upward
b) Downward
c) Horizontal
d) Lateral

27.

If a person taps his feet, it is an indication of-a) Impatience

b) Anger
c) Frustration
d) Confidence

28.

Active listening can be demonstrated verbally through-a) Clarifications

b) Questions
c) Feedback/Suggestions
d) All of the above

29. Paying more attention to the way speaker is dressed, is an

example of focusing on-------rather than -----------.
a) Deliver, Content
b) Content, Delivery
c) Looks, Message
d) None of above

30.

The most valuable ideas come from-------- communication.

a) Upward
b) Downward
c) Horizontal
d) none

31.

Kinesics means-a) Personal space and distance

b) Body language
c) Physical environment
d) None of the above

32.

Eye contact conveys-a) Intensity and interest

b) Nervousness
c) Interest
d) Anger

33.

Barriers to listening-a) Psychological Barriers

b) Physical Barriers
c) Attitudinal Barriers
d) All of above

34. Some common mistakes made with regard to English

Language usage are-a) Redundancies
b) Clichs
c) Frequent use of similar sounding words
d) All of above
35.

Power Point slides should not be-a) Cluttered

b) Colorful
c) Decorative
d) None of above

36.

Meetings are effective when-----------are not made

a) Inputs
b) Decisions
c) Communication
d) None of above

37. The common purpose of notices and circulars is

to-----------rather than--------------.
a) Persuade, Inform
b) Inform, Persuade
c) None of above
d) Both of above

38. Effective communication with shareholders means

being--------with them.

a) Open
b) Transparent
c) Truthful
d) All of above
39.

A---------is an opening statement in a bad news letter.

a) Idea
b) Subject
c) Buffer
d) None of above

40. Audience analysis helps to determine the-------and------of

the report.
a) Tone & Complexity
b) Language &ideas
c) None
d) Both