Effective Business Communication Course

Designed by Raquel M. Garcia-Rebutar, OPIMUM ACHIEVEMENT CONSULTING

Course Rationale:
English communication skills always top the list of the major competencies and skills expected
of all employees from all levels of all organizations that put high premium on excellent people
interaction and task accomplishment. These skills are so inseparably connected to their
effectiveness and efficiency in performing their duties and functions and in attaining their work
objectives. Employees who demonstrate ability to communicate using the universal business
language --- English --- always have an edge over those who do not.

This course is designed to aid the participants in improving their English communication skills to
increase the accuracy of their communications, enhance their company image, and enhance their
individual capability to contribute to their organization. It focuses on useful, practical, easy-to-
remember tips and techniques covering the essential aspects of communication, which they can
begin to apply immediately even in the activities included in the course. It utilizes the practice-
feedback-practice cycle which helps them to be aware of their current English communication
competency levels, identify their specific weak areas, and recognize various options for their
continuous improvement.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
During the training program, the participants are expected to:
1. Review the essential elements and mechanics of effective English communication and apply
these in drills and exercises for skill development in the following areas:
- grammar ability - reading comprehension
- correct sound production - effective sentence construction
- vocabulary precision - clear, systematic organization of ideas
- listening comprehension
2. Discuss relevant concepts, principles, tips and techniques of effective communication and
relate these to specific real-life applications to improve the quality of their personal and
organizational work life and relationships.
3. Evaluate their previous communications in light of the tips and techniques discussed and
identify areas for improvement.
4. Draw up a simple yet workable improvement plan.

COURSE METHODOLOGY:
Highly interactive oral and written drills and exercises are interspersed in the course to help the
trainees assimilate the target knowledge and skills. Pre- and post-course activities are designed to
maximize opportunities for learning. Participants get immediate feedback on their competency
levels in specific areas (through results of written or oral tests, feedback from consultant or peer,
or class evaluation). Specific and general recommendations for individual improvement are
given. Some oral exercises are videotaped and played back for the participants to have
immediate and objective feedback of their individual competency levels in specific areas.

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COURSE FOCUS:

Module 1: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IS A PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

A. My Power to Communicate is My Power To Succeed!
B. Universal Principles of Effective Communication
C. Taking Stock Of What I've Got (and Haven't Got)
D. Application Exercise: What potential areas in communication do I need to improve in?

Module 2: ESSENTIALS OF EFFECTIVE ENGLISH COMMUNICATION

A. Review of Grammar Basics
B. Developing Speech Clarity
C. Appropriate Word Choice
D. Effective Sentence Construction
E. Developing and Organizing Ideas
F. Listening and Reading Comprehension
G. The Power Of Creative and Positive Language
H. Application Exercise: How do I eliminate the gap between my current and desired competency levels?

Module 3: COMMUNICATING THROUGH WRITING

A. Effective Writing Basics
 Overcoming The Writer’s Block
 Achieving Precision in Writing
 Seven C’s of Effective Writing
B. Composing Effective Written Communications
 Write By Design
 Organizing The Message
 Document Preparation (Letters, Memos, Reports, etc)
C. Application Exercise: How do I make my written communications more efficient?

Module 4: COMMUNICATING ON THE TELEPHONE

A. Basic Telephone Techniques
B. Projecting Excellence On The Phone
C. Application Exercise: How will I apply effective telephone techniques to increase my value to my
company?

Module 5: COMMUNICATING IN PERSON

A. Becoming A Good Conversationalist
B. Presenting Before An Audience
C. Effective Listening
D. Communicating To Solve Problems and Address Issues
E. How Do I Increase My Value In Meetings?
F. Application Exercise: How do I enhance my daily communications to improve my relationships at work?

Module 6: READING AS A FORM OF COMMUNICATION

A. The Role of Reading in Communication
B. Honing My Reading Comprehension Skills
C. Application Exercise: How will I improve my reading efficiency so I can contribute more positively to my
company?

My Personal Objective/s for Taking the Course

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 EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IS A PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
Module 1
 The success of a communicator is directly proportional to the amount of effort he puts into
developing and improving his skills in communicating.
 The qualities of communication are improved as the qualities of the communicator are
improved.
 The effective communicator recognizes that communication is a skill (better yet, a set of
skills) and as such requires constant deliberate, systematic, and consistent practice of the
right principles.
 The effective communicator does not leave his development to chance, instead, he
continually seeks to enhance his skills and increase his competence through wise and regular
use of the major avenues of learning: experience, training, and research.
 The effective communicator wisely invests effort, time, and other resources to develop or
increase his overall communication competence.
 The effective communicator effects change within himself first in order to effect any change
in his environment. The effective communicator understands that any improvement in the
quality of communication of which he is a part, requires corresponding development in the
more basic areas of his interior self --- his attitudes, his thought patterns, his knowledge, his
skills.

What This Means To Me: _______________________________________________________

My Power To Communicate Is My Power To Succeed

 One’s communication skills and abilities largely shape one’s

success in many areas of life: work and career, family, and
social relations…
 People give high premium on communication skills and abilities and make judgments of
one’s capabilities based on how one expresses his self.
 The communicator who is able to more clearly express his ideas, opinions, feelings,
expectations, etc. is more likely to get his desired audience response.

 All the good ideas unexpressed and unheard are really of not much value (much like winking
at a girl in the dark, only you know it!).
 The effective communicator leverages on the communication situation as a means towards
self-fulfillment (his, and the others’). He prepares and delivers his message with a clear
purpose and objective in mind, and is careful that everything he says and does points to the
successful attainment of this purpose or objective.

NOTE: Ability to talk is not necessarily ability to communicate.

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 Universals of Effective Communication
Communication simply defined is effecting the condition: Message Sent is Received and
Understood as Intended. It is what we do to give and get understanding.

Effective communication

To achieve communication, one must note the essential elements that make up the
communication process as well as the universal principles that govern effectiveness related to
each. Making improvements in any of these components results in increased overall
effectiveness of the communication effort.

Feedback

Environment
Or Situation
S Message R
Channel

As you review these effective communication principles in relation to each element, consider
their implications and applications to you and your work.

Elements of Some Basic Guidelines To Keep In Mind

Communication
 The speaker is the message.
 People will more likely believe the message if they believe the messenger.
 Actions speak louder than words.
Sender  A good communicator is first and foremost a good person.
 The effective communicator invests effort, time, and other resources to
continually increase his/her competence
 Communication is a cooperative effort.
Receiver  The receiver co-shares in the responsibility of making communication work.
 Shorter messages get better attention, reception, and recall.
 Messages are strengthened by effective use of varied strategies and devices.
 The more intense (vivid, enthusiastic, positive, and personalized) the
Message message, the better its reception.
 The more often a message is repeated, the greater likelihood it is
remembered.
 There possibly are messages sent and received other than the intended
message.
 A clear channel greatly increases communication success.
 The responsibility to remove communication barriers present is a joint
Channel responsibility of both the sender and the receiver.
 The type of communication channel used needs to be appropriate to the
message being conveyed.
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 Elements of Some Basic Guidelines To Keep In Mind
Communication
 Feedback is two-way.
 Feedback takes various forms.
Feedback  Both sender and receiver must learn how to effectively give and receive
feedback.
 The best feedback stimulates change for the better.
 The environment (physical, social, emotional, psychological, cultural…)
Environment affects the communication process.
 The communication situation or environment determines in part the
meaning of a message.

Taking Stock Of What I’ve Got (And Haven’t Got)

Your responsibility to improve the quality of your communication starts
with knowing the areas that you need to make adjustments in order to raise
your communication competency levels. Following are simple diagnostic Exercise 1:
exercises that will help you objectively identify your specific strengths and
areas for improvement in communication.

Exercise 1: TEST YOUR GRAMMATICAL ABILITY

1. How does one go about (effecting, affecting) a reconciliation between husband and wife?
2. Why do you come always here to make such (continuous, continual) demands on my time?
3. With high taxes, some can't see the sense (in, of) trying to make an honest peso any more.
4. What (kind of, kind of a ) fool do you think he is?
5. The murderer will be (hung, hanged) at dawn.
6. (Mother-in-laws, Mothers-in-law) are probably the most unpopular of all relatives.
7. Sheila told an (incredulous, incredible) story of her experiences during her trip to Hongkong.
8. Take two (spoonsful, spoonfuls, spoons full) of sugar and put it in the mixture.
9. Are you trying to (imply, infer) that Lina is flirting with Minnie's husband?
10. (Its, It's) the first million that is hardest to earn.
11. No one but (she, her) could possibly like such a man.
12. I've spoken to everyone except (he, him).
13. Between you, (I, me), and the lamppost, she's making a fool of you.
14. Is this book for Helen and (I, me)?
15. Why did you (rob, steal) that money?
16. (Those, That) data (are, is) inconclusive.
17. Rey has a little (stationery, stationary) store on Makati Avenue.
18. Vitamins are thought to be an excellent (preventative, preventive) of disease.
19. Bea is a most naive and (ingenious, ingenuous) person.
20. Do you really think that Jules speaks just like (I, me)?
21. The cost of new houses (is, are) dropping every day.
22. There (was, were) a man and a woman waiting for you.
23. One of his cousins (comes, come) from Cebu.
24. The solon, with his staff, (draw, draws) a whacking salary from the treasury.
25. Your appearance as well as your personality (speak, speaks) against you.
26. (Has, Have) either of your friends come in yet?
27. Boatload after boatload of refugees (was, were) stopped.
28. Neither of your answers (is, are) correct.
29. Allan, unlike his rich relatives, (has, have) to live economically.
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30. A captain and a lieutenant (is, are) coming to see you tonight.
31. The manager or his assistant (is, are) always in the store.
32. Neither your money nor your influence (is, are) of any use to you now.
33. Dr. Blanco or one of our other podiatrists (is, are) coming up to see you tomorrow.
34. He's very (childish, childlike); if he doesn't get his own way he sulks.
35. I think one or two of the men (is, are) here already.
36. Mayette and (I, me) would like to pay you a visit tonight.
37. Can you visit Stella and (I, me) some evening?
38. I'm (uninterested, disinterested) in hearing about your personal troubles.
39. A number of cases (was, were) settled out of court.
40. Please (lie, lay) down.
41. (Lie, Lay) the baby in the crib.
42. His genius (lay, laid) dormant all during his marriage.
43. You've (laid, lain) the rug on the floor of the wrong room.
44. If she had (laid, lain) quiet, she would not have been hurt.
45. He (lay, laid) his hand on my shoulder and spoke in a confidential tone.
46. If you would (lay, lie) down for a while, you might feel better.
47. When you (lie, lay) in a new store of canned goods, let me know.
48. He was (lying, laying) down for a nap when the phone rang.
49. Three-quarters of the rent (is, are) due when you sign the lease.
50. A majority of the members (has, have) promised to vote for you.
51. It was (she, her) I was referring to, not you.
52. George, together with his whole family, (is, are) coming up the steps.
53. Was it (she, her) who lost her husband?
54. (Who, Whom) are you looking at?
55. I want to speak to (whoever, whomever) answers the phone.
56. His brother, (who, whom) I met in Istanbul, is much richer than you think.
57. (Who, Whom) would you rather be, if you weren't you?
58. He has finally found a teacher (who, whom) he believes can handle that class.
59. (Who, Whom) do you want to see?
60. Your brother is shorter than (I, me).
61. I'm just as good as (he, him).
62. Neither he nor I (am, is, are) your friend.
63. We have (swam, swum) for over an hour.
64. Have you (drank, drunk) all your milk?
65. Young children are generally (sensuous, sensual) in their approach to life.
66. He talks as if he (was, were) my keeper.
67. I'm not thinking of her lack of beauty; it's just that I wish she (was, were) richer.
68. If your husband (was, were) more considerate, he wouldn't talk that way to you.
69. If the doctor (was, were) in all morning, why didn't he phone me?
70. What would you like for (dessert, desert)?
71. Why do you continue to (prosecute, persecute) me so?
72. I'm not very hungry; (besides, beside) I don't like fish.
73. She's one of those women who never (say, says) die.
74. She doesn't live here (no, any) more. RATE YOUR GRAMMAR PROFICIENCY
75. That (ain't, isn't) the way to act. 96.100 EXCELLENT
76. We (have, haven't) hardly any money left. 86-95 ABOVE AVERAGE
77. I'm going (irregardless, regardless). 75-85 AVERAGE
78. (This, This here) book doesn't help me any. 65.74 BELOW AVERAGE
64 & Below POOR
79. Have you got a (better, more better) one?
80. Did you get an (invitation, invite) to her party?
81. I thought you (was, were) a gentleman in every sense of the word.
82. If I (hadn't, haven’t) seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it.
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83. He (don't doesn't) act the way he should.
84. I'm going to give you some (council, counsel).
85. It is I who (am, is) the only friend you've got.
86. The most striking thing about Eden is her (luxurious, luxuriant) black hair.
87. Let (he, him) who is without sin cast the first stone.
88. Some economists are (prophesying, prophecying) a continuing period of prosperity.
89. What we need (is, are) bigger salaries for the working classes.
90. Two thousand dollars (is, are) too much for that car.
91. (Who, Whom) did you believe him to be?
92. The memoranda (is, are) on your desk.
93. Flor, like her sisters and parents, (has, have) fair complexion.
94. Each of the thirty men (was, were) given two sacks of rice.
95. Why does exercising have such a tremendous (effect, affect) on you?
96. All you need (is, are) more diskettes for your files.
97. You should (have, had) come on time if you wanted to see him.
98. His (widow, widower) took over his enterprise.
99. I wish you would (let, leave) me alone.
100. The Manila Hotel is one of the (principle, principal) hotels in town.

RATE YOUR VOCABULARY PRECISION:

Exercise 2: DO WORDS CONFUSE YOU? 25.30 EXCELLENT
Define and differentiate the paired words. 20.24 ABOVE AVERAGE
16.19 AVERAGE
11.15 BELOW AVERAGE
1. BIMONTHLY
10 or Less POOR
SEMIMONTHLY

2. ADAPT 9. PRACTICAL
ADOPT PRACTICABLE

3. DISINTERESTED 10. FLAMMABLE

UNINTERESTED INFLAMMABLE

4. CONTINUOUS 11. CHILDISH

CONTINUAL CHILDLIKE

5. DEFINITE 12. EXCEPTIONAL

DEFINITIVE EXCEPITONABLE

6. PERSECUTE 13. PERPETUATE

PROSECUTE PERPETRATE

7. WAIVER 14. ADVERSE

WAVER AVERSE

8. DISCRETE 15. INTERMENT

DISCREET INTERNMENT

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 Exercise 3: GENERIC VERSUS SPECIFIC WORDS
For each column, IN ONE MINUTE write down as
many specific words that you can use instead of the
generic words on top.
RATE YOUR VOCABULARY FLUENCY:
15 + EXCELLENT
11-14 ABOVE AVERAGE
7.10 AVERAGE
4.6 BELOW AVERAGE
3 or Less POOR

TELL/SAY NICE/GOOD BAD ASK

whisper fantastic awful plead

confide awesome foul beg
murmur
explain
criticize
declare
inform
aver
suggest
order
insinuate

Stretch Exercise: Write another four generic words that you tend to overuse, then write at least
four more specific words that you can begin using instead of them.

1. 2 3. 4.

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 RATE YOUR PRONUNCIATION:
EXCELLENT 0-3 Misses
ABOVE AVERAGE 4-7 Misses
AVERAGE 8-12 Misses
Exercise 4: WATCH YOUR PRONUNCIATION BELOW AVERAGE 12-19 Misses
POOR 20 + Misses

Say these words aloud. Distinguish between /ê/, /ĭ/, and /ē/ sounds.
fell fill feel tell till teal
red rid read speck spick speak
Ben been bean bed bid bead
etch itch each wretch rich reach
ten tin teen bet bit beat
pet pit peat fell fill feel

1. He begs for a pair that fits his feet.
2. The scene makes me sin.
3. Tim is the captain of the team.
4. Peel it and peat it then put it in the pit.
5. Feel him before giving him a pill.
6. She feels ill when she sees an eel.
7. Remember to take a pick to the peak.
8. Peter picked a pack of pickled pepper.
9. Simon met a man selling meat wearing
a red mitt.
10. Tell the tiller not to steal the steel.
11. They race to reach the rich mine.
12. The chip makes it cheap.
13. We loaded the sheep on the ship.
14. You may sit on the high seat.
15. The shoes don’t fit his big feet.
16. The bins are full of beans.
17. It sticks on the steel beam.
18. The rich ruler reached out his hand to
the wretched man.
19. Quick! The queen needs ten pins.
20. The preacher tills the field.

Say these words aloud. Distinguish between /ae/, /ô/, and /ŭ/ sounds.
hat hot hut cad cod cud
cap cop cup pat pot putt
back bock buck cat cot cut
rat rot rut lack lock luck
mad mod mud sack sock suck

1. Tom swam in the hot dam.
2. The mad cop is wearing a black top.
3. Put some patties in the hot pot.
4. Donna danced in her duster.
5. The master asked for some mud and
mustard-colored moss to put in his pot.
6. The odd man put some broth in his mug
and tossed his salad with a hammer.
7. Betty bought a bit of butter to put in her
bitter batter.
8. The bat he bought was used to beat the
robber caught stealing rubber.
9. The odd chapel is not bad looking
11. They locked up the quack doctor for luck.
12. It shocked the fat snob who lacked tact.
13. The mad cop is wearing a black top hat.
14. They trapped the champ with a tricky hand.
15. Bob wants a prompt answer.
16. It dropped like a bomb on his lap.
17. This man is fond of crackers and sandwiches
for lunch.
18. Dad bought a large bottle of jam for his tarts
and some butter for his crackers.
19. They planned to attack the mob if they get
near their farm.
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 after all. 20. In a manor sat a canner who wanted to travel
10. Her finger got stuck in the bottle of jam. abroad.

Exercise 5: PHONETIC DISTINCTION

1. abrupt a raft 11. a rose arouse

2. abominable a bomb and a ball 12. coast coax
3. ride writhe 13. costume custom
4. abuse of use 14. devote devout
5. filling feeling 15. disburse this purse
6. found it pound it 16. incision in session
7. assert a shirt 17. mastered mustered
8. astounding outstanding 18. intense intends
9. aviation a vision 19. candor candle
10. cushion caution 20. naval navel

Naturally say these lines to a friend. Find out if your friend can clearly distinguish which you are
actually saying.
1. Take cover. 6. It's a close issue.
Take over. It's a closed issue.

2. Glenn C. Kerr 7. The town's empty.

Glen Seeker The tummy's empty.

3. The swingers 8. Someone's tilling a piece of land.

The swing years Someone's stealing a piece of land.

4. Have you butchered it? 9. He hires four men.

Have you vouchered it? He hires foremen.

5. They moved unhappily. 10. The sun's rays meet.

They moved on happily. The sons raise meat.

For Heightened Self-Improvement: Are you aware of your mispronunciations (do you say /kô-rek/
instead of /kô -rekt/ for correct), tarnished sounds (do you hear yourself saying /măn/ or /mën/
instead of /mæn/, substitutions (do you pronounce /p/ as /f/ or change v’s to b’s) ? Note down some
of the words you constantly mispronounce. Check with the dictionary for their phonetic
transcriptions. Practice saying them correctly several times until you feel you have mastered them.

Try saying these commonly mispronounced words:

Amidst Strength Certificate
Fact Bathe Village
Deceased Radiator Garage
Philippines Innovative Attacked
Inject Antennae Both
Pronunciation Almonds Bought
Incorrect Chocolate Throat
Prized Succinct Through
Relaxed Beverage Whole
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 RATE YOUR ACCENT:
EXCELLENT 0 - 3 Misses
ABOVE AVERAGE 4 - 9 Misses
AVERAGE 10-15 Misses
Exercise 6: CHECK YOUR ACCENT BELOW AVERAGE 16-20 Misses
POOR 21+ Misses

covet Chinese solon accuracy baptism crochet

intolerable alleviate beret talented Paris typhoon
vacate distribute sardine abyss January interpret
comfortable illegible reasonable professor outclassed menu
associate argue lamentable comparable irrevocable rhetoric
semester lunatic cashier dessert develop menace
intestine orator accessory abbreviate utensil characteristic
accommodate dispensary accomplice preferable condolence cemetery
cartoon bamboo enamel deluge thirteen maintenance
caricature cocoa inevitable innovative intolerable embryo
ballet cravat testimony lapel understood legislative
pedestal appropriate baptism establish candidacy efficacy
development hotel circumstance eligible enviable spiritual
contribute Bishopric February honorable distinguish inseparable
ceremony category admirable temperament caricature consequences

Say these sentences naturally.

1. Cocoa sometimes causes allergy.
2. He tried to monopolize the sale of the imported pomade.
3. The expiration dates on the sardine labels produced last semester are illegible.
4. Is it reasonable to allow a lunatic to roam around and be a menace?
5. Maintenance of a classy restaurant requires a lot of money.
6. The couturier ordered the appropriate accessory for her lapel.
7. The Chinese enamel finish is very appropriate for decorative ceramic items.
8. The utensils used in that hotel are made of enamel.
9. The memory of our brave ancestors remained untarnished
10. The amiable student was given an honorable dismissal.
11. Please vacate the place for the ceremony in January.
12. After the baptism, the group celebrated at a restaurant a kilometer away from the church.
13. The intestinal flu victims were accommodated in the dispensary.
14. He contributed cans of sardines to be distributed to the typhoon victims.
15. The restaurateur asked the kitchen staff to concoct a dessert.
16. Walt Disney was famous for his caricatures and cartoons.
17. Exigency demands cutting the capillary.
18. The senior cashier developed a new accounting system to alleviate their balancing problems.
19. Your penmanship is illegible.
20. Certain circumstances prevented him from arguing with the orator.
21. The allegory symbolizes the saying, "bad temperament brings bad results."
22. He characterized his dream girl as a woman on a pedestal.
23. The professor wishes to accommodate his associate this semester.
11
24. Use a bamboo cane to alleviate the patient.
25. The accuracy of his report is questionable.

Exercise 7: CHECK YOUR LISTENING ABILITY

Your facilitator is going to read aloud a short article, then you will answer ten
questions taken from the article. Write your answers on the spaces below.

RATE YOUR LISTENING ABILITY:

8-10 EXCELLENT (Level 1)
5-7 ABOVE AVERAGE (Levels1 & 2 )
3-4 AVERAGE (Levels 2 & 3)
2 & Less MUST IMPROVE
1. _______ 6. _______
2. _______ 7. _______
3. _______ 8. _______
4. _______ 9. _______
5. _______ 10. _______

Level 1 Listening - Active Listening: At this level, people refrain from evaluating the speaker’s
words and place themselves in the other’s position – attempting to see things from the other’s
point of view. Some characteristics of this level include: getting the whole message, taking in
main ideas and at the same time picking up important details, paying full attention to both
content and intent of the communication, acknowledging and responding, not letting oneself be
distracted, paying attention to the speaker’s total communication (including body language), not
only attentive to the words being spoken but empathetic to the speaker’s feelings and thoughts,
suspending one’s own thoughts and feelings to give attention solely to listening.

Level 2 Listening - Hearing Sounds And Words But Not Really Listening: At this level,
people stay at the surface of communication, and do not listen to the deeper meaning of what is
being said. They are trying to hear what the speaker is saying, but they aren’t making an effort to
understand the speaker’s intent. They tend to be more logical listeners who are more concerned
about content than feeling; they remain emotionally detached from the conversation, listening
but not participating in the interaction. This level of listening can be dangerous because
misunderstandings may occur since the listener is only slightly concentrating on what is said.

Level 3 Listening - Listening In Spurts: Tuning in and tuning out; being aware of the presence
of others, but mainly paying attention to one’s self. - Half Listening: Following the discussion
only long enough to get a chance to talk. - Quiet, Passive Listening: Listening but not
responding. Little effort is made to listen; Actually, hearing is going on but very little listening
occurs. Often a person at this level is faking attention while thinking about unrelated matters, is
busy preparing what s/he wants to say next but displays blank stares, and is more interested in
talking than in listening.

Most of us listen at all three levels during the course of a day. Think for a moment about your
own day.
1. How often do you listen at level 1?
a. When?
b. With whom?
2. What is your characteristic listening approach?
a. A combination of the three levels?
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 b. Emphasis on one in particular? Which one?
3. What can you start doing now to improve your listening ability?

Exercise 8: CHECK YOUR READING EFFICIENCY

This diagnostic exercise will help you answer three important questions
regarding your reading efficiency: (1) How fast do I now read? (2) How much
do I comprehend? and (3) How much word power do I now have? This exercise
aims to help you have the answers to all three.

Exercise A: Check Your Current Reading Speed. You will read the
following selection and record the time it took you to finish reading it.

Start: _________ End: _________ READING TIME: __________

Reading Power - Key to Personal Growth

Power! Could you get through a single normal day without using some? Take electrical power.
Without it, your TV and radio would be soundless. And you might as well not own an electric
refrigerator, toaster, mixer, or stove, not to mention a telephone or doorbell. And that dependable
car of your, minus a storage battery, is dead - utterly and completely. We’re indeed heavily
dependent on power, whether it be electric, gasoline, water, or nuclear.
Most people, however, overlook the most important power of all - reading power. Through
reading we get knowledge; and according to Bacon, “Knowledge itself is power.” Voltaire
agreed. He said, “Books rule the world.” Engineers, for example, must rely on knowledge to
plan, build, and maintain all varieties of power systems. But here’s the important question. What
can reading power do for you personally, now and for the rest of your life?

Reading Power = Learning Power

First, reading power generates learning power. As Carlyle said: “All that mankind has done,
thought, gained or been: it is lying as in magic preservation in the pages of books.” Reading
provides the key.
Reading will help you know yourself better. You’ll know your potential better - your strengths
and weaknesses, including those in the area of reading. A recent comprehensive survey of 418
institutions of higher education was most revealing. From 64 to 95 percent of the students had
trouble with their reading. That means that when you take steps to improve your reading, you
soon gain a distinct advantage over those who don’t.
Reading will also help you know others better. Back in 1926, Tunney challenged Dempsey,
world heavyweight champion, to a match. Tunney, an avid reader, read everything he could
about his formidable opponent. He discovered that Dempsey’s fists were once clocked at 135
miles an hour. To minimize Dempsey’s hammerlike blows, Tunney practiced running
backwards. Soon he ran as lightly and surely backwards as forwards. And it paid off. Tunney
won. He became the new world champion. Knowing others helps you win friends and influence
people as well as win championships - extremely valuable knowledge.
Finally, reading helps you understand past, present, and future more clearly. “Cultures which
sees no further than themselves bear the seeds of their own destruction.” Similarly, individuals
13
who see no further than themselves bear the seeds of their own difficulties. The past provides
perspective for both present and future. “Future shock” is not nearly so traumatic or unsettling.
In those three areas - knowing self, others, and the broad sweep of time - reading power brings
you added learning power. You can understand and cope more effectively with the sum total of
life.

Reading Power = Earning Power

Your reading power activates a second power of crucial importance - your earning power. The
move from learning power to earning power is easy to understand. An individual with know-how
is obviously worth more than one without know-how. Suppose you have car trouble. You’ll
certainly want a technician who has read the various detailed instructional manuals. He should be
able to solve your car problems quickly and efficiently.
Reading power helps in two ways. It helps you get a better job. And it helps you succeed better
on the job.
William Anderson, Navy submarine officer, was called in for an interview with Rickover,
Admiral of the Navy, about a special hush-hush assignment. During the interview, Rickover
said,” Anderson, name the books and their authors that you have read in the last two years.”
Anderson was struck completely dumb by this unexpected question. He couldn’t remember a
single title. Finally he stammered out the name of one book that came to mind, but he couldn’t
remember the author. Rickover frowned, then said with finality, “Good-bye.”
When Anderson got home, he told his wife about the interview. He added, “I don’t know what
job he had in mind, but I do know I will never get it.” Later, he wandered into his library. He
then began jotting down titles of the books he remembered reading. Just so Rickover wouldn’t
think him too easy-going and not sufficiently concerned with personal growth through reading,
Anderson mailed him the list of twenty-four books.
Apparently Rickover had all but rejected him. But when he received his reading list, Rickover
“changed his mind,” Anderson says. So, Anderson got the position - commander of the world’s
first nuclear -powered submarine.
Reading contributes equally well to improved on-the-job performance. You’ll find pertinent
manuals, texts, and articles to help with any job. Technical information pours out at a rate of 60
million pages a year. Obviously, it takes a good reader to keep abreast of developments and
make himself genuinely indispensable.

Reading Power = Yearning Power

Getting or keeping a job may not be as important as making your own job. That takes some not-
so-impossible dreaming - some yearning, so to speak. That’s still another benefit from reading.
Reading serves well as a catalyst for creativity.
Reading can actually make you a billionaire. You’ll see how. Just read on. You’ll discover
exactly where to find millions in gold and silver that you have a legal right to. The figures are
from Rachel Carson’s book The Sea Around Us. In every cubic mile of sea water you’ll find
about $93,000,000 in gold and $8,500,000 in silver. There it waits. Of course, you’ll have to do
some more reading to develop sufficient know-how to get it. But you can be certain that one of
these days, some purposeful reader will work out the necessary details. He’ll make himself a
fortune. It’s like buried treasure. It’s awaiting for the right person to move from yearning to
earning. In short, don’t overlook the role reading power can play in your life from now on. In
school, use it to achieve heightened scholastic success. Afterwards, use it to bring on-the-job

14
success. In fact, probably everything you do can be done somewhat better by some appropriate
reading. So, make reading power your key to learning, earning, and yearning power. Make it
your key to personal growth and achievement.

COMPREHENSION CHECK for Reading Power ---Key to Personal Growth

Exercise B: Check Your Comprehension. Answer the following questions without looking
back at the selection. This will help you know how much you comprehend with one reading.

1. What kind of power is not specifically mentioned? (a) earning power, (b) atomic power,
(c) electrical power, (d) nuclear power.

2. Specific mention is made of whom? (a) Hitler, (b) Bacon, (c) Churchill, (d) Shakespeare.

3. The survey mentioned is of (a) junior colleges, (b) private colleges, (c) secondary schools,
(d) institutions of higher learning.

4. What did Tunney practice? (a) running backwards, (b) ducking, (c) side-stepping,
(d) making lightning jabs.

5. Dempsey’s fists were clocked at (a) 60 mph, (b) 85 mph, (c) 100 mph, (d) 135 mph.

6. “Cultures which sees no further than themselves bear the seeds of their own...” what? (a)
death, (b) dominance, (c) destruction, (d) stability.

7. Rickover is spoken of as (a) a Navy Captain, (b) Admiral of the Navy,

(c) Secretary of War, (d) a General.

8. Anderson (a) was demoted, (b) got a tentative appointment only, (c) did not get the job,
(d) got the job.

9. Technical information pours out at a rate of how many million pages a year? (a) 20,
(b) 40, (c) 60, (d) 80.

10 A single cubic mile of sea water contains about how much money in gold? (a)
. S120,000,000, (b) S93,000,000, (c) S28,000,000, (d) S8,500,000.

10 Off For Each Mistake

Comprehension Score ............

15
Exercise C: Check Your Reading Vocabulary. This exercise helps you know how much word
power you have --- an important key to effective reading.

Words in Isolation Vocabulary Test. The following test measures what might be called a basic
knowledge of words. You have nothing to help you arrive at meaning but the word itself. Take
the test without help from your dictionary. See how many of these words you know right now,
without further study.
1. pomp (a) splendor, (b) great haste, (c) playfulness, (d) make-believe,
(e) celebration
2. foil (a) mock, (b) attack, (c) fool, (d) balk, (e) strike
3. knack (a) bite, (b) notch, (c) talent, (d) wish, (e) interest
4. diversion (a) variation, (b) amusement, (c) activity, (d) complaint, (e) division
5. scrutiny (a) precision, (b) close examination, (c) scorn, (d) hesitation,
(e) untidiness
6. apex (a) cone, (b) pyramid, (c) geometric form, (d) summit, (e) graph
7. parry (a) return, (b) retreat, (c) carve, (d) spend, (e) turn side
8. aromatic (a) fragrant, (b) medicinal, (c) soothing, (d) light, (e) proud
9. scope (a) influence, (b) shape, (c) extent, (d) round bowl, (e) flight
10. morose (a) suspicious, (b) crafty, (c) sad, (d) ill-humored, (e) righteous
11. lassitude (a) discouragement, (b) energy, (c) weakness, (d) looseness, (e) strictness
12. segregate (a) transplant. (b) conceal, (c) combine, (d) greet, (e) separate
13. caption (a) heading, (b) beginning, (c) cover, (d) officer, (e) summary
14. malice (a) cunning, (b) hatred, (c) ill fortune, (d) weariness, (e) strength
15. concoct (a) prepare by combining, (b) eat up, (c) boast, (d) satisfy, (e) credit
16. prevaricate (a) precede, (b) purchase, (c) visit, (d) prepare, (e) lie
17. tether (a) groom, (b) harness, (c) treat, (d) fasten, (e) alternate
18. enhance (a) enrich, (b) display, (c) heighten, (d) supplement, (e) hasten
19. chide (a) flatter, (b) cheer, (c) scold, (d) complain, (e) season
20. conjecture (a) solution, (b) riddle, (c) kind of candy, (d) eating place, (e) guess
21. inveigle (a) bride, (b) hint, (c) entice, (d) force, (e) confuse
22. timorous (a) adventurous, (b) youthful, (c) fearful, (d) quiet, (e) wise
23. imminent (a) close at hand, (b) well-known, (c) educated, (d) jutting out, (e) helpless
24. verbose (a) proud, (b) hateful, (c) truthful, (d) strange, (e) wordy
25. candor (a) enthusiasm, (b)haste, (c) frankness, (d) shrewdness, (e) cunning

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 4 Off For Each Mistake
Vocabulary Test Score ..............

Exercise 9: CHECK YOUR BASIC PRESENTATION SKILLS This assessment sheet

identifies the three Vs of effective presentations – Visual, Vocal, Verbal Controls. Check your
Competency Level (CL) in each of these skills, and see where you’re at in relation to your
overall presentation skills. It is good to identify your specific areas for improvement, for drawing
up an efficient and focused self-enhancement program. Use this rating scale:
1 – Excellent (demonstrates the skill about 95 – 100% of the time
2 – Above Average (demonstrates the skill about 80 – 95% of the time
3 – Average (demonstrates the skill about 70 – 80% of the time
VISUAL CL 4 –VOCAL
Below Average (demonstrates
CL the skill aboutVERBAL
60 – 70% of the time CL
5 – Poor (demonstrates the skill in less than 60% of the time
Personality Projection Overall Voice Quality Handling of Subject
- confident, poised - clear voice - appropriate to speaker,
- neat & clean appearance - no quivers listener
- dress appropriate to situation - no tarnished sound - appropriate to occasion

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Facial Expressions
- generally pleasant
- match worded message
- enthusiastic
Eye Contact
- establishes audience rapport
- spans whole audience
Gestures
- meaningful, purposeful
- varied and appropriate
- well-timed
- no distracting mannerisms
Posture
- adapted to audience,
occasion
- generally relaxed but straight
- weight balanced on both feet
Other Body Movements
- purposeful, meaningful
- natural
- not distracting
Visual Aids
- 5 + 2 lines/slide;
5 + 2 words/line
- clearly visible to all
- aids audience understanding
- linked/blended well to talk
- three-four colors maximum
Volume
- intelligible
- heard by all in the audience
- good range, varied
Pitch
- optimum pitch
- good range, varied
- not shrill or irritating
Tone Color
- matches worded message
- enhances audience
interest
- “alive”, not dead pan
Force and Intensity
- appropriate emphasis
- enhances meaning
- maintains audience interest
- shows enthusiasm
Phrasing and Pausing
- optimum speech rate
- meaningful pauses
- no aspirative pauses
- aids understanding
Pronunciation
- correct pronunciation and
accent; clear crisp sounds
- no tarnished sounds
- no regional accent
Word Choice
- efficient, concise
- action-packed
- vivid, image-building
- positive
Sentences &
Paragraphs
- coherent, well-linked
- good grammar
Development of Ideas
- clear premise/central idea
- topic well defined & limited
- ideas logically connected
- no digressions from
premise
- fluid, easy to follow
Introduction
- catches attention,
interesting
- flows smoothly into body
Body/Discussion
- 3-4 interrelated main ideas
- adequate supporting ideas
- appropriate support
materials (e.g. examples,
illustrations, visuals…)
Conclusion
- good recap/summary
- stimulates audience
reaction or response
- appropriate challenge

ESSENTIALS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Module 2

Communication is a set of skills, and skills are learned and acquired through consistent practice
over time. Anyone interested in improving his communication skills must conscientiously
attempt to put in application the principles and mechanics of effective communication.

Review Of Grammar Basics

Grammar is an important aspect of language, the medium we use to
communicate our thoughts and feelings with others. One will do well to aim
for accuracy and correctness of his sentences and paragraphs, whether in
speaking or writing, because grammar does influence the meaning of his
intended message. Following are several grammar review drills. As you go
over them, learn the specific grammar rules and principles that govern the
specific areas such as: subject-verb agreement, cases of pronouns; correct
18
usage of prepositions, proper choice of modifiers, etc.
Exercise 1: Subject-Verb Agreement. Indicate the form in the parentheses which would be
preferred. Justify your answer by writing the grammar rule that applies.
_____1. All hope of finding the victims alive (has, have) been abandoned.
_____2. One of the girls (is, are ) going.
_____3. Neither of my uncles (has, have) any children.
_____4. There ( is, are) two mistakes in your work.
_____5. There (is, are) an apple and an orange for each child.
_____6. Five hundred pesos (is, are) more than I can afford.
_____7. Either Mary or Jean (was, were) here.
_____8. Neither Roy nor his dad (has, have) seen it.
_____9. Both the man and the woman (is, are) coming.
_____10. Here (come, comes) the Thompsons.
_____11. The gangster, with all his henchmen, (is, are) arrested for theft.
_____12. The father, no less than the children (is, are) to blame.
_____13. Lita and Dino, not Susy (is, are) responsible.
_____14. Everyone of the group (is, are) here.
_____15. Here (is, are) a piece of cake and a glass of milk.
_____16. (Is, Are) there two pictures like that?
_____17. Two hundred pounds (was, were) his best weight.
_____18. The engine, in addition to the body (was, were) damaged.
_____19. Bacon and eggs (is, are) the favorite breakfast.
_____20. It (is, are) the Thompsons.
_____21. There (is, are) a couple of people waiting outside.
_____22. Every boy and girl in the class (was, were) awarded a certificate.
_____23. (Has, Have) everyone got his own coat?
_____24. The team (was, were) cheered for their courage.
_____25. My blue pants (is, are) on the ironing board.
_____26. My wife and best friend (is, are) so good to me.
_____27. Either of the applicants (look, looks) qualified.
_____28. Half of the group (is, are) working on their papers.
_____29. Only Peter, among the staff (has, have) passed the qualifying examinations.
_____30. Along the corridor (was, were) posted several important announcements.
_____31. Who (is, are) that beautiful lady and her escort?
_____32. Every participant must complete his seminar report and (answer, answers) the
evaluation questions honestly.
_____33. This report is one of those that (is, are) to be made by all managers quarterly.
_____34. Of all the girls in the office, only Lea does (qualifies, qualify) for the position.
_____35. Which of these models (has, have) the best features?

RULES ON AGREEMENT OF VERBS

Rule 1. GOVERNING PRINCIPLE: A verb agrees with its subject in person and in number.
Examples: 1. The postman has brought the mail.
2. These letters are for you.
Rule 2. Nouns plural in form but singular in meaning require a singular verb.

19
Examples: 1. Seven dollars was the price of the hat
2. That news is certainly interesting
Rule 3. The pronoun you, whether singular or plural, requires the plural form are / were of the verb.
Examples: 1. John, were you intending to go?
2. You are who you think you are

Rule 4. Singular subjects connected by and usually require a plural verb.

Examples: 1. Fresh air and sunshine essential to good health
2. Bread and meat are wholesome foods.
Rule 5. Singular subjects connected by and which denote the same person or thing require a
singular verb.
Examples: 1. My stenographer and office assistant is courteous to everyone (one person)
2. My stenographer and my office assistant are courteous to everyone (two persons)
When the word my or any one of the other limiting words - our, your, their , a, an, or the - is repeated
before each part of a compound subject, this indicates that each part of the subject represents a different
person or thing ; therefore the verb should be plural.
Rule 6. Words ending in -ics may be either singular or plural. When the ics-word refers to one
thing, as a subject of study, it is singular. The following words are usually singular: civics,
dramatics, economics, ethics, mechanics, physics, politics. When the ics-word refers to separate
activities that compose the unit as a whole, it is plural.
Examples: 1. Athletics is required in our high school. (one subject)
2. Athletics are too important to eliminate from the course. (different athletic sports)
Rule 7. When the parts of a compound subject are modified by the words each, every, or many a, the
verb is singular.
Examples: 1. Each officer and member is expected to contribute.
2. Every home and business firm has been solicited.
3. Many a man and woman has volunteered to help.
Rule 8. Words joined to the subject of a sentence by such expressions as with, together with,
as well as, accompanied by, not, or including are considered parenthetical; therefore
they do not affect the number of the verb.
Examples: 1. Mr. Harris, as well as his son, is working in the factory.
2. The team, accompanied by the coach, is leaving at noon.
Rule 9. When the words both ----and---- join the parts of a compound subject, the verb should
be plural.
Examples: 1. Both the letter and the paper have been mailed.(singular subjects)
2. Both the stamps and the envelopes are on the desk. (plural subjects)
Rule 10. When the words or, nor, either-or, neither-nor, not-only-but also, join the parts of a
compound subject, the verb should be singular if the parts are singular; but it should be
plural if both parts of the subject are plural.
Examples: 1. Neither the rake nor the hoe was left in the garden.
2. Either the petunias or the snapdragons were planted there.
Rule 11. When the parts of a compound subject connected by the words or , nor, either---or,
neither---nor, not only---but also, differ in number, the verb agrees with the nearer
subject.
Examples: 1. Not only begonias but also the fern has been transplanted.
2. Neither the hail nor the grasshoppers have proved destructive.

Rule 12. When the parts of a compound subject differ in person, it is better rewrite the sentence.
Examples: 1. Either he or I am mistaken (correct but awkward)
2. Either he is mistaken or I am. (better)
Rule 13. The expression the number of requires a singular verb, the expression a number of
requires a plural verb.
Examples: 1. The number of students in our high school is two thousand.
2. A number of students are entering the university.
Rule 14. A collective noun is a word that even in the singular number denotes a collection of
persons or things; as, flock, herd, swan, army, navy, class, band.A collective noun
requires a singular verb when the group is thought of as a unit, but it requires a plural
verb when the individuals composing the group are thought of as acting separately.
20
Examples: 1. The crowd was silent.
2. The crowd were discussing the terrible tragedy.
Rule 15. The verb agrees with its subject-not with the predicate noun.
Example : The problem with Metro Manila these days is the multifarious crimes that abound in the city.
Rule 16. Fractions take a singular verb if the object of the of-phrase that follows is singular; and a
plural verb if the object of the of-phrase is plural.
Examples: 1. One sixth of the cake was eaten.
2. One half of the students were present yesterday.

Rule 17. When the compound subject is composed of an affirmative and a negative part, the verb
agrees with the affirmative part of the subject.
Examples: 1. The rotten apples, not the good one, have been thrown away.
2. Not Betty, but Susan and Lyn, do their work regularly.
Rule 18. There is/was precedes a singular noun.
There are/were precedes a plural noun.
Examples: 1. There were dancing, singing and other activities.
2. There was dancing all night yesterday.
Rule 19. Many is used with a plural verb, and much is used with a singular verb.
Examples: 1. Many say that Nursing is a difficult course.
2. Much remains to be done.

Rule 20. The verb ties with a relative pronoun used as a subject; the relative pronoun ties with
the number of its antecedent.
Examples: 1. He is one of the ten students who are suspended.
2. She is one of the most attractive girls who are also intelligent.
Rule 21. Singular pronouns tie with singular verbs: each, everybody, everyone, anyone, anybody,
someone, somebody, none, nobody, one, another, anything, either, neither, etc.

Exercise 2: Verb Tense. Analyze the use of the verb in each of the sentences and determine
which ones have to be corrected:
1. The sales managers have underwent intensive training in various skills since January this year.
2. Their basketball team has qualified for the semifinals before it lost to its major competitor.
3. She keeps on wishing that she is Princess Diana.
4. The suspect will lay low until his case becomes moot and academic.
5. Our office has been established in 1971.
6. Cory Aquino became the President of the country after the EDSA Revolution.
7. With evident determination, he said, "I will be the next Marketing Director."
8. By the end of this year, she will be an employee of this company for five years.
9. Think of me as if I am your brother.
10. He had been a regular seminar speaker for three years now.
11. Some employees are demanding that their new lady section chief resign from her post.
12. When the secretary arrived, she found that the sales meeting has began.
13. The boss wants to lay off casual workers who have been found idle last Monday morning.
14. Yesterday, the nets were cast by the fisherman before dawn.
15. The enemy battleship has been sank by the big torpedoes.
16. It is necessary that the subpoenaed witness appears in tomorrow's preliminary hearing.
17. She had drove along that wide California highway many times .
18. Last night, the old artist hanged his favorite painting inside the gallery.
19. The law clearly says that no voter will be allowed to vote twice any time.
20. I have submitted the report before the manager asked for it.

21
21. The committee have decided about the issue only after they have consulted with those concerned.
22. She said she likes to attend the meeting.
23. The professor explained that because the students didn’t submit the requirements on time,
they will have to do extra work.
24. When the children got home, they discovered some of their toys had been missing.
25. Her husband and she have been good friends before they decided to get married.

GENERAL GUIDELINES ON TENSES

SIMPLE PROGRESSIVE PERFECT

S – V+-s, -es S – is + V+ing S – has + past participle
P –V P, You – are + V+ing P – have + past participle
I, You – V I – am + V+ing I, You – have + past participle
P
1. present action, condition, being 1. present continuous action 1. an action that started in the past and
R
2. present customary or 2. used with signals like: now, at is still true, or has continued to the
E
habitual action this time, momentarily, this present
S
3. permanent condition semester, temporarily, etc. 2. action may have been finished in
E
4. general truth/fact the past, but the fact of it remains
N
5. future action 3. action started in the past and
T
6. present continuous action completed at the time of speaking
(esp. for animate subjects) 4. used with expressions such as yet,
already, for --- now, since, and just.
S V+-d or –ed or
S, I – was + V+ing S, I – had + past participle
P corresponding past
P, You – were + V+ing P, You – had + past participle
form of irregular verbs
P
1. past action, condition, being 1. past simultaneous actions 1. a past action that happened before
A
2. used with definite past time 2. may be used with another past another past action
S
expressions like: yesterday, last progressive or simple past verb 2. action completed at some definite
T
year, two days ago, etc. time in the past
3. past fact
4. past habitual action
S, I - will/shall + V S, I – will/shall be + V+ing S, I will/shall have + past
F P, You - will/shall + V P, You – will/shall + V+ing P, You participle
U
T 1. future action future continuous action a future action to happen before
U 2. used with future time signals another future action
R like: tomorrow, next year, two
E years from now, etc.

Exercise 3: Pronouns Choose the appropriate pronoun.

1. I spent as much time on the lesson as (he, him).
2. This shade of blue suits you better than ( I, me).
3. The supervisor works on easier jobs than ( I, me).
4. We don't keep our equipment as long as (they, them).
5. Myrna's appraisal report upsets her manager more than (she, her).
6. The other department didn't submit their report as early as (we, us).
7. With practice, you could do it as well as (he, him)
8. Why does the manager call on Harold more than ( I, me).
9. The policy affected the older employees more than (we, us).
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10. We have achieved our goals as much as (they, them).
11. The new marketing manager is more lenient than (she, her).
12. It takes longer for ( they, them) to come to the office.
13. Vangie doesn't report for work as early as (I, me).
14. The new company president doesn't seem to have as much patience as ( he, him).
15. Although we did the same work, Mr. Cruz paid him more than ( I, me ).
16. (We, Us ) men are organizing a new sports club.
17. It's not (she, her) who can help you.
18. It's (us , we ) voters who are to blame
19. This job will take (us, we) girls all afternoon to finish.
20. (We, Us) boys waited for an hour.
21. The manager warned (we, us) employees , but (we, us) fellows don't listen.
22. The group chose two representative --- Helen and (he, him).
23. The committee --- (he, him), Dale, and (me, I) met with the president.
24. In front seat were two girls --- Virginia and (her, she).
25. The food was supplied by two families --- (they ,them) and (us, we).
26. Everybody is busy with (their, his) office work right now.
27. Every one of the new employees submitted (their, his) report.
28. The secretary and the treasurer asked to have (their, her) office redecorated.
29. The secretary and treasurer was present in the meeting with (their, her) boss.
30. Anyone is welcomed provided (he, they) will make an appointment.
31. Miss Cruz is one of the employees who have volunteered (her, their ) services.
32. Everyone at the meeting expressed (their, his) approval of the new policy .
33. If the labor union would submit (its, their) reports, we could start the negotiations.
34. No one is considered employed unless (they, he) brings a valid health certificate.
35. (Who, Whom) shall I say called?
36. (Who, Whom) do I ask about this?
37. Can you tell me (who, whom) she's going with?
38. (Who, Whom) have you seen about this problem?
39. (Who, Whom) am I talking to?
40. I don't know (who, whom) I should invite.

GUIDELINES FOR PRONOUNS

Rule 1: After as and than: Finish the sentence to determine the correct pronoun. Whenever your
pronoun follows as or than, fill in the missing verb and you’ll have no doubt as to
which form to use. Examples:
- You’re not much taller than (I, me). You’re not much taller than I [am].
- You understand everyone better than (I, me). You understand everyone better than [you understand]
me.

Rule 2: After any preposition, use the objective form of the pronoun. Prepositions are short
words like between, except, but (meaning except), against, like (to show comparison),
of, to, with, without, etc. Note however, that than and as, though they look like
prepositions are actually conjunctions and should follow Rule 1 above.

23
Rule 3: After is, was, or any form of the verb to be. Use the nominative/subjective form of the
pronouns such as I, we, they, he, she , it.

Rule 4: The lone exception to Rule 3 is the expression, “It’s me -- which is acceptable and
natural in everyday speech.

Rule 5: When you have a double form to worry about (my sister and I/me, my wife and I/me,
we/us men, he/him and I/me, he/him and Margie, who/whom, whoever/whomever, etc),
find out how the pronouns are used in the clause where they belong. Examples:
1. We, men, are planning a party for you girls. (subject)
2. The three --- Dave, John, and he always seem to be together. (appositive of the subject)
3. Please visit the boys and me the next time you’re in the area. (object)
4. Do you wish the boys – Lito, Gerry, Tom, and me - to help you?
(appositive of the object)
5. I don’t appreciate your coming home late. (before a gerund)
6. The boss wants him to represent the company in the conference.
(precedes an infinitive)
7. He is the man who everybody thinks will be chosen for the position. (subject)
8. Do you know whom the boss will pick for the position? (object)
9. Whoever is chosen for the post will receive several benefits. (subject)
10. The company will pay for all the expenses of whomever the boss will choose.
(object)

CASES OF PRONOUNS

SUBJECTIVE/NOMINATIVE OBJECTIVE POSSESSIVE

Used as subject of the clause Used as object of the clause Indicates ownership
(comes before the verb) (follows a transitive verb) Used with gerunds
Follows a form of the verb to be Used with an infinitive
Used as appositive of the subject Used as appositive of the object

Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural

1st person I We 1st person Me Us 1st person My, mine Our/s
2nd person You You 2nd person You You 2nd person Your/s Your/s
3rd person S/He, It They 3rd person Her,Him, It Them 3rd person Her/s,His Its Their/s

Exercise 4: Modifiers
Choose the appropriate form of the modifier.
1. We (sure, surely) hope that you will recover soon.
2. What is it that smells so (sweet, sweetly) in this room?
3. Inside  a  subdivision,  one has  to  drive  (slower,  more slowly).
4. Everyone noticed that Martin sounded (angry, angrily).
5. Johnny's job is rather (steady, steadily) picking up and it pays (good, well).
6. Five words in your paragraph were spelled (incorrect, incorrectly).
7. Of the five applicants, I think Delia has the (best, better) record.
8. Sheila took a few lessons but she still danced (awkward, awkwardly).
9. The musicians played so (bad, badly) that we decided to leave the dance floor.
24
10. This story is less (funny, funnier) than the one we just read.

Provide the appropriate modifiers for the following sentences.

1. This desk is (heavy) than the chair.
2. Her work is (satisfactory) this week.
3. Her headache is (bad) this morning.
4. A sick man is (active, inferiority) than a healthy one.
5. This is the (short) I have ever read.

Check the sentence if it is correct; otherwise make the necessary correction.

1. Which river is longest, the Amazon or the Volga?
2. Jack is taller than any boy in the camp.
3. She can’t hardly finish the meal.
4. If you listen good, you can hear it.
5. Among the students, Bobby seems to be the more capable.
6. Their pitcher throws balls stronger than ours does.
7. Rick couldn’t barely control the horse.
8. The screen glows bright in the dark.
9. She learns things easy.
10. The new father looked proudly as his daughter received the award.

Revise each sentence so that the modifier unmistakably describes the right word.
1.  There is a telephone near the prescription counter  that is constantly in use.
2. I began to lose my desire to win high honors after a time.
3. The woman was arrested for speeding by a country policeman.
4. The teacher told me to look up the words I could not spell in the  dictionary.
5.  Down  the road, we saw a taxi guarded by a policeman  with  a flat tire.
6. While still minors, parents have control over their children.
7. Half an hour later, I heard the clock strike with amazement.
8. My aunt lived with a cousin whom she respected in a small apartment.
9.  There  are several themes in the folder which  are  poorly written.
10. My friend lives with a younger cousin whom she takes care of in a small apartment.

Exercise 5: Prepositions
Supply the appropriate prepositions for the following:
1. Ed did not return the call because he was not _____ good terms with the director’s daughter.
2. I’m sorry, the coach is presiding ____ the meeting to recall the suspensions he made earlier.
3. Please give us a list _____ your credit references so that we can look _____ your loan standing.
4. Did you submit the annual report ____ the office?
5. We have not been informed _____ the change of schedule.
6. The president discussed the proposal ____ the board members.
7. It is not always good to depend too much ____ our friends.
8. I’d like to know if the telephone systems have been installed ____ the office.
9. Every eye was set ____ the man in the arena.
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10. What things did you decide ____ during the meeting?
11. Our skillful driver will get us ____ this traffic jam.
12. Every morning, I see Martin ____ the golf course.
13. The management did not agree ____ the majority’s decision.
14. This call is ____ connection ____ the row of stalls that you bought from us.
15. Mr. Cruz is _____ conference right now. Is there anything I can do ____ you?
16. I have a client ____ me right now.
17. Can you come _____ my house immediately?
18. May I call you back as soon as I’m free _____ my commitment?
19. This is a two-party line. I’m afraid someone is listening ____ . Let’s hang _____ .
20. Are you related ____ the comptroller?
21. The boss was very disappointed _____ learning that 10 participants did not attend the lecture.
22. John doesn’t usually agree _____ his friends.
23. Let us congratulate Edgar _____ winning the competition.
24. If you do something wrong, someday you are going to pay _____ it.
25. Please inform him that he will load the truck _____ computers _____ 6:30.
26. The audience did not stir _____ their seats.
27. Julio Iglesias was formerly married _____ a prominent Filipina socialite.
28. We’ll have to brush _____ on our English before we fly _____ Chicago.
29. The survey conducted _____ the marketing firm resulted _____ success.
30. Don’t laugh _____ his misfortunes.

Complete the following sentences with the appropriate preposition.

1. Whom are you living _____?
2. What was the object you were looking _____?
3. Whom were you seated next ______?
4. What office do these ladies go _______?
5. Whom did you borrow that book ______?
6. Which chair would you like to sit ______?
7. I’m sorry, Mr. Cruz is not ______ his desk at the moment.
8. Did you see the stairs he fell ______?
9. What did she speak to the manager _____?
10. What were they thinking ______?

In, On, or At
1. I have lived _____ Sta. Mesa for the past three years.
2. His office is located _____ the corner of Juan Luna and Paredes Streets.
3. Many expatriates work ______ the Philippines.
4. ______ 2002, we shall have doubled our productivity efficiency rating.
5. The EXECOM meeting has been rescheduled _____ Monday.
6. We are expecting some deliveries of several equipment _____ May.
7. The salesmen were ______ the company car when they met an accident.
8. Some of the cargoes are coming in _____ April 26.
9. Make sure you get the items delivered _______ the precise time specified by the customers.
10. Our office is _____ Pasong Tamo.
11. The building ______ the left is Royal Match.
26
12. People in the Philippines seem to spend more money on food _____ New Year’s than ____
any other holiday.
13. The staff rode _____ the company bus.
14. Two clients are coming over _____ noon for a lunch appointment wit the boss.
15. The delivery team was not able to make it _____ time.
16. We get more orders _____ the second quarter than _____ any other time.
17. There are several one-room offices ______ the 7th floor of that building.
18. I saw some very fashionable clothes on display _____ Rustan’s Department Store.
19. They were married _____ Valentine’s.
20. Of late, the number of people who wed _____ the Christmas season seem to equal that
who wed _____ June.

SOME GUIDELINES FOR USING IN, ON, and AT

T I M E P L A C E S
Year (in 1999) Area/Region (in Luzon)
Month (in November) Province/City (in Aklan, in Manila)
IN Week (in the third week) District (in Roxas District, in District 2)
Season (in winter) Locality/Zone (in our place, in our barangay,
Any span of time (in the morning) in Sta. Mesa, in Greenhills)

Day (on Monday, on Valentine’s) Street (on EDSA, on Ayala Avenue)

ON
Date (on September 11, 2001) Floor (on the 4th Floor)

AT Specific Time (at noon, at 7:30 am) Specific Address (at #20 Manalili Street)

Exercise 6: Conjunctions
Conjunctions may be coordinating, subordinating, or transitional. Coordinating conjunctions
show equal rank or importance. Examples are: and, but, or, and nor. Subordinating conjunctions
create unequal rank or dependence. They join words, phrases, or clauses that depend on other
parts of the sentence to complete their meanings. Examples are after, although, as, if, that,
unless, until, when, while, provided, etc. Transitional conjunctions or words like also,
furthermore, as a result, however, in short, on the other hand, etc. which provide a transition
from one sentence to the next.

Use conjunctions appropriately. Remember what these words mean, and do not simply throw
into your sentences without regard for sense. Be aware too, that conjunctions can become
extremely tiresome if they are overused. Learn to use variety of means to show relationship
between your ideas. Using the appropriate conjunctions smoothens the flow of your ideas.

Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate conjunction/s.

27
1. The secretary is very efficient _________conscientious.
2. She does her job well ________she is well-liked by her boss
3. The meeting was postponed ______ they did not prepare their presentation material ahead of time.
4. The manager ____ the supervisor is to be blamed for the inefficiency of the staff.
5. Any man ____ woman who desires to succeed can, _____s/he works hard enough.
6. The ladies don’t like to sing, _____ they definitely don’t want to dance either.
7. He was poor, _____ he was hardworking; _____ he attained success.
8. He worked _______very late at nights to catch up with his lessons.
9. Lito _____ Dino wanted to do the job. Hey didn’t like the very idea, to begin with.
10. The ability to communicate, to some extent, may be a natural talent ___ gift, ____ anyone
can develop a degree of skill through training and practice.
11. A simple sentence is composed of one independent clause ____ a compound sentence is
composed of two or more independent clauses.
12. I will go home ____ the rain stops.
13. The boys decided not to go with the rest of the group ____ they had some work to finish yet.
14. We have not seen ____ heard from Mrs. Marquez since she went on vacation.
15. The new model is easier to operate ____ a little more expensive.

Identify the function of each conjunction according to the following:

Enumeration – in the first place, secondly, finally
Summary/Conclusion – to conclude/ to recapitulate
Explanatory/Illustration – for example/ to illustrate
Cause-and-Effect – thus/hence/therefore/since
Comparison/Contrast – similarly/however/although

1. nevertheless 6. regardless of 11. because 16. specifically 21. and

2. as a result 7. notwithstanding 12. in spite of 17. for instance 22. if
3. consequently 8. meanwhile 13. likewise 18. provided that 23. also
4. moreover 9. despite 14. but 19. conversely 24. so
5. on the contrary 10 in other words 15. besides 20. thereafter 25. or

Developing Speech Clarity

Clear speech results from a combination of several factors: appropriate voice projection; accurate
pronunciation and accentuation; proper phrasing, pausing and blending; in addition to correct
grammar; logical and systematic arrangement and development of ideas, etc.

For this exercise, you will choose an article (your facilitator will present several articles for
reading aloud) and you will read it aloud to the class, then get feedback from them about your
overall speech clarity. Check with them regarding your:

1 2 3 4 5
VOICE PROJECTION
Audible (heard by all)
Clear (absence of tarnished sounds)

28
Varied (interesting inflection)
Applies appropriate intensity
Applies appropriate tone color to show feelings
PRONUNCIATION
Clear & accurate sound production (f’s and v’s pronounced correctly)
Absence of regional accent
Absence of articulation flaws such as lisping
ACCENT & STRESS
Correct accent (accent on the right syllables)
Appropriate stress and emphasis (to heighten intended meaning)
PHRASING, PAUSING, & BLENDING
Applies proper phrasing
Appropriate pausing (pauses not too often nor too long)
Absence of ah’s and aspirative pauses
Voice glides smoothly over phrases

1 - Consistently demonstrates the skill about 95-100% of the time

2 - Consistently demonstrates the skill about 80-95% of the time
3 - Consistently demonstrates the skill about 70-80% of the time
4 - Consistently demonstrates the skill about 60-70% of the time
5 - Consistently demonstrates the skill about less than 60% of the time

What can you do to further improve your speech clarity?

29
 Developing Vocabulary Skills
The English language is said to have over 600,000 words. How many of
these do you have as part of your vocabulary? And how well can you
combine them into sentences to clearly express your intended meanings and
get you the response you desire? Research tells us that academic, social, and
professional advancement are directly linked to the scope and effectiveness
of one’s vocabulary.

Scientific research tells us that we actually think in words, and that the more words we know, the
more clearly and powerfully we think and likely to express ourselves. If therefore, you want to
be a more effective communicator, it pays to earnestly consider improving your vocabulary. Ever
word you add to your repertoire makes you a better reader, writer, speaker, and listener.
Following are some tips and techniques that may be helpful for increasing your vocabulary.
1. Read, read, read. Reading is a good avenue for learning new words.
2. Learn techniques for dealing effectively with new words:
- get meaning through context (how the word is used)
- get meaning through word parts (prefix, root, suffix)
- use the dictionary
3. Get on a systematic and disciplined program for learning new words.
4. Listen to good speakers and observe how they effectively use their vocabulary.
5. Consciously strive to substitute generic words with more specific ones whenever you
communicate.
6. Try fun vocabulary exercises and games (ex. Scrabble, Word Factory, Boggle…)

Following are examples of fun exercises that aim to

jog Chart:
1.Speed
foam your vocabulary.
_______________ 14. lock ________________ 27. thickness ____________
2.4.5put
Exercise A: STIMULATING ________________
minutes .….........SYNONYMS.
SLOW 15. speech __________ ___
Here 28. attorney _____________
are 40 words3.4most
big
to 4.4 _________________
.....................AVERAGE
commonly used in daily 16. maze _______________ 29. avalanche ___________
conversations.4. Think
3.5final ________________
to 3.9 ..................ABOVE
of a synonym for each, 17. absence _____________
AVERAGE 30. thievery _____________
2..5 to 3.4 .................SUPERIOR
5.Under
beginning with crippled
LA. Time
2.5
_____________
yourself.
mins..…... PHENOMENAL
18. lasso _______________ 31. slothful _____________
6. work _______________ 19. regret _______________ 32. enduring ____________
7. legal ________________ 20. dull _______________ 33. principle ____________
8. girl _________________ 21. cupboard ___________ 34. whip _______________
9. pond ________________ 22. boy ________________ 35. funny ______________
10. den ________________ 23. loose _______________ 36. extravagant __________
11. sluggish ____________ 24. spear _______________ 37. wash _______________
12. ticket ______________ 25. path ________________ 38. praise _______________
13. spoon ______________ 26. non-professional ______ 39. descend _____________
40. slim ________________

30
Exercise B: ANTONYMS: AROUND THE ALPHABET - AND BACK AGAIN. For each
word below, write another of essentially opposite meaning, which begins with the indicated letter.
Allow yourself ten minutes - not a second more. Par for the course is 30; expert rating is 40.
1. purposely a ____________________ 26. Indifferent z _________________
2. harmful b ____________________ 27. white of an egg y_________________
3. expensive c ____________________ 28. strong w_________________
4. wet d ____________________ 29. silent v_________________
5. calm e ____________________ 30. commonplace u__________________
6. to sink f ____________________ 31. practice t__________________
7. harsh g ____________________ 32. frivolous s__________________
8. low h ____________________ 33. conformist r__________________
9. genius i _____________________ 34. answer q__________________
10. solemn j _____________________ 35. intersection p__________________
11. to relinquish k _____________________ 36. young o__________________
12. careful l _____________________ 37. both n__________________
13. phobia m _____________________ 38. magnify m_________________
14. synthetic n _____________________ 39. infinite l__________________
15. transparent o _____________________ 40. dull k__________________
16. reward p _____________________ 41. safety j___________________
17. agreement q _____________________ 42. soiled i__________________
18. slow r _____________________ 43. sickness h__________________
19. land s _____________________ 44. disperse g__________________
20. permanent t _____________________ 45. mute f__________________
21. above u _____________________ 46. altruist e __________________
22. occupied v _____________________ 47. sure d__________________
23. ruddy w _____________________ 48. unusual c__________________
24. today y _____________________ 49. long b__________________
25. straight z _____________________ 50. enemy a__________________

Appropriate Word Usage

Try this exercise to get a feel of the efficiency that correct word choice puts into your
communication. Check if the following sentences are correct. If not, modify them without
changing the main thought of each sentence.
1. I had to wait awhile at the airport.
2. The program will begin at about 8:30 A M.
3. Our company should adopt its policies to the growing needs of the employees.
4. His adeptness of the procedure is really remarkable.
5. His report was averse to the interest of labor.
6. I will advise them that the contract is full of loopholes.
7. His sarcastic remarks could affect some trouble in his relationship with his staff.
8. The two suggested systems are both alike in many respects.
9. The computerized system is far more better than the manual one.
10. She expressed her anger at her supervisor for requiring her to work overtime.
11. I’m really anxious to hear about the upgraded compensation package.
12. She will send a report to appraise her manager of the progress of her project.
13. We expect to ship the balance of your order next week.
14. The issue you are raising now is really besides the point.
15. Both the management and the staff are equally eager to solve this problem.
31
16. I cannot but object to a company policy that does not respect diversity.
17. Can I have your permission to use the room for a 30-minute meeting this noon.
18. My boss complimented me for my accurate and well-organized report.
19. The manager’s directive is in compliance to the company policies.
20. Twenty chapters comprise the company HR manual.
21. After some deliberation, the group came to a consensus of opinion on the matter.
22. These data is incorrect and should be discarded.
23. My sales campaign differs with yours. I differ from you about how we should increase our sales.
24. We want to discuss the issues farther.
25. A spoonsful of sugar is enough to sweeten a big glass of milk.
26. The economic experts prophecy a slow recovery in the next two years.
27. I can’t hardly hear what you’re saying, please speak up.
28. The book is lying here where you laid it.
29. He treats her like she were ignorant.
30. We honor all comments irregardless of who wrote them.

Effective Sentence Construction

We communicate in complete thoughts or sentences. When we speak
or write, we want to communicate meaning as clearly and concisely
as possible. This fun exercise will help you to recognize enemies to
effective sentence construction and help you to avoid them.
Find the mistakes in the following sentences (You should be able to
spot between one and four errors in each ‘rule’!)
Rules for Writer’s
1. Always check your speling carefully.
2. Your a careful writer! Check to see if you any words out of a sentence.
3. Always punctuate, appropriately taking special care in the use of commas
4. Avoid tautology, that is, repetitive unnecessary and redundant words surplus to requirements.
5. Make sure that you had noun/verb agreement so that all tenses is correct.
6. When your writing, its vital to use apostrophes’ correctly.
7. There is a distinct risk that if you let your sentences ramble on through many sub-clauses and
parentheses (necessary, as these may be to qualify what you want to say) you may make your
readers forget — in their effort to grasp the drift of the sentence — what it was you began
your sentence by saying.
8. Never abbrev.
9. Basically, you should look to express yourself clearly, hopefully avoiding clichés and jargon,
as far as meaningful discourse.
10. Avoid mixed metaphors, so that your readers do not go off the rails and lose sight of the goal
posts while taking a leap in the dark into a Pandora’s box of red herrings.
11. If your brain comes up with an ambiguous sentence, get rid of it and replace it with a better
one.
12. Having eventually discovered how to put words together, the sentence should not have
hanging phrases.

32
 Developing and Organizing Ideas

Shaping The Message For a message to be truly meaningful and

clear to the intended recipient/s, it must first be clear and meaningful in
the mind of the sender. If the message is unclear to the sender, chances
are, s/he will have a difficult time relaying that message to anyone. The
first step in shaping one’s intended message is to ask one’s self the
question: "What's the big idea?"

The big idea is defined as what you want the audience (listeners or readers) to do, think, or feel
as a result of your communication. It will be well for you as the sender, to have some sort of a
picture or map of that big idea or message so you can check whether it is truly what you wish to
communicate to your audience. One simple but very effective way of shaping your message is
through mindmapping --- sort of creating a map of the message in your mind. Initially, you may
have to create this map on a piece of paper for you to have a visual representation of your
intended message. Having this visual representation can give you several benefits. You can use
it: 1) to check if you have included all the necessary key points; 2) to identify points that you
may need to discard or modify (develop some more or trim down); 3) to determine the best way
to sequence your key ideas; 4) to prompt or cue you in your message delivery

Try this exercise: Suppose you want to write a letter or memo. First, identify the topic of your
letter or memo. Enter the topic in the center. Then list up to three main ideas in the blanks that
surround the topic. Finally, enter up to three details for each main idea.

Supporting Detail 1

Supporting Detail 2 Supporting Detail 3

Main Idea 1

Topic

Main Idea 2 Main Idea 3

Supporting Detail 1 Supporting Detail 1

33
 Supporting Detail 2 Supporting Detail 2

Supporting Detail 3 Supporting Detail 3

Improving Listening Comprehension Lack of attention and poor listening

comprehension can be costly - leading to mistakes, poor service, misaligned goals, wasted time
and lack of teamwork. By listening in a way that demonstrates understanding and respect, we
cause rapport to develop, and that is the true foundation from which we can sell, manage or
influence others. Following are some keys to increasing your listening comprehension:
1. Give 100% attention. Suspend all other activities.
2. Get all the facts and important details. Do not focus only on what you want to hear.
3. Suspend judgment. Listen to others with a neutral, open mind. This allows you to really
concentrate and focus on what others are saying. Don’t allow your opinions, biases, feelings,
perceptions, assumptions… to prevent you from getting the whole message.
4. Listen to both content and intent. Listen carefully to what is being said but also learn to
listen “in between the lines.” Pay attention to the logical content of what people are saying as
well as be mindful of how they say it to discover their true feelings about the subject.
5. Use the speaking-thinking time differential to your advantage. People normally speak at
125-175 wpm but your mind can process what you hear at 800 to over 1000 wpm. Don’t
allow your mind to wander off, rather use the extra time to understand as much of the
message as you are hearing.
6. Clarify. Ask questions, rephrase, request the speaker to repeat are some ways you may
clarify the message.
7. Take notes. Taking down notes (mentally or on paper) will help you have a better picture of
the whole message and its significant parts.

Improving Reading Comprehension Just as important as improving our listening

comprehension is increasing our reading comprehension. We stand to get so many benefits from
improved reading comprehension.
Reading is a potent source of information. Information is power. It
helps us decide more objectively and intelligently. We need
information to solve problems more efficiently. Information keeps us
abreast of what’s happening around us and makes us more interesting
conversationalists. Our presentations are more informative and
persuasive when we support them with accurate and updated
information.
To improve your reading comprehension, follow these tips:
1. Give full attention to what you are reading. Concentrated reading always yields better
comprehension than not concentrated reading.
2. Get all the facts, including important details. Get the whole picture while identifying its
essential parts and understanding how they relate to the whole.
3. Go for faster-than-comfortable reading. This reduces regressions, forces dealing with
word groups (instead of word-for-word reading), and discourages vocalizations.
4. Enrich your vocabulary. The more words you know, the better you comprehend.
34
5. Learn and use different reading techniques. Using different techniques such as surveying
(getting a mountaintop view), skimming (getting the main idea and essential details), and
scanning (finding specific information ) will add to your understanding of the reading
material.
6. Have a systematic disciplined approach to improving your reading skills. Read daily for
15 minutes, targeting to increase your reading rate steadily. Practice different reading
techniques.

The Creative Power of Positive Speech

There is a great deal of evidence that our speech, much like our
thoughts, have either positive or negative values. Depending on their
valences our thoughts and words (and our actions) attract things
around us that are of equivalent values. A smile for example is likely
to attract another smile at the least, while a frown may draw a host of
negative reactions - from another frown to something worse.

Positive words always lift people up and negative words always pull people down. This is true
for not only the people to whom we direct our words but also to us who say them. Let us make a
conscious effort to avoid saying negative words. Instead, let us express our ideas, opinions,
feelings, observations, expectations in more positive statements.

Positive thoughts find expression in positive language or speech. And positive speech gives rise
to positive feelings. We can make our speech work for us (or against us). One useful technique
to feeling better and attracting success is repeatedly saying positive statements (also called
affirmations) to direct our thoughts and implant in our subconscious quality thoughts so we can
feel and perform better. Suppose you are feeling sick or having a headache. Begin repeating to
yourself, “My head feels wonderful,” or “My head is relaxed and at ease.” If you continue to
focus your thoughts on those positive words, soon you will really feel better. Saying
affirmations out loud helps keep your mind on track moving towards your desired state.

Someone said, “The vision in our word is the vision in our world.” This means that our world is
shaped by our words, and that our language to a large degree determines our successes or failures
at work, home or play. What implications does this have for you? What can you start doing now
about your “language” to improve your overall communication?

COMMUNICATING THROUGH WRITING

Module3:

Although individual readers may greatly vary in their purposes and

needs for details and supporting information that a writer includes in
his/her document, they all want and need to be able to answer several
questions quickly as they read the document. “What’s the main point of
this document? What’s the importance of this to me? What should I do
with the information presented here? What do I need in order to do it?”
are some of the questions the writer should be able to readily provide
all his/her readers. 35
Just as the reader has certain purposes and needs to satisfy, the writer has also. The challenge for
the writer is how to effectively and efficiently answer: “What is my point? What’s in it for my
reader/s? What do I need to do in order for my reader/s to see it? What do I want to accomplish
by it?” No matter what document s/he is preparing, the writer should be able to integrate the
readers’ uses and purposes for the material or information s/he is presenting with his/her own
purposes for writing it, if s/he is to be effective. There are concepts, principles, and guidelines
that s/he can apply to achieve this. The end result should always be to bring about effective
communication between the writer and the reader/s.

Follow A Writing Process It’s always good to follow a process when endeavoring to
do something. The same is true for writing. Everybody follows a writing process, though may
not be conscious of the steps it entails. Some writers who have trouble organizing their thoughts
struggle because they do not follow a consistent writing process or they skip steps within the
process.

The writing process is not necessarily sequential--a linear path from

invention to proofreading. Writers may generate a topic, collect
some information, organize their notes, go back and collect more
information, invent subtopics for their work, go back to organization,
etc. The writing process is recursive--it often requires going back
and forth between steps to create the strongest work possible.
Knowing these steps however, can be a great help to writers who
struggle with their work.

1. Invention coming up with your point or premise

2. Collection gathering data, ideas, and other materials to support your point
3. Organization mapping information in some structure
4. Drafting writing your preliminary document

reviewing your ideas, organization (introduction, body, and conclusion);

5. Revising paragraph structure
reviewing mechanics (spelling, punctuation, grammar); sentence
6. Proofreading structure; documentation style

Overcome The Writer’s Block

36
Getting started in writing is not easy. Many writers agree that overcoming
the writer’s block is the biggest challenge in the writing stage of document
preparation. These suggestions can help you to start writing and then to
keep the words flowing:

1. Change Your Thinking. Approach writing with a positive mental set. Do not think of your
writing project in terms of how many thousand words it contains, requiring so many hours of
writing time. Think of it as a series of short tasks, each of which you can break down into
small units and then subdivide into goals for each writing period.
2. Choose Your Sequence. Remember, you do not have to write your document in a sequence
from beginning to end. Look at your outline, think of your readers’ needs, and decide what you
can write now. Start with what is most familiar and comfortable for you and go on from there.
3. Reexamine Your Reader. Make notes about your reader in outline form. Keep these in mind:
a) Who is your primary reader? b) What does your reader need to know? c) How much
background does your reader have? d) What comments has your reader made about your
previous communications strong points? weak points? e) How detailed would your reader
want your document to be?
4. Plan and Schedule Your Writing. Make some sort of a schedule such as when the final
document is due, your usual writing speed, the sections or subsections you need to have in the
document; then decide which organizing technique to use for each section or subsection of
your document, and your target date for completing it.
5. Avoid Gumption Traps. A gumption trap occurs when you become frustrated by a particular
hard part of a task you are working on. Here are three solutions: a) Stop work on the
section/part that is giving you trouble and move to another which you feel more confident
doing; b) Take a break - do something else, come back, and try again; c) Try a new
approach, look at your topic from another perspective.
6. Write, Don’t Revise. Always keep these two activities separate. Don’t worry about polishing
your words, when writing your draft. If you stop to rework, you may lose thoughts related to
your topic.
7. Use Previous Documents As Models. Don’t reinvent the wheel. There are examples you can
find that others have used in appropriate circumstances. Create your own file of model
documents that you regularly use.
8. File Your Notes. Keep a simple binder for your document and use it to store and organize
your information.
9. Write As You Speak. Relax and “explain orally” as you write.
10. Just do it!

What challenges do you face when starting a writing project/assignment? What strategies do you
have for overcoming those challenges? Share them with your group.
Challenges Faced When Writing Strategies For Overcoming

37
 Achieve Precision in Writing
Most people feel that writing as a form of communication requires greater
care and precision, and they are right because written communications
document the writer’s ability and credibility. To achieve precision in
writing, keep these in mind:

Accuracy of Information Ensure accuracy in both quality and quantity of information.

Documents are written because someone needs information. More than anything else, readers
expect accuracy of information. As a writer, you must pay attention to details, at the same time
recognize the fact that different readers will have differing needs even when it comes to the level
of information they seek. Give readers precisely what they need – and no more. The degree of
detail in a document depends on the purpose of the document, as well as the level of need for
information of the target reader/s. Not only therefore must your written documents contain
accurate (meaning precise, truthful, exact, correct) information, they also must accurately
(adequately) provide the target reader just about the information s/he needs --- so, choose the
right amount of detail.

Objectivity of Information Along with accuracy should come objectivity, a term more
difficult to pin down, however. As a writer, you will do well to present information in an
unbiased way. Never lose sight of your main purpose. You will either provide raw data that
someone else will use to make a decision, or you will urge someone toward your preference ---
in either case, your document must show fairness in dealing with all alternatives. Some writers
assume that an objective document leaves out all opinion. This is not the case. An objective
document may very well include opinions that have these features:
1. They are based on your professional background.
2. They can be justified by the time you have had to complete the document.
3. They can be supported by details.

Accuracy in Wording and Phrasing Good writing also demands accuracy in wording and
phrasing, hence it is important that you take time in editing your document to ensure it is
accurately worded . Your goal: Make sure words convey your intended meaning --- no more, no
less. Some basic guidelines are:
1. Distinguish facts from opinions. Always identify your opinions and judgments by using
such phrases like “we recommend,” “we believe,” “we suggest,” or “in our opinion.”
2. Include obvious qualifying statements when needed. Avoid possible misinterpretations by
providing explanations or adding qualifying expressions to make your intended meaning
clear.
3. Use absolute words carefully. In general, avoid words that convey an absolute meaning or
that convey a stronger meaning than you intend. For example, consider the implications of
“minimize” versus “reduce” or “limit.” Which word/s will be more accurate and less open to
misunderstanding?
38
 Accuracy of Figures and Analysis How careful are you in your use of numbers and
quantitative symbols? Try the following exercise to see how fast you can spot the weaknesses in
the presentation of the information.
1. The company’s sales of personal computers went up very significantly during the past four years as shown by
the following table:
YEAR QUANTITY SOLD % INCREASE

1997 2,098 -
1998 2,912
1999 1,450
2000 3,008

2. Our gross national product is expected to grow at an average rate of 6% per annum for the
next five years. At this growth rate, the country’s GNP six years hence will be double that of
this year.
3. The graph clearly shows that more than 40% of the regional population prefer to use our
brand over our largest competitor’s, and considering there are three other brands that
collectively share 20% of the market, this indicates that we control majority of the market.
4. Last year, roughly one out of fifty employees left the company for one reason or another,
with emigrating to other countries --- mainly the US, Canada, and Australia --- as the
biggest reason (25%). The next two major reasons offered were “salary insufficient to meet
family’s needs” (20%) and “too much pressure at work” (9%). Certainly this should alarm
management. This means that about 50% of our employees are somehow dissatisfied with
the company.

5. About seventy percent (or three-fourths) of the Philippine population will continue to live
below the poverty line during this decade.
6. He was hired by the company in 1990, in accordance with the 10-year optional early-
retirement plan of the firm, he applied for the option in 1999, but his application was rejected
by the management.
7. Their bid ranked fourth in the public bidding for the construction project as higher offers were
made by four others.
8. The secretary started typing the report at eight o’clock in the morning and finished it at two in
the afternoon, around five hours later.
9. So far, of the five, the Manila Branch has made the biggest contribution to the company’s
profit growth:

10. The top three branches in

Branch Income Expenses
terms of profit margin are
Generated Incurred
Manila, Quezon City, and
Manila 155 M 110 M
Marikina.
Quezon City 133 M 90 M
Makati 99 M 60 M
Mandaluyong 95 M 74 M
Marikina 94 M 20 M

39
Create An Appropriate Tone Tone is the style in which you express yourself. Your
tone may vary depending upon purpose and audience. For example, if you are writing a letter to
a friend, you might use an informal tone and include slang, jargon, colloquialisms, and
contractions. If you are writing a letter of application, on the other hand, you will want to use a
formal tone. To maintain a formal tone, avoid slang, jargon, and colloquialisms. Also, choose
language carefully and include only necessary or useful idiomatic expressions.
1. Avoid Slang. Slang is street language. It is highly informal. While slang works just fine for
talking with friends, you should avoid using slang when you write since it is so easily
misunderstood and considered quite inappropriate in formal writing.
Slang: Send us the bread ASAP.
Familiar: Send us the allocated fund by Monday.

2. Avoid Jargon (Except With Special Audiences). Jargon is language used by experts in a
particular field. It includes technical words, new compounds, and familiar words used in a
unique way. Jargon isn't necessarily bad. However, when jargon is used in text addressed to a
general audience, the writer sounds snobby or pretentious. Using jargon can make your
writing complicated and unclear to those who are unfamiliar with such language.
Jargon: After booting up the computer and activating the printer, make
hard copies of the minutes of the Execom meeting. Also burn the
minutes for filing purposes.
Familiar: After turning on the computer and the printer, print a copy of
the Executive Committee meeting. Copy the minutes also on CD
for filing purposes.
3. Avoid Colloquialisms. Colloquial expressions, while not always incorrect, are informal and
more appropriate in spoken conversation among friends than in formal writing.
Colloquial: I found the book back of the couch.

Formal: I found the book behind the couch.

4. Avoid clichés. A cliché is a trite, overused expression that lacks originality. As a result, it
sounds stale and dull. Clichés seem to say that the writer is sloppy and is not interested in
truly reaching out to his/her readers. Unwittingly using clichés can put readers to sleep. So,
watch for clichés as you rewrite the drafts of your papers. Come up with alternatives that are
clearer, more appealing, less wordy, and often more specific than clichés are.

Cliche: Our office is a stone’s throw away from the main street.

Formal: Our office is one block away from the main street.

Achieve Balance and Consistency To achieve balance and consistency in

writing, follow these tips:

1. Tenses. Use the present tense or the past tense consistently throughout papers, but don't shift
back and forth between them. The present tense is useful for all writing which analyzes
events, ideas, words, works of art, or scientific results. It helps show that ideas are alive in

40
 your mind. With historical events you may choose the past tense to say what happened when,
if the action is complete in the past.
2. Parallel Structure. Parallel structure is more than correct grammar: it helps unify a sentence
and clarify its intentions. Use parallel elements (infinitives, subject-predicate structures, or
adjective clauses). They are like repeated stitches of the same color in an embroidered belt.
This unity helps show the relationship between cause and effect, or among items on a list.
When parallels are faulty the sentence gives a slipshod effect, making difficult for the reader
to follow the writer’s meaning.
Parallel The only advice, indeed, that one person can give another about reading is to take no
advice, to follow your own instinct, to use your own reason, to come to your own
conclusions.

Not The only advice, indeed, that one person can give another about reading is to take no
Parallel advice, following instincts is best and you must use your own reason, and to come to
your own conclusions.

4. Sentence Balance. Balance in a sentence comes from a careful distribution of weight and
purpose; in a balanced sentence, clauses of equal importance have equal length. No exact rule
for balancing will help you as much as reading aloud. Skillful writers can write long
sentences without losing balance, because the writers know where they are going. Balanced
writing also means using abstractions appropriately combined with specific words to show
that large ideas can be at home in the mind.
Balanced In face of nuclear war, widespread starvation and political imbalance, the world
must reawaken its consciousness as a world, not just as an assortment of people.

Imbalanced In face of nuclear war, widespread starvation and political imbalance, the world
must do something about these things.

Application Exercise: Review a document you prepared yourself. Express in one sentence your
point for writing it. Then subject your written material to the test --- check it against the points
discussed previously and pinpoint the areas that you may need to rehash to make your written
communication truly effective and efficient. Consider the level of accuracy and objectivity of the
information you presented in it. Write your observations.

My Point: ___________________________________________________________________
Target Reader/s:______________________________________________________________

Areas for Improvement What I Can Do

The Seven C’s Of Effective Writing The Seven C’s of Effective Communication
are just as applicable to writing as to speaking. They are principles which when applied by the
writer will ensure that his document is effective (attains his objective) and efficient (attains his
objective with the best quality/quantity, in the quickest time, and at the least cost).

41
 CONCISENESS To be concise is to be brief but complete. Most readers are quite busy and
will definitely want to get the point of the communication the fastest way possible without
missing important details. It is wise for a writer to avoid wordy, trite, repetitious/redundant, or
unnecessary expressions that really do not help his message, at all. Some experts believe that
careful attention to conciseness would shorten most documents by at least 10 to 15 percent that
would take less time to read and cost less to produce. Here are some techniques for reducing
verbiage without changing meaning.

1. Replace abstract nouns with verbs.

Wordy Concise
The acquisition of the property was The property was acquired through long
accomplished through long and hard and hard negotiations.
negotiations.

2. Shorten wordy phrases. 3. Replace long words with short ones.

Wordy Concise Wordy Concise
afford an opportunity to permit advantageous helpful
along the lines of like alleviate lessen, lighten
at a later date later approximately about
at this point in time now demonstrate show

4. Leave out clichés. Not only do clichés sound stale and dull, they contribute to wordiness in
your writing. Substitute clichés with alternatives that are clearer, more appealing, less
wordy, and often more specific than clichés are.
Examples of clichés are: as plain as day, ballpark figure, few and far between, last but not
least, needless to say, leaps and bounds, step in the right direction, ladder of success, like
the plague, turn for the worse, …
5. Use direct language.
Wordy (Indirect) Concise (Direct)
We would suggest that you consider We suggest that you complete the project
directing your attention toward before the monsoons begin.
completing the project before the
commencement of the seasonal monsoon
rains in the region of the project area.

6. Avoid “There are,” “It is,” and similar constructions.

Wordy Concise
It is clear to the hiring committee that The hiring committee believes that writing
writing skills are an important criterion skills should be a criterion for all technical
for every technical position. positions.

7. Prefer the active voice.

Wordy Concise
The agglutination I caused by substances Substances analogous to antibodies present
analogous to antibodies that are present in the serum caused the agglutination.
in the serum.

8. Cut out extra or unnecessary words: a) do not add necessary transition between ideas, b)
do not provide new information to the reader, c) do nothing to enhance the clarity of the
message
42
VERBAL DIETING Exercise 1. The following is a list of some of those inefficient expressions
that you still see in many communications today. Write beside them their concise, clear, and
more direct counterparts.
WORDY CONCISE WORDY CONCISE
accounted for by the fact that subsequent to
along the lines of the foregoing
at an early date the question as to whether
based on the fact that we are in receipt of
concerning the matter of will you be kind enough to
for the purpose of with reference to
in a position to with the exception of
in addition to the above raise the question
is predicated on the assumption that one finds it necessary to
render every possible assistance I am of the opinion
in the neighborhood of as a way of informing you

VERBAL DIETING Exercise 2: Here are a few sentences that could use some rework. Cut
down on unnecessary verbiage without changing their intended meanings.
1. At the close of the last phase of the project, a terminal report should be submitted by your
group to the central office.
2. It is possible that the well-water samples collected during our investigation of the well on
the site of the barangay could possibly contain some chemicals in concentrations higher than
is allowable according to the local environmental laws now in effect.
3. There were fifteen people who attended the meeting at the office of the mayor in the
municipal building.
4. Preparing the client’s bill involves the checking of all invoices of the project.
5. This report aims to examine what the Central Office Project Manager considered to be a
technically acceptable risk.
6. During the course of its field work, the team will be engaged in the process of reviewing all
of the notes that have been accumulated in previous studies.
7. Because of his position as head of the Public Relations Group, he is making plans to attend
the meeting.
8. She believed that the recruiting of more women for the technical staff is highly essential.
9. The department must determine its aim and goals so that they can be included in the annual
strategic plan produced by the organization for the year 2005.
10. Most of the managers generally agree that all of the company’s employees at all the offices
deserve at least some degree of training each year that they work for the organization.

CORRECTNESS Correctness is only one of the many components of effective communication,

but reports, letters, and other written communications cannot be completely effective if they are

43
not correct grammatically, as well as in supplying correct information. Follow these reminders to
ensure correctness in your writing.
1. Use correct grammar. Effective writing requires an operational knowledge of grammar.
Grammar to some degree can affect the meaning of sentences. Good knowledge of grammar
helps the writer combine effectively words in sentences and tells how each part may be best
arranged for clear communication.
Examples:
Grammatically Flawed Grammatically Correct
The guests were seated on the presidential The guests were seated at the presidential
table. table.
Lying on the shelf, she found the books She found the books still lying on the shelf
still there after three days. after three days.
The process consists of several simple The process consists of several simple steps:
steps: logging in your street talk name, logging in your street talk name, typing in
type in “win,” clicking on the icon… “win”, clicking on the icon…

2. Check punctuation. Although errors do not always result in misunderstanding, they are
likely to weaken the reader’s confidence in the writer’s overall competence. At times, also the
wrong and omitted or misplaced punctuation changes the intended meaning.
Examples:
Weak Clear Meaning
All salesmen who submit their reports on All salesmen, who submit their reports on
time and have exceeded their quotas will time and have exceeded their quotas, will
receive a 10 percent bonus. receive a 10 percent bonus.
The manager said the employee is “The manager,” said the employee, “is
irresponsible and not worthy of respect. irresponsible and not worthy of respect.”
The customer’s orders were promptly filed. The customers’ orders were promptly filed.
3. Check for misuse of words or misspellings. The misuse of words similar in
pronunciation or spelling can also cause misreading and misinterpretation.
Examples:
This? Or This?
The new hires complimented the veteran The new hires complemented the veteran
workers. workers
Will the increase in total sales effect the Will the increase in total sales affect the
expected salary? expected salary?

4. Check for accuracy and correctness of information. Not only must the writer ensure
correctness in grammar, use of punctuation and other writing mechanics, he also should
ensure that the information he provides in his communications are accurate and correct. He
must check his facts and validate all data, make accurate mathematical computations, and
distinguish fact from opinion or inference. Don’t say, “It is a fact that…” when what you
actually mean is “My opinion is that…” and don’t mistake your assumption or inference
for an outright fact.

Writing Mechanics Exercise: Mechanics of written communication such as spelling,

punctuation, abbreviation, capitalization, underscoring, and representation of numbers are
indispensable to composing effective business communications. Correct all errors in the
following sentences.
44
1. His book, the Greatest Salesman In The World made Og Mandino a best selling author.
2. At around 12 o clock the NBI agents found a bag containing 900 50-dollar bills inside the
Metropolitan Theatre.
3. Pres. Arroyo issued Proclamation Order no. five last week.
4. Rene and his friend Paul have visited a no. of foreign cities but they have not yet gone to
Moscow bec. of visa problems.
5. The Japanese term nemawase means doing something meticulously.
6. 50 years ago the exchange rate was 1 dollar for every 2 pesos.
7. On page Four chapter 11 of the book there is a typo error.
8. He said we will survive through this economic crisis just as we did in the past.
9. The time saving factor must be kept in mind when choosing a letter style.
10. Have you read the poem the road not taken?
11. The best sales messages do not use high pressure techniques.
12. The consultant made this statement: Personalize the favorable and impersonalize the
unfavorable is a good letter writing advise.
13. A well written refusal letter does not present the refusal in the last sentence.
14. Phrases such as Act today! and Hurry! Are not usually effective in the action section of the
sales letter.
15. We also communicate by the tone of the voice which differs according to our mood and the
person with whom we are talking.
16. The balance sheet does not correspond to the worksheet please check the figures thoroughly.
17. On March 1st , 2000 the new office policy on tardiness was announced by the company
president who is never late.
18. There is a no. of factors that affect effectiveness in writing accuracy, objectivity, and
precision of content, courtesy of tone, and clarity and readability of format.
19. Once you’ve completed part 1 of the test, you may procede to the next.
20. His long time friend James a successful businessmen has recently acquired a second BMW.
PUNCTUATION AS AN AID TO READABILITY
The Apostrophe 3. Use comma after introductory infinitive phrases.
1. Use an apostrophe in contractions. - To enter the stacks, go to the admission desk and
-won't -couldn't present your identification card.
-it's (it is) -you're (you are) - To err is human; to blame it on someone else is
Note: Avoid contractions in formal writing. even more human.

2. Use an apostrophe to indicate the possessive case of 4. Use a comma after an introductory sentence
nouns and indefinite pronouns. element consisting of a long prepositional phrase
- Mary's cat - two years’ experience or of two or more phrases.
- anybody 's guess - women's shoes - In addition to many books in the general library,
- a stone's throw - the student's paper many others are shelved in specialized
- a years' experience - the students' paper collections.
- Mr. Ross' automobile - Bob and Mary's house
- The Rosses’ automobile - Jeff Davis's home 5. Use a comma after introductory words and phrases.
- Dr. Jennings' office - Bob's and Mary's beds - Confidentially, this policy is to be changed.
If a singular noun ends in "s", the apostrophe - Nevertheless, we must continue the usual
and "s" may be added; but if a second "s" procedure throughout this month.
causes difficulty of punctuation, the apostrophe
alone may be added. 6. Use a comma to separate words, phrases, or clauses
in a series.
- He visited Spain, Italy, and France.
3. Use an apostrophe in plurals of lowercase letters and - His morning consists of eating breakfast, reading
abbreviations followed by periods and (preferred) in the newspaper, and sitting in the sunshine .
plurals of capital letters, figures, abbreviations not
followed by periods, and words referred to as words. 7. Use a comma to separate coordinate clauses joined
- c's - 8's or 8s by and, but, for, or, nor, yet.
45
 - Ph.D's - the 1940's or 1940s
- B's or Bs - and's or ands
- CPA's or CPAs - %'s or %s
Be consistent in your use of the apostrophe. For
example, use and's or ands, but do not use both in the
same paper. According to some English handbooks,
and's is preferred. Note: The use of the apostrophe is
sometimes described as being an aspect of spelling,
not of punctuation.
The Comma
1. Use a comma to set off an introductory subordinate
clause form an independent statement.
- If Lito can't write, one of the reasons may be a
conditioning based on speed rather than on respect
for the creative process.
- If you don't like the weather in Manila, wait a few
minutes.
- Although the ability to type is a requisite to many
jobs, it should no more be considered purely
vocational than the ability to read or write the
English language.
- When in doubt, tell the truth.
2. Use a comma after introductory participial phrases.
- Dreading the long, boring task, he left it until now.
- Having received the notice of cancellation, we tried
to stop shipment.
- Elated over the news of his promotion, he kissed
everyone on the third floor.
- All would live long, but none would be old.
- To be good is noble, but to teach others how to
be good is nobler -- and less trouble.
- The show had no chronological order, nor did it
have an intelligent narration.
In short sentences the comma is sometimes
omitted, as in: I came late and you left early.
8. Use a comma to set off nonrestrictive
(nonessential) clauses; do not set off restrictive
clauses that come within or at the end of a
sentence.
- Our salespeople, who are paid a salary plus
commissions, earn from P6500.00 to 15,000.00 a
month. (nonrestrictive)
9. Use a comma to set off parenthetical
(nonrestrictive, nonessential) or appositive words
or phrases.
- He said that, in the first place, he was not
interested in our product.
- The sales manager, Harold L Reyes, is a friend of
the customer's sister.
10. Use a comma to separate adjectives of equal rank
if the conjunction is omitted.
- She is an efficient, considerate sales
representative.
11. Use a comma to set off contrasting expressions.
- The world is becoming warmer, not colder.
46
The Semi-Colon
1. Use a semicolon between main clauses that are not
joined by one of the coordinate conjunctions (and,
but, for, or, nor, yet).
- Punctuation is more than little marks to be sprinkled
like salt and pepper through written words;
punctuation determines emphasis and meaning.
2. Use a semicolon between main clauses joined with a
conjunctive adverb.
- A readable writing style is simple and direct;
consequently, it requires less punctuation than a
more formal, complicated style.
- Semicolons are useful for clarifying meaning
through punctuation; nevertheless, a great many
long compound sentences such as this one, with the
main clauses joined by a semicolon and a
conjunctive adverb (nevertheless), tend to suggest a
rather heavy and formal writing style.
Important Note: Substituting a comma for a
semicolon to separate main clauses as in sentences
constructed like the preceding ones that contain no
coordinating conjunction, is considered a serious
error in punctuation and sentence construction.
3. Use a semicolon to separate items in a series if they are
parallel subordinate clauses or if they are long or
contain internal punctuation.
- Those attending included Susan Sales, a college
professor; Mark Sandoval, a field engineer; Diana
Regalado, an executive secretary; and Leon
Martinez, a credit manager.
- We use language to talk about language; we make
statements about statements; and we sing songs
about songs.
4. Use a semicolon to separate complete clauses joined
by a coordinate conjunction; the semicolon will
increase readability when clauses are long or contain
internal punctuation.
- The semicolon, which is sometimes overused,
indicates a stronger break in thought than that
indicated by a comma; but it is not as strong as that
indicated by a period and somewhat different in
usage from a colon.
The Colon
1. Use a colon to introduce a series of items.
- The points to be considered are these: cost, speed, and
simplicity.
- Three possible areas of operation could be the source
of the loss: shipping, advertising, and collections.
2. Use a colon to introduce long quotations or
descriptions.
3. Use a colon after such words as "the following " or "as
follows."
The Dash
Use a dash to show a sudden change in the structure of
a sentence or to indicate emphasis.
- Indeed, it was a long leap from the jungle home of
the chimpanzee to our modern civilization -- and
apparently we didn't quite make it.
- Several items -- a stapler, two calendars, and three
or more chairs -- "scatter-brained" appearance.
The Hyphen
1. Use a hyphen to join a compound expression used as a
single modifier before a noun.
- Is this an interest-bearing note?
- We need up-to-date equipment.
Omit the hyphen when the first word of the
compound is an adverb ending in "-ly". Omit the
hyphen when the modifier comes after the noun :
- Is this note interest bearing?
2. Use a hyphen in some compound words in which the
hyphen is considered part of the accepted spelling,
such as self-control" and "sister-in-law."
Note: When in doubt, consult a dictionary to
determine hyphenation of compound words.
3. Use a hyphen to divide words at the end of a line. Do
not divide words unnecessarily, as many lines ending
with hyphens can be distracting. When you must
divide to avoid extreme unevenness of typewritten
lines, follow these guides:
a. Divide only between syllables.
b. Do not divide a word with fewer than seven letters.
c. Do not separate the following syllables from the
remainder of the word:
- a syllable that does not contain a vowel (couldn't)
- a first syllable of only one letter (ecology)
- a last syllable of one or two letters (extremely)
d. Do not divide hyphenated words at any place
other than at the hyphen (well-being)
e. Divide after a one-letter syllable within a word
unless the word contains successive single-letter
syllables (congratu-lations)
f. Try to avoid dividing proper names and numbers.
g. Do not divide the last word of a paragraph or the
last word on a page.
Parentheses
Use parentheses to set off explanatory or nonessential
material. You can change the meaning slightly
according to your choice of punctuation. Dashes are
more emphatic than commas. Parentheses indicate a
more definite separation in meaning from the rest of the
sentence than commas imply.
- A choice of commas, dashes, or parentheses (used
in pairs) can be used to set off parenthetical material.
47
Quotation Marks
1. Use quotation marks to enclose the exact words of a
writer or speaker.
2. Use quotation marks to enclose titles of songs,
magazine and newspaper articles, poems, reports,
and other short written works.
3. Use quotation marks to enclose slang expressions.
4. Use quotation marks to enclose words used in an
unusual way.
Note: Quotation marks are placed with other marks of
punctuation in this way:
a. Place commas and periods inside quotation marks.
b. Place colons and semicolons outside quotation marks.
c. Place question and exclamation marks inside the
quotation marks when they refer to the quoted
material, outside when they refer to the sentence as a
whole.
CAPITALIZATION
Do not capitalize unless there is a definite reason to do so.
Some writers capitalize unnecessarily.
Capitalize
- Cost accounting II (name of specific course)
- I am taking a course in French.(proper adjective)
- President Ramos (title used as part of name)
- President (of the Philippines)
- Western Samar (section of country)
- Mother is late.(used as name)
- Agno River (River is part of name)
- He said, "We shall proceed." (direct quotation)
- Summer Series of Lectures (part of title)
Do not capitalize
- major in accounting (general subject field)
- I am taking a course in history. (not a proper adjective)
- He is president of his fraternity.
- Our company has a new president.
- He rode west into the sunset. (direction)
- My mother is late.
- Agno and Pasig rivers
- He said that we would proceed. (indirect quotation)
- This summer is unusually cool.
WRITING NUMBERS
1. Spell out numbers one through ten if no large number
appears in the same sentence. Another rule for
spelling out numbers is to write in words any number
that can be expressed in no more than two words--
Which is, in effect, numbers one through one
hundred. In business writing, however, the "one
through ten" rule is more readable and saves time.
2. Spell out numbers that represent time when they are
used with "o' clock." Use figures with A.M. and
P.M.
- He will arrive at 5 a.m.
- She arrived at three o’clock.
3. Spell out the smaller number when two numbers come
together. Ex. We ordered sixteen 24-inch mirrors.
4. Spell amounts of money shown in legal documents;
follow with the amount shown in figures. Do not use
this method of expressing numbers in ordinary
business writing.
Write in figures sums of money less than a peso or a
dollar (29 cents or 29¢, not $.29) or large sums such
as P12 billion (instead of P12,000,000,000.). Unless
odd sums appear in the same sentence, ciphers need
not be used with whole sums. Examples:
- The charity netted P500.
- This vase, which two days ago cost P330.95 sold
for P500.00 today.
5. Use figures, regardless of the expressed quantity, to
state:
a. dates: April 15, 1990 -- not April 15th
b. money: P5, P250.50, 15 cents
c. percentages: 5 percent
d. page numbers: page 7
e. degrees: 105°F
f. distances: 15 kilometers
g. decimals: The difference is .005
h. weights: 25 pounds of ice
i. election returns: 8,000 votes
NOTE: Do not use ordinal endings (-st, -nd, -rd, -th)
when the date immediately follows the month. If the
date precedes the month or the month is omitted, you
may write as: the 25th, or the 25th of October. In
memoranda or invoices, dates may be written as:
10/15/01.
6. Spell out numbers at the beginning of sentences.
48
CLARITY Unclear documents waste resources --- the organization’s as well as the readers’.
Clarity is writing messages that are simple and easy to understand. A clear message keeps the
reader in mind, and is written to express a thought and not to impress the reader. To be clear is
also to be readable. The less mental burden we cast upon our readers the more readable and clear
our writing becomes. Keep in mind these factors for better clarity and readability.
Some Factors To Consider for Better Clarity

Words Used  Will the reader/s understand the vocabulary of the presentation?
 Are the words simple and familiar to the readers?
 Do the words convey specific and concrete meanings?
 Does the writer avoid the use of polysyllabic words and jargons?
 Has the writer taken time to define necessary technical terms and jargons?

Abbreviations  Will the reader/s learn what the abbreviations and acronyms stand for?
and Acronyms  Does the writer explain the meaning of the term, abbreviation, or acronym
the first time he uses it?

Sentences  Do the sentences relate to one other in a logical, easy-to-follow way?

 Does the writer use appropriate transitional devices to effectively link the
sentences?
 Are the sentences devoid of errors (e.g. grammar, punctuation, and other
mechanics) that may confuse the audience/readers?
 Does the writer vary sentence length purposefully?
 Do the sentences generally range about 13-20 words?
 Does the writer use a good combination of simple, compound, and
complex (avoiding too many compound-complex) sentences?

Paragraphs  Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence?

 Do the paragraphs contain enough details to support the point/s being
made?
 Are the paragraphs arranged in a logical, easy-to-follow sequence?
Overall  Is a thoughtfully mapped discussion evident?
Organization  Has the writer provided a purposeful introduction and conclusion?
 Do the ideas flow smoothly?
 Has the writer used devices to facilitate the reader’s understanding of
his intended message?
 Has the writer emphasized the most important points?

Graphics and  Are the graphics and other visual support clear to the reader/s?
Other Visual  How clearly will the reader/s understand schematics and flowcharts?
Aids  Are they conveniently placed?
 Are the symbols used explained?

Mechanics  Are errors in grammar minimized or eliminated?

 Does the writer apply the basic mechanics --- spelling, punctuation,
abbreviation, capitalization (for writing); and pronunciation, accent,
pausing, phrasing (for speaking) --- to aid understanding?

49
Exercise 1: CLARIFY - USE SIMPLE WORDS To ensure that your messages are clear,
use words that are simple and easy to understand. Try to substitute simpler, more
familiar words for the ones listed below:
BIG WORDS FAMILIAR WORDS BIG WORDS FAMILIAR WORDS

1. ASCERTAIN - 10. AUTHENTICITY -

2. FABRICATE - 11. OBFUSCATION -
3. DEMONSTRATE - 12. IMPEDIMENT -
4. ILLUMINATION - 13. SUBSEQUENT -
5. APPELATION - 14. CESSATION -
6. PARAMETER - 15. INTERPOLATION -
7. COMPENSATION - 16. TERMINATION -
8. DISUTILITY- 17. CULPABILITY -
9. VERACITY - 18. MODIFICATION -
10. RAMIFICATION - 20. CONGLAGRATION -

Exercise 2: CLARIFY – USE FAMILIAR WORDS Another way to achieve clarity is to avoid
jargon (such as legalese) which not only tend to be wordy but also confusing. Here are a few of
those expressions that somehow still find their way in modern writing. Write down their
counterparts in simple and clear language.

MOCK LEGAL JARGON CLEARLY WORDED

attached hereto/herewith
herein set down
in lieu of
in reference to
interpose no objection
pursuant to
until such time that
in re the articles mentioned
the undersigned will call you
under separate cover

Exercise 3: CLARIFY - USE DIRECT EXPRESSIONS Avoiding the use of trite or

hackneyed expressions is another way of adding clarity to our communication. Take the case of
the following expressions which are still being used by some writers of today. Write beside them
their clearer and more direct substitutes in modern writing.
TRITE/HACKNEYED CLEAR/MORE DIRECT
kindly advise us
we deem it advisable
the said matter
at your earliest convenience
hoping to hear from you, we remain
we beg to call you attention to
thank you in advance for your help
for your perusal
we beg to acknowledge
50
Exercise 4: CLARITY – CHOOSE AND USE THE RIGHT WORDS Clarity is meaning
what you say and saying what you mean. Your word choice should develop understanding
between you and your reader. Make a conscious effort to choose words that are simple and
correct for your intended meanings. Words that sound or look alike frequently cause confusion.
Use a dictionary to verify the meaning and pronunciation of words to avoid confusing or
misleading your reader/listener. Look at the following words. Define and differentiate them.
accede – exceed later – latter cite – site – sight
affect – effect raise – rise continuous – continual
basis – bases then – than ensure – insure
compliment – complement whose – who’s precede – proceed
council – counsel accept – except they’re – their – there
eligible – illegible all ready – already weather – whether

Increasing Readability Through Document Appearance and Format. What makes a

document difficult to read? Often you can identify an effective document with only a glance. An
ineffective document contains “wall-to-wall” text – text stretching from one narrow margin to
another, bulky paragraphs that demand too much sustained attention from the audience, long
sentences that lead the audience breathless, monotonous use of type styles and sizes, and poorly
copied (faded) pages of text. Also, the information in the document is difficult for the reader/s to
find. In longer documents, readers have difficulty finding sections, chapters, topics.

An effective format invites readers to examine the document’s details and facilitates the speed
with which readers comprehend the document. Make your writing visually appealing,
well organized, and simple to take in and remember. Here are tips to apply:

1. Use headings and subheadings. Help speed recognition of what the page
contains. Use headings to communicate a sense of order and conciseness.
Make your communication look planned, coherent, and forthright. Order is
important. Start with a statement of your purpose for writing. Add the
when, who, how, and where details that you have organized into some
rational order.

2. Don't tax your reader's power to take in information. Straight text looks
formidable. Because humans have relatively limited capacities for
information processing, you should present your information in bite-sized
chunks, which your reader may then quickly note and take in. Keep
paragraphs short--seven lines of type at the most. The shorter, the more
inviting your paragraphs are. Look for opportunities to use numbered or
bulleted lists. Numbers designate order or hierarchy. Remember to make
all the items in your lists grammatically parallel.

4. Use white space. White space is not random nothingness. It is a tool; use
it! White space is functional when it works to lift your ideas off the page
and into your reader's mind. Be concerned with the use of margins and the
consistency of spacing between lines and paragraphs. A 60-character line
or less will help your reader track correctly through your text. And keep
white space white (clean). Eliminate visual nuisances such as fancy
borders or prominent logos.

White space is an important factor in enhancing the readability of a document. Increase white
space by: 1) widening the margins of a document, 2) skipping lines between paragraphs,

51
 3) using a two-column format and reserving the left-hand column for headings only,
4) breaking out information into more discrete sections and using action titles to introduce
those sections

4. Use a style sheet. For consistency, design template files with your preferred
page layouts for letters, reports, and memos. Save these settings in
separate files and lock them. Some word processors have a styles feature
to facilitate paragraph formatting. Style sheets save you time because
you make the small but important decisions involved in formatting your
written communications just once. Style sheets also help you create a
consistent, professional image.

5. Add visual appeal. Add personality and drama to your correspondence by

incorporating hand-written notations (where appropriate and helpful),
graphic illustrations, and charts. Graphics attract. Use graphics to break up
the page and to lead the reader's eye right to where you want it.
Aesthetics are also important. Well designed documents invite readers to explore their
contents. Documents must reflect planning and an organized approach.

6. Use restraint. Sparingly employ italics, boldface, underlining, upper-case

type, asterisks, and changes of font or type size. Too much variety
creates an impression of complexity or messiness. Eliminate noise, such
as unnecessary periods at the end of items in a list and parentheses after
the numbers in a list.

7. Highlight important text.  To draw attention to important material, place a border around a
short passage.

8. Achieve conciseness. Readability experts agree that documents have more reading ease when:
a) sentences are short --- an average of not more than 19 words each
b) sentences have short words --- not more than 150 syllables per 100 words

9. Appeal to human interest. Readability is higher when the writing has liberal use of words
and sentences possessing human interest. Making the written communication personal,
(liberal use of personal pronouns) and conversational (variety in sentence length) also
increase readability.

10. Use writing techniques or tools. Certain writing techniques, researches have found, help
the readers to better receive and comprehend information. These techniques include:
a) advance organizers - much like road signs that tell readers the text territory to be visited
b) overviews – give the readers a quick glance at the subject of the writing plus an indication
of its significance
c) inserted questions – make the readers pause to think whether they know the answers or
become curious to know the answers;
d) prompting clues – tips about the significance of the content to be presented in the
document that help increase the reader’s understanding of the document [examples are
1) typographical clues --- use of italics, underlining, boldface etc.;
2) colors and illustrations;
3) rhetorical devices such as examples, analogies or comparisons;
4) graphic aids such as lists, tables, photographs, drawings, diagrams that help readers to
digest, think about, and visualize facts and ideas
52
COHERENCE When sentences, ideas, and details fit together clearly, readers can follow along
easily, and the writing is coherent. The ideas tie together smoothly and clearly. To establish the
links that readers need, you can use the following methods:

1. Repetition of a Key Term or Phrase.

Example: The problem with contemporary art is that it is not easily understood by most
people. Modern art is deliberately abstract, and that means contemporary art
leaves the viewer wondering what she is looking at.
2. Synonyms. Synonyms are words that have essentially the same meaning, and they provide
some variety in your word choices, helping the reader to stay focused on the idea being
discussed.
Example: Myths narrate sacred histories and explain sacred origins. These traditional
narratives are, in short, a set of beliefs that are a very real force in the lives of
the people who tell them.
3. Pronouns. This, that, these, those, he, she, it, they, and we are useful pronouns for referring
back to something previously mentioned. Be sure, however, that what you are referring to is
clear.
Example: When scientific experiments do not work out as expected, they are often
considered failures until some other scientist tries them again. Those that work
out better the second time around are the ones that promise the most rewards.
4. Transitional Words. There are many words in English that cue our readers to relationships
between sentences, joining sentences together. These are words such as however, therefore,
in addition, also, but, moreover, etc.

Example: I like it when it rains, although I understand why some would not welcome the
rain as I. The drip-drop rhythm on my roof which seems to drown the usual noise
of my neighborhood and the suave cooling effect brought by prolonged rainfall
relax and soothe me in a special way. Yet, while in my comfort and calm, I look
out of my window and see my neighbors with looks of apprehension on their faces
while busily trying to abate whatever possible unwelcome effects the rain may
have on them. I think, the fact is strange --- same things can cause quite different
effects and reactions on different people!

5. Sentence Patterns. Sometimes, repeated or parallel sentence patterns can help the reader
follow along and keep ideas tied together.
Example: And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what
you can do for your country. (From a speech by President John F. Kennedy)

Presenting Information Categorize the information you plan to use in your document and
decide how you will best present your information. There may be different ways to present your
information. Following are some techniques and guidelines:

NOTE: The following identifies the seven Information Types - basic categories into which all
information can be placed based on the purpose or function of the information. Key Blocks are one or
more sentences (or a diagram, a table, or list) about a limited topic, much like a paragraph, which help the
writer capture and analyze critical content and present it in the best way for the reader.
53
Remember also to refer to the principles of presenting information, to ensure that your information are
presented in a manner that will best facilitate your readers’ comprehension.

Type of Key Blocks Hints Recommended

Information Titles
1. Procedure - Procedure table
- Names of tasks that begin with “How to”
a set of steps that a - Specialized procedure “How to…”
- A set of steps to be followed
person performs to table “Operating a…”
- An outcome which is a solved problem,
obtain a specified - Decision table
a product or a performed activity
outcome - Flow Chart
2. Process - Description
- Description of “what happens” in system
a series of events or - Stage table “Stages of…”
or the environment
phases that takes - WHEN-THEN table “How a …Works”
- Operations having stages or phases
place over time and - BLOCK diagram
- How machines work or organisms “Cycle of …”
has an identifiable - Cycle chart
change
purpose or result. - WHEN-or-IF chart
- Descriptions of functioning
- Flow diagram
3. Structure - Description of physical attributes of an Name of structure
- Diagram
a physical object or object
- Parts table “Components of…”
something that can - The words “parts of”
- Parts-function table “Parts of…”
be divided into parts - An object which could be pictured
- Description
and has boundaries - Physical boundaries
4. Concept
a class or group of
items which share a
unique combination - Definition - Abstract or umbrella ideas Name of the idea or
of critical attributes, - Example - Technical terms in a subject matter term being defined
not shared by other - Non-example - Terms most readers are likely not to
groups, and can be know
referred to by the
same genetic name
or symbol.
5. Principle - Principle
a statement that tells - Policy
- Assumptions in the subject matter Name of the
the reader what - Theorem
- Relationships, generalizations principle or policy
should or should not - Example
- “Big truths” or premises which need
be, or what seems - Rule A sentence
expression
true in light of - Guideline expressing the
- Policies or rules of an organization
evidence. - Law principle
- Assumption
6. Fact - Specifications for machinery “Facts about…”
a statement asserted - Fact
- Historical summaries
without supporting “Specifications
- Statistics
evidence for…”
7. Classification - Classification list - Kinds of ____ “Kinds of …”
a sorting of items - Classification table - Types of ____ “Types of…”
into categories based - Compare & contrast - ____is divided into ____ “Categories of …”
on sorting attributes table - ____ is a part of ____ “Aspects of…”
- Classification tree

Principles of Presenting Information When presenting your data and information in the
document, keep these principles in mind:
1. Chunking - group information into manageable chunks
2. Relevance - place like things together; exclude unrelated items from each chunk
3. Labeling - provide the reader with a label for each chunk of information
4. Consistency - use consistent terms within each chunk of information, terms in the chunk
and the label, organization, formats
54
5. Integrated graphics - use tables, illustrations, and diagrams as an integral part of the
writing; place them where your readers need them
6. Accessible Detail - write at the level of detail that will make the document useable for all readers
7. Hierarchy of Chunking and Labeling - group small chunks around a single relevant topic
and provide each group with a label
Exercise: Read the following material silently. “Process” the information and present them in a
way that the reader gets “the point” in the least time possible. What principles and techniques will
help you accomplish this?

The factors influencing the way you present your information are usually apparent to you as you
prepare your document. Certainly, the use of the information, the completeness of the information,
and the burden placed on your reader are important factors influencing the way you present your
information.
How will your reader use the information? The reader of an essay is at leisure to move through it at
his own pace. That reader may, on occasion use the information in the essay for immediate reference
or file it away for future reference. Chances are, however, that the reader of an essay reads more for
pleasure than for any other reason.
Readers of technical or business documents read in order to learn, to make decisions, to do a job, and
so on. Your reader has neither the time nor the inclination for leisurely reading. He needs specific
information in a hurry and will be frustrated if it is necessary to dig through your document to find it.
Knowing who your reader is influences the way you organize and present the document and knowing
how your reader will use that information will influence how you organize and present it. For
example, three ways you reader may use the information are for re
ference (your reader may refer to your document from time to time), for recall (your reader may use
your document to recall important information, for filing (your reader may file your document for
future use). There are many more ways a document can be used, but these three represent the major
uses.
How complete does your information have to be? Will your reader have to refer to other information
in order to understand your document? Will your reader have that information available somewhere
in your document? Will your have to use reference books? Will your reader have to consult another
person? Should you include the additional information right in the document? How much of it should
you include? If your reader must refer to information that is not contained in the document, you
should give clear references.
As a writer of a document, you place burdens on your reader if you do not prepare your document
carefully. One burden is having to deal with information that is not on the reader’s level of
knowledge. You can relieve this burden by following sound suggestions of effective writing. A
second burden is the time your reader must take to process the information in the document. You ease
this burden by designing the writing (sentence structure, vocabulary, and so on); the format
(headings, lists, and so on); and methods of information presentation (tables, diagrams, and so on).

CONCRETENESS Concreteness is conveying a message with precise terms. You build

mental pictures for your reader through the use of words. The reader’s perception of those words
will be affected by the reader’s experiences, culture, education, etc. therefore it is important that
you use words or phrases that have definite meanings to convey a concrete message. Here a few
guidelines to keep in mind.

1. Establish contact with the reader. Build on mutual experiences. Referring to a mutual
experience is one way to establish contact and build a concrete message. If you do not have
a mutual experience with your reader, you should mentally picture the person. Consider his

55
 culture, education and occupation, etc. Use concrete words that have specific meaning for
both you and the reader.

2. Use concrete terms. Concrete words build up clear mental pictures and they are used in
written messages for two reasons: a.) Research has shown that readers will remember
concrete words better than general words; b) Specific terms are more easily understood
than broad, general words.
Vague Expressions Concrete Expressions
I need the printout as soon as possible. I need the printout by 3PM today.
Several employees will be retiring pretty One hundred employees are retiring
soon. within the next two weeks.
The camera has a system that gives you The Poney camera has a precise
good picture. metering system that assures you of
properly exposed, true-color pictures.

Exercise 1: USE CONCRETE MODIFIERS Say how you can avoid vague meanings caused
by these vague modifiers.
1. better - 6. good -
2. big - 7. long -
3. expensive - 8. majority -
4. fast - 9. soon -
5. few - 10. worthwhile -

Exercise 2: How would you revise the following sentences to make them more concrete.
1. Our new administrative manager is a nice and fantastic person with great ideas for the
employees’ benefit.
2. Please conduct a full investigation on this unfortunate and horrible plant accident that injured
one of our best foremen.
3. Our sales have increased magnificently and dramatically.

COURTESY Courtesy is a good policy whether in speaking or in writing. Good manners

always build good relationships, and good relationships always mean good business. To ensure
that your written communications are always courteous, keep these in mind:
1. Use positive words. Courteous messages use positive words. Both word choice and sentence
structure can change a negative tone into a positive tone. In addition, the writer ought to
avoid using negative words such as:
blame doubt never complaint failed no
fear not lazy damaged sorry criticize

2. Use a positive tone. Focus on the positive rather than the negative, on what can be done
rather than what cannot be done. The following show how word choice and sentence
structure can effect a positive rather than a negative tone.

56
 Negative Tone Positive Tone
You should not criticize the stock The stock workers will be more
workers. cooperative if praised.
If you do not visit our store soon, you Please visit our store to get your
will not get a complimentary catalog. complimentary catalog.
Exercise: Rewrite each of the following negative statements to make them positive.
1. Do not leave your work cluttered.
2. Your bill is past due.
3. Due to your failure to fill out all the items in the form, your application is denied.
4. We cannot honor your application for a loan unless you come to our office personally.
5. Restrict your smoking to the open hallway.
6. The reader’s name should not be misspelled in a message.
7. Don’t call us for follow-up on your loan standing. We’ll be the ones to call you.
8. We do not make exchanges for purchases without receipts.
9. You should not restrict your reading to one author’s writing.
10. Don’t delay your submission of your reports.

3. Omit expressions that irritate, hurt, or belittle. The thoughtful communicator should
always avoid expressions that might offend the reader. Talking down to or belittling a person
is a form of discourtesy that can have a profoundly unfavorable effect. Remember to avoid
expressions such as:
contrary to your inference I/We do not agree with you your complaint
I’m sure you must realize you forgot to your insinuation
irresponsible you neglected/over looked your apparent disregard of our
simply nonsense you should know due to your questionable credit
you claim that surely you don’t expect you are probably ignorant of
you did not tell me why have you ignored we find it difficult to believe
you failed to if you are

4. Avoid questionable humor. Humor is often quite effective in business writing. However,
before you try to be funny, be sure your humor is good-natured and appropriate for the
situation.
5. Grant and apologize good-naturedly. Whenever you grant a customer’s request, begin your
letter with the best news first and inject a courteous, ungrudging tone.

Exercise: Rewrite the following to show more courtesy.

1. It will be impossible to open an account for you until you send us all the requirements.
2. Your letter is not clear at all as to what you wish for us to do for you.
3. Obviously, if you had read your policy carefully, you would be able to answer these questions
yourself without asking us.
4. This information is being sent to you now so that we will avoid later misunderstandings about
your credit terms.
5. You failed to note that your insurance policy does not cover hospitalization expenses.
6. Your project is still 30% short of completion.
7. You have been found not qualified for the job because of your lack of tenure and experience.
8. We will hold shipment of this order until we receive your confirmation which we have
reminded you about several times now but you seem not to be giving attention to at all.

57
9. Our manual is expertly designed to help any reader get the most out of it, which if you don’t,
obviously it’s more like your fault than ours.
10. Contrary to your inference, our company is not at fault.

CONSIDERATION A good writer shows genuine interest in his reader/s and writes according
to his reader/s needs. He may excel in his field of specialization, take pride in his command of
the language, and brag about the conciseness and clarity of his communication; yet, to be truly
effective, he must exercise empathy and consideration for his reader/s. Here are some ways to
achieve this:
1. Show reader benefit or interest in the reader. Let the reader know how he can benefit
from what the message asks or announces. In situations where actual benefit is impossible
or irrelevant to show, the message should at least show interest in and concern for the
reader’s needs and viewpoint. Look at the examples below.

Since we haven’t written you in some So that dividend checks, premium

time, please help us bring our records up
to date by filling out and returning the
other half of this card.
Only 83% of these cards came back.
notices, and other messages may reach
you promptly, please fill out and return
the other half of this card.
This request brought 90% of the cards
back in a few days.

2. Emphasize the positive, pleasant facts. Another way to show consideration for the reader
is to accent the positive. This means stressing what CAN be done instead of what cannot be
done and focusing on ideas your reader can view favorably.
We don’t refund if the returned item is We refund when the returned item is
soiled and unsaleable. clean and resalable.

3. Apply integrity and ethics. To be truly considerate, the writer needs to apply integrity ---
high moral standards, personal honor, truthfulness, sincerity --- to his communications.
If you are interested in this offer, please We would be happy to explain all
visit our branch nearest to you and necessary details to you regarding this
we’ll be happy to explain all necessary offer so you can decide whether to avail of
details for you to avail of the program. the program or not. Please let us know
when we can meet with you for this
purpose.

4. Develop the “YOU” attitude. The writer can project empathy into his business messages
by replacing “I” or “we” with “you” or “your” and addressing the receiver by name.
I think your report was well done. Your report was well done.
We will accept bids until July. You may submit a bid until July.
I need your home phone number. Please give us your home phone number.

Merely inserting the word “you” does not ensure “you”-attitude:

You will be glad to know that we now You can now take care of your banking
have a Walk-Up Window open 7-9 am needs at our new Walk-Up Window, open
and 3-8 pm every weekday. to serve you 7-9 am and 3-8 pm Monday
through Friday.
Even responses that are unfavorable may create goodwill when the emphasis is on the reader.
We expect all employees to have lunch in Please plan to eat your lunch in the
58
 the company’s cafeteria. company’s cafeteria.
We received your resume and Your resume and application are with us.
application. However, we do not have a You will be considered for employment as
secretarial position open now. soon as a secretarial position is open.
5. Write for the reader. Remember: the reader needs to be informed, as quickly as possible,
as accurately as possible. Think: “What can you do to help?”
a. Have thoughts worth putting into print. Nothing is more important than solid content.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Should my message be written or orally presented?
- Is it worth presenting it at all?
- Does some other document already cover it?
b. Narrow the topic. Make this your goal: Do less and do it better. Finally, stay on track;
don’t digress or ramble.
c. Use appropriate language. Appropriate language is plain language. Plain language is
made up of the simplest word to do the job, the shortest sentence to express the idea, the
briefest paragraph to explain the topic. Plain language is the language of conversation, of
friendship. Plain language is direct. Appropriate language also consists of headings,
transitions, and paragraph topic sentences. These tell the reader where you’ve been,
where you are, and where you’re going. They tie thoughts together and smooth out the
bumps. Appropriate language also uses frequent visual aids --- tables, charts, graphs, and
illustrations. These add variety and can often explain far more than words.
d. Pick the best format. Format means the organizational pattern of a piece of writing, the
arrangement of the parts. In most types of writing, the best format states the main idea
early.

Obstacles for Readers One cardinal rule of all effective writing is “write for your reader, not
for yourself.” Writing experts agree that most writing assumes too much knowledge on the part
of the reader. One key to avoid this problem is to examine the main obstacles readers face and
adopt a strategy for overcoming them.
Studies indicate that readers of all backgrounds often have to deal with these four obstacles when
reading:
1. Readers are always interrupted
2. Readers are impatient when finding information they need
3. Readers lack your technical knowledge
4. Most documents have more than one reader

Ways to Understand Readers There are techniques to overcome reading obstacles. The key is
to find out exactly what information each reader needs. Analyze your readers. Write down what
you know about them, talk with colleagues who have written to the same reader/s, know the
purpose for their reading your document, find out their specific needs. To build a framework for
analyzing a reader, it is best to write down – not just casually think about – the answers to these
questions:
1. What is this reader’s technical or educational background?
2. What main questions does this person need answers?
3. What main action do you want this person to take?
4. What features of this person’s personality might affect his/her reading?
5. What features does this person prefer in format? style? organization?

Types of Readers To complete your analysis, classify your readers. There are factors that you
can keep in mind when classifying them (for example: knowledge, influence or decision-making
level, experiential background …) Specifically, you need to answer two questions about every
59
 potential reader: 1) How much does this reader already know about the subject? 2) To what end
will this reader want to read about this subject? Then use the answers to these questions to plan
your document. Certain categories will help you classify each reader.

Reader-Classification Chart by Thomas E. Pearsall

Although you may not sometimes be able to get specifics about your reader, one way you can
still get information is to make generalizations about your reader. Consider the following reader-
classification chart provided by Thomas E. Pearsall.

Layperson Executive Expert Technician User

Reader’s High school to PhD College degree Advanced High school to Extremely variable
educational degrees associate voc-tech (high school to PhD
level
Usually outside the
In or outside Outside the field In the field In the field In the field
field
the field?

Emphasize Application Both; perhaps More application Application; details of

Application more theory than theory
theory or operation
application?

Why reader For practical or For decision- To learn and do To perform tasks
To learn better better
will read personal reasons making reasons
document
Place
Amount of important in Use on a shallower Little;
Avoid, but not
technical body; place level; more basic; concentrate on
completely; some Place in appendix
data complicated some in appendix specifications
retains interest
appropriate data in
appendix;
concentrate
on methods
How much Full background, Update; give more Some; referral to Full background but
background make it simple technical background Referral to other sources keep simple; no
is than for layperson other sources referral to other
appropriate? only sources

Are Yes, use lots

Yes, use some Not necessary Yes, use depending Yes, use freely
analogies
to use on reader
appropriate?

Are Yes, use lots, Yes, use some, Use only for Use only for Use for all or most
definitions especially for especially for special and special and non- technical terms
appropriate? technical terms technical terms non-standard standard terms
terms
Simple (S-V-O) 90%; Simple (S-V-O) 85%; Simple (S-V-O) Simple (S-V-O) 90%;
What style is No limits;
15 words/sentence; 20 words/sentence; 85%; 17 12 words/sentence;
appropriate? use qualifiers
100 words/paragraph 100 words/paragraph words/sentence; 40 words/paragraph;
100 command mode
words/paragraph
Tables okay;
Appropriate Simple tables and
No tables; simple other types Tables/graphs Photographs and
graphics and graphs; exploded
simple other types (pictographs, bar okay drawings especially
visual aids diagrams
charts)
Use if not too
Use math None to very simple Avoid, if necessary; Avoid as much as
Yes, no complicated but
60
and put in appendix problem not in equation possible
numbers? form

Exercise: Rewrite each of the following sentences so that they incorporate the “you” attitude
and express consideration for the reader.
1. We cannot approve your request in fewer than ten days.
2. We have deposited your check.
3. We owe you a P100.00 rebate.
4. I have added your name to our preferred-customer list.
5. We accept credit cards.
6. We appreciate your helping us.
7. I have promoted you to section manager.
8. I expect your monthly report on my table tomorrow.
9. We are giving you a bonus for your energy-saving efforts.
10. We will process your loan application immediately.

Write By Design Writing by design means writing with a

clear purpose or objective, and organizing your document with
your readers in mind towards attaining that objective. Here are
some tips:

1. Write different parts for different readers. The longer the document, the less likely that any
of your readers will read it from beginning to end. Readers normally use a “speed-read”
approach that includes: Step 1. Quick Scan, Step 2. Focused Search, 3. Short Follow-ups.
Your job is to write in a way that responds to this nonlinear, episodic reading process of your
readers. Look at it this way:
Step 3
Step 1 Step 2
Quick Scan Focused Search Short Follow-Ups

Introductory Methods Requirements Implications Conclusion

Summary Background

2. Emphasize beginnings and endings. Busy readers expect to find information in predictable
locations without having to search for it. Emphasizing beginnings and endings responds to
the reading habits and the psychological moods of the readers. At the beginning, they want
to know where you’re heading. They need a simple “road map” for the rest of the way. At the

61
 ending, they expect some sort of wrap-up or transition, your writing shouldn’t simply drop
off. Thus, first-choice locations for important information are as follows:
a) Beginning of the document
b) Beginnings of the section
c) Beginnings of paragraph
d) Ends of documents, sections, and paragraphs.

3: Repeat key points. Different people focus on different sections of a document. Especially
when the document is long, not everyone carefully reads it entirely. These varied reading
patterns require a “repetitive” approach to organizing. Writing by design which will ensure
that your strategic repetition of a major idea, conclusion, or recommendation will give
helpful reinforcement to readers always searching for an answer to the “so what?” question
as they read.

Organizing The Message Following the simple steps and applying

relevant principles previously discussed will greatly help in organizing your
document.

Types of Organizational Patterns There are a variety of organizational plans which a writer
can employ to support his/her purpose. The most commonly used ones perhaps because of their
simplicity and apparent effectiveness are:
1. PREP – start with your point or premise, give your reasons for your point, give examples to
explain or support your reasons, and restate your point.
2. PRES – proceed much like in PREP but you conclude with a brief summary highlighting
your main ideas or reasons for your point or premise.
3. PREM – like PREP and PRES you state your point, give reasons for your point, expand your
discussion by providing examples to explain your point, and conclude with a moral lesson.
4. TELL-TELL-TELL – tell your audience that you intend to tell them something, tell them
what it is, and tell them what you want them to think or do about what you just told them.
5. Sales Approach (known also as AIDA) – gain audience attention, draw their interest to your
message, stimulate their desire to think, feel or do something as a result of your message, and
conclude with a strong appeal for the action you want.
6. MEETING Approach – start with the purpose of your communication, list the items you
want to cover (as in your agenda), discuss each item sufficiently, then conclude with a call
for action.

Other Organizational Patterns

1. Chronological – begins with the event that occurs first in time and continues to succeeding
events.
2. Psychological – most important information is arranged in the most strategic place –
sometimes at the beginning, sometimes at the end or in any other strategic place.
3. Spatial – describes a subject (for instance, the contents of a room) from the left to the right,
top to bottom, rear to front, etc., depending on the desired perspective.
4. General to Specific – begins with a definition and leads to examples of the definition or
begins with a conclusion or hypothesis and leads to supporting info.
5. Problem to Solution – begins with a problem and leads to the solution/s.
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6. Whole to Parts – begins with the hardware completely assembled and leads to the sub-
assemblies.
7. Most Important to Least Important – begins with the most significant points to the least
significant.
8. Comparison Or Contrast – discusses all facets of one alternative and then all facets of
another alternative. Or discusses a facet of one alternative and then goes on to a facet of
another alternative, maintaining this pattern throughout.
9. Cause and Effect – begins with the cause of the situation and continues with the effect/s.
10. New and Old Structure – begins with a new info then links the new info with another new
info, making the first relatively an old information for the reader.
Evaluating The Document A good writing practice is to always reread the document and
evaluate it before sending it to the intended recipients. Once the message is articulated in the
sender’s mind, these questions should be affirmatively answered when the document is prepared:
1. Is this communication really necessary or useful?
* Will my reader benefit from my communication?
* Will it be worth my reader’s time?
* Do I have new information or insights to offer my reader?

2. Is this communication effective?

* Will my communication convey my intended message?
* Will my main and supporting ideas hold up my point?
* Are they arranged in a logical, easy-to-follow sequence?
* Do I have sufficient and appropriate support materials/details to successfully build my point?
* Will my communication meet my reader's expectations?
* Will it stimulate my reader's interest?
* Will it make me a credible communicator?
* Will it lead me to achieve my desired result/s?

3. Is this communication efficient?

* Will it point to key ideas to help my reader more efficiently get my message?
* Does it use simple wordings? familiar, conversational words? concrete words?
* Does it use active verbs?
* Does it avoid unnecessary repetitions?
* Does it avoid surplus words and cluttered phrases?
* Does it organize the message clearly and logically?
* Does it use appropriate transitional devices to lead the reader smoothly to my point?

DOCUMENT PREPARATION
Composing E-Mails With email, you can't assume anything about a sender's location, time,
frame of mind, profession, interests, or future value to you. This
means, among other things, that you need to be very, very careful
about giving your receivers some context. This section will give
specific strategies for doing so. The tips and techniques following
focus on the content of an email message: how to say what you need to
say. These guidelines show you how to be more efficient, clear, and
effective in your e-mails.

63
1. Descriptive Subject Lines A subject line that pertains clearly to the email body will help
people mentally shift to the proper context before they read your message. The subject line
should be a brief informative headline, does not need to be a sentence, and should give a clue
to the contents of the message. Make an effort to keep your subject line to six or fewer
words. Don’t just say “monthly report” Say “November 2006 Monthly Report.”
If your message is in response to another piece of email, your email software will probably
preface the subject line with Re: or RE:. If your email composition software doesn't do this,
it would be polite to put in RE: by hand. For time-critical messages, starting with URGENT:
is a good idea (especially if you know the person gets a lot of email). For requests, starting
with REQ: can signal that action is needed.
2. Focused Message  If your e-mail contains multiple messages that are only loosely related,
you run the risk that your reader will reply only to the first item that grabs his fancy. Try
numbering your points to ensure they are all read (adding an introductory line that states how
many parts there are to the message).
Be concise. E-mails are not meant to be lengthy novellas. Say what you need to say in as few
words as possible. Don’t leave out any details, but don’t ramble on with unnecessary words.
Also use short sentences; the longer your sentence, the more difficult it is to read.
Limit your message to one idea. Write a separate e-mail for each idea you want to talk about.
If you need to communicate several points, split them up into separate messages so your
recipient can delete, respond, file, or forward each item individually, this way, you help
people organize their e-mail and organize their responses to you. It doesn’t matter that each
e-mail is only one or two sentences. The easier you make it for people to understand your
message, the more likely you will get a response.
3. Quoting Documents If you are referring to previous email, you should explicitly quote that
document to provide context. Remember however, to only include enough context for the
message and no more. Instead of sending email that says:

Yes Say instead: >Did you get the weekly progress report I sent you
>yesterday?
Yes
NOTE: The greater-than sign (>) is the most
conventional way to quote someone else's email words, but your email software may use a different convention.

4. Concrete Reference Remove pronouns without clear antecedents. A good rule is to look very
carefully at all pronouns in your first three sentences. If they don't refer to something
explicitly stated in the email, change them to something concrete.

5. Readable Text Format Be careful about how you present your text because your reader’s
screen may not have the same look as your screen when you are writing your message. It is
best not to use formatted or fancy text which may not be supported by your correspondent’s
mail reader. Don't depend upon bold font or large size to add nuances -- many people's e-mail
readers only display plain text. In a pinch, use asterisks to show *emphasis*. In addition, use
standard capitalization and spelling, especially when your message asks your recipient to do
work for you. Skip lines between paragraphs. Don't type in all-caps. Online, all-caps means
shouting. Regardless of your intention, people will react as if you meant to be aggressive.
In addition, don’t lump everything together in one giant paragraph. Use short paragraphs to
separate your thoughts, just like you would in a formal letter. E-mail is not any different than
a written letter. Your reader still needs that white space to make the message easier to read.
Try to limit your paragraphs to six sentences. The longer your paragraph, the more difficult it
is for your reader to comprehend your message.

64
6. Attachments Some mailers support "attachments", where you can specify a document to send
through email. This allows people to share essentially any file in any format. It is however
always safe, to check if your correspondent has a mail reader that can handle the kind of
attachment you are sending or if they have enough disk space to receive your attachment.
Avoid attachments whenever you can.  Put your information in the body of your e-mail whenever
possible. Remember that attachments are increasingly dangerous carriers of viruses, take time to
download, take up needless space on your recipient's computer, and  don't always translate
correctly (especially for people who might read their e-mail on portable devices). Instead of
sending a whole word processor file, just copy and paste the relevant text into the e-mail (unless
of course your recipient actually needs to view the file in order to edit or archive it).

7. Clear Self ID   Identify yourself clearly. When contacting someone cold, always include
your name, occupation, and any other important identification information in the first few
sentences. If you are following up on a face-to-face contact, you might appear too timid if
you assume your recipient doesn't remember you; but you can drop casual hints to jog their
memory. If you are well-known to your correspondent, you can probably get away without
including extra identification. In other cases, you should provide your correspondent with
enough clues to figure out who you are, why you are writing, and why he or she should pay
attention to you.

8. E-Mail Courtesy Be kind. Don't flame. To "flame" someone is to write an abusive personal
attack. If you find yourself writing in anger, take a break. Take some time to cool off before
you hit "send." Don't "flame" without weighing the consequences. Praise in public, criticize
in private. If you want to complain about someone, do it in person or by telephone, so there
won't be a permanent record.
Respond promptly.  If you want to appear professional and courteous, make yourself
available to your online correspondents. Even if your reply is, "Sorry, I'm too busy to help
you now," at least your correspondent won't be waiting in vain for your reply.
Show respect and restraint. Many a flame war has been started by someone who hit "reply
all" instead of "reply." Don't assume privacy. While most people know that e-mail is not
private, it is good courtesy to ask the sender before forwarding a personal message. If
someone e-mails you a request, it is perfectly acceptable to forward the request to a person
who can help -- but forwarding a message in order to ridicule the sender is tacky.
Use BCC ("blind carbon copy") instead of CC (“carbon copy") when sending sensitive
information to large groups. (For example, an employer telling unsuccessful applicants that a
position is no longer open.) The name of everyone in the CC list goes out with the message,
but the names of people on the BCC list are hidden. Put your own name in the "To" box if
your mail editor doesn't like the blank space.
Be tolerant of other people's etiquette blunders. If you think you've been insulted, quote the
line back to your sender and add a neutral comment such as, "I'm not sure how to interpret
this... could you elaborate?"

65
9. Proofread  Take the time to make your message look professional. While your spell checker
won't catch every mistake, at the very least it will catch a few typos. If you are sending a
message that will be read by someone higher up on the chain of command (a superior for
instance), or if you're about to mass-mail dozens or hundreds of people, take an extra minute
or two before you hit "send". Show a draft to a close associate, in order to see whether it
actually makes sense.
Use good grammar, sentence structure and punctuation. A sloppy e-mail reflects badly on
you and your company. Take the time to proofread and edit your e-mails before they go out
Slowly read over your message and look for missing words. Look for correctly spelled words
that are the wrong words (using you, instead of your). Your computer will catch some of
your mistakes, but not all of them. Remember: whether you send the occasional e-mail or
you use e-mail for all of your correspondence, you still need to use good grammar and
correct spelling. You are still communicating and you need to be understood.

10. Distinguish between formal and informal situations  When you are writing to a friend or a
close colleague, it is OK to use "smilies" :-) , abbreviations (IIRC for "if I recall correctly",
LOL for "laughing out loud," etc.) and nonstandard punctuation and spelling (like that found
in instant messaging or chat rooms). These linguistic shortcuts are generally signs of friendly
intimacy, like sharing cold pizza with a family friend. If you tried to share that same cold
pizza with a first date, or a visiting dignitary, you would give off the impression that you did
not really care about the meeting. By the same token, don't use informal language when your
reader expects a more formal approach. Always know the situation, and write accordingly.

11. Page Layout Keep everything short. Keep your lines short, keep your paragraphs short,
and keep the message short. Try to keep everything on one "page". In most cases, this means
twenty-five lines of text. Break up paragraphs to only a few sentences because long
paragraphs may be visually hard to track. Also, try to keep your lines under seventy
characters long so you leave a little room for the indentation or quote marks your
correspondents may want if they need to quote pieces of your message in their replies. (This
is because: if a line is longer than 76 characters, it is split after the 75th character and the
line ends with an equals sign. People whose email reading software can understand quoted-
printable encoding will probably have the lines automatically reconstructed, but others will
see ugly messages, like the following:

I've got the price quote for the Cobra subassemby

ready; as soon as I get a=
decision on the thromblemeister selection,
I'll be ready to go. Have you=
talked to the thermo guys about whether they
are ready to go with the=
left-handed thrombo or do they want to wait
and check out the right-handed=
one first?

12. Intonation The most difficult thing to convey in email is emotion. People frequently get in
trouble for typing exactly what they would say out loud. Unfortunately, without the tone of
voice to signal their emotion, it is easy to misinterpret their intent. While you cannot make
your voice higher or lower, louder or softer to denote emphasis, there are ways you can play
with text to convey vocal inflection and emotion.

Emphasis What to do: Example

Light Enclose it in asterisks (equivalent to I said that I was going to go

66
 italics in a paper document. last *Thursday*.

We Both Need To Be Present in

Or capitalize the first letter only of
the meeting.
words to give light emphasis.

Strong Use all capital letters and toss in some > Should I just boost
> the power on the
extra exclamation marks.
> thrombo?
Note: You should use capital letters
sparingly. The relative lack of cues to NO!!!! If you turn it up to
emotion in email makes people hyper- eleven, you'll overheat the
sensitive to any cues that might be there. motors and IT MIGHT EXPLODE!!
Thus, capital letters will convey the message
that you are shouting. It is totally
inappropriate to use all capital letters in a
situation where you are calm.
>>EXTREME!!<< If you really want to emphasize If you are late this time, I
something, you can go wild: swear upon my mother's grave
that I will never, *never*,
Note: Use this sparingly. *NEVER*, >>!!**NEVER**!!<<
talk to you again.

Mutter Use double parentheses to denote My boss resigned ((got

Equivalents inner voice. fired)) today …

hey jenny! guess what? I GOT

Or type without any capital letters. THE JOB!!!! :-D :-D !!

13. Gestures Not only does email or text lack the emotional cues that vocal inflection gives, e-
mail (or text) lacks cues from body language. There is no twinkling of the eyes to say you are
kidding, no slapping the back of your hand in your palm to show urgency or frustration, no
shoulders slumping to display discouragement. While you are unable to accompany your
words with hand or facial gestures, there are several email or textual stand-ins for gestures.
Textual Gesture Example
Smileys - A facial gestures can be represented with what is Happy :-)
Being funny ;-)
called a "smiley" or "emoticon": a textual drawing of a facial Sad :-(
expression.
Ill (%^P)
ASCII gestures Angry (>:-<)
Astonished (:-o)
Wellll....... it
Pause Equivalents - Typed out vocalizations and white space *might* not explode.

14. Greetings and Signatures Greetings are difficult to do well, especially if you are crossing
cultures and/or languages. In most cases, you can be pretty informal, but still need to be
careful that you aren't either making assumptions or using sensitive words. Salutations may
also be tricky. Frequently, titles are different for men and women, and you may not be able to
tell which you are addressing. It is never a bad idea to do some research about the person
you are addressing.
Also, unless you are absolutely certain that your correspondent is male, it is not a good idea
to use “Sir” or “Mr.”. Similarly, it is probably safer to use "Ms." instead of "Miss" or "Mrs."
unless you know the preference of the woman in question. In most cases, using someone's
first name is ok. Thus, you can usually get away with a "Dear" and the first name. It is also

67
 quite common to simply say “Hello” or “Hi” especially for people we already know. But
again, you must be careful about cultural differences.

As regards signatures: Many email programs allow you to set up a default signature to be
included at the end of every message. Many people use these signatures as an easy way to
give their name and alternate ways of
reaching them. For example: Some people put things purely for
Raquel M. Garcia-Rebutar entertainment in their signature: artwork,
Managing Consultant philosophical sayings, jokes, and/or
OPTIMUM ACHIEVEMENT CONSULTING quotations in their signature. This can be ok,
Telefax 837-24-67
Writing Reports Reporting is an integral but part don't overdo Most
of business. it. A good reminder is to
keeporal
employees will find themselves having to do either youror signature
written (orat or under five lines
long.
both) reports. With a good understanding of the principles of good
writing plus a knowledge of what make good reports, anyone can write
effective reports.

Different Classifications of Reports Reports can be classified according to

destination (internal or external); according to source (auditor’s reports, laboratory reports, etc);
according to frequency of appearance (annual, monthly, weekly, etc); according to length (long,
short); according to physical form (letter, memo); according to degree of formality (formal,
informal); according to other factors. No matter what type of report a writer prepares, the
principles of effective writing will always help him prepare a document that both serves his
purpose well and meets his reader’s needs and interests.

Different Report Formats There is no single format for reports. Reports may have different
formats and parts depending on the requirements of the intended reader, purpose of the writer,
and other factors. Here are some basic formats:

Format 1 Format 2 Format 3

I. Introduction I. Statement of the Problem I. Introduction
II. Discussion II. Recommendations II. Analysis of the Problem
III. Conclusion III. Supporting Data III. Proposed Solution/s
IV. Anticipated Results
V. Recommendations

Format 4 Format 5 Format 6

I. Background I. Introduction I. Introduction
II. Faults of Present System II. Recommendations II. Summary of Conclusion
III. Alternatives III. Background and Recommendations
IV. Recommendations IV. Present Procedure III. Investigative Data
V. Conclusion V. Proposed Procedure IV. Conclusion
VI. Conclusion V. Recommendations
VI. Exhibits

Purposes of Reports Readers vary greatly in their purposes for reading reports just as different
writers will prepare reports for various reasons. Most reports however, will either be informative
68
(examples are: financial statements, minutes of meetings, abstracts and digests of published
materials, and the like) or analytical (examples are: market surveys, efficiency studies, review
or examination of proposed policies/procedures, and the like) reports.

A central purpose of many reports often is to help the reader solve a problem and make a
decision. For example, if your organization is experiencing a high turnover of employees, that’s
a problem. The purpose of your report may be to find out what causes the high turnover and how
to keep the employees after they are hired. As you write your report, be sure to include
significant information to pertinent making appropriate decisions for and solving the problem of
high turnover.

Then again, specific types of reports may have their own specific purposes: conference reports,
for example are summaries or brief write-ups of meetings attended; periodic reports are written
to summarize activities and financial affairs within certain periods; personnel reports assesses
qualifications of current or prospective staff and making recommendations for hiring, promotion,
training, etc.
Progress Reports Progress reports are among the most commonly
written and read reports. The main purpose of progress reports is to give
an accounting. In a formal situation, progress reports are issued at
specific intervals to show what has been done, what is being done, and
what is expected to be done. Funding agencies, managers, and
supervisors require such reports for control purposes and intelligent
management decisions whether a project should be maintained,
expanded, reoriented, or abandoned. Progress reports also help those
involved in the project to focus on and assess periodically their work
done and remaining in relation to allocating resources, time and effort.

Elements of a Progress Report . The exact length and format of your report are
up to you and your client-reader. The form and content of progress reports also vary depending
on the subject matter and what the reader wants and needs to know. The following elements are
usually included:
1. Introduction State the nature and purpose of the project. The introduction may also be an
Executive Summary - a brief but complete summary of the progress of the project during
the reporting period, highlighting accomplishments and recommendations.
2. Description of Accomplishments During The Report Period - highlight key
accomplishments, summarize the exact work that you completed during the reporting period
and discuss how they relate to the overall project. Include percentage of completion --- an
estimate of the percentage of completion of your project during the period of the report.
3. Problems (if any) and Issues If you have encountered any problems or other issues that
need to be brought to your reader’s attention, list them here. Make sure that you follow up
this written presentation of project issues with personal, face-to-face discussions with your
clients.
4. Plans for the Next Report Period Be specific in describing your plan of action for the
succeeding phase or period of the project. It is a good idea to use a action plan format to
summarize: specific steps to be undertaken, time frames (begin-progress check-end),
resources needed, anticipated problems and ways to counteract them, and action or help
needed from others (if necessary).
5. Summary (overall appraisal of progress to date)

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Organizing Progress Reports Most progress reports lend themselves to a chronological
arrangement. In some cases, it may be more appropriate to arrange the progress by tasks or by
subject matter (such as equipment, materials, resources, and costs in the case of production or
construction work). The organizational plan may either be deductive/direct (describing up front
in your report the main ideas or recommendations before presenting detailed evidence and
explanation) or inductive/indirect (presenting much evidence and supporting materials before
arriving at the main recommendation or conclusion.

Following are some useful guidelines when to use a deductive or inductive organizational plan
for progress reports. In addition, the tips on softening negative impact of your messages can be
very helpful when you have to relay a “bad” news to your reader. Remember, much of how your
reader will perceive your message depends on the way you say it.

Use the deductive approach if reader …
1. is a busy executive who wishes to know
first what the conclusions are or what
action is to be taken, where, and who has
the responsibility
2. prefers to determine quickly whether to
scan the text for confirmation of
conclusions/recommendations and whether
the rest of the report is worth reading
3. will consider your conclusions good news
or neutral information
4. can better analyze data if conclusions or
recommendations are given first
5. wants the writer’s point of view promptly
6. dislikes suspense and prefers to see
recommended action first so that the
discussion then substantiates it
7. prefers that the report (or all reports) be
organized in this order
8. is basically friendly and receptive to the
report’s conclusions or recommendations
Use the inductive approach if reader…
1. must have a detailed explanation first in order
to understand the conclusions and/or
recommendations such as in scientific and
technical reports
2. is the type who will fight your decision unless
he is first given complete details and becomes
convinced by logical development of evidence
3. will consider your conclusions bad news,
because they are contrary to the expected
outcome of the study
4. might feel less biased toward conclusions and
be more likely to accept them if first given an
analysis of important factors
5. needs to be encouraged to read the entire
report, not just the terminal section
6. prefers that this report (or all reports) be
organized in this order
7. is potentially hostile to the report, to you, or to
the committee asked to present the material

Soften Negative Impact Of Negative Messages When reporting bad news, here are some ways
to soften the negative impact of negative messages.
Content a. Major idea is clearly identified.
b. Supporting details are sufficient.
c. Facts or figures are accurate.
Organization a. First sentence introduces the general subject without stating the bad news, leading
the reader to expect any good news, or making such obvious statements as to the
background of the bad news.
b. Details or explanations precede bad news.
c. Main idea (unpleasant message) emerges from preceding discussion.
d. Closing sentences are about something positive (an alternative, resale, or
promotion).
Style a. Words are readily understood.
b. Sentences are relatively short.
c. Variety appears in sentence length and structure.

70
 d. Some techniques of subordination are employed to keep the bad news from
emerging with unnecessary vividness, such as:
-bad news appears in a dependent clause
-bad news stated in passive voice
-bad news revealed through the use of the subjunctive mood
c. First person is used sparingly if at all.
d. Ideas cohere (changes in thought are not abrupt).
e. Expression is original (sentences are not copied directly from the definition of a
problem or from sample letters).
Mechanics a. Document format is consistent (block, modified block, simplified…).
b. Document parts are in appropriate vertical and horizontal position.
a. Margins are consistent.
b. First and last paragraphs are short.
e. Keyboarding, spelling, and punctuation are perfect.

Application Exercise: Write a short progress report on an assignment or project you have been
recently working on. Try as best as possible to incorporate as much information your intended
reader/s will want to see in your report. Also remember to apply the principles of effective
writing you have just learned. You may want to “preview” what your report will contain by
doing a “map” of it, below.

71
 WRITING MEMOs You write memos rather than letters when you are
communicating within your organization, including members of your
department, upper management, employees at another branch of your
company in another city, etc. E-mail messages are by far the most common
form of memo.

Since memos are designed to be read quickly and passed along rapidly, often within a company
or work group, they are characteristically brief, but they should follow the other principles of
good writing as well: know your audience, be clear, and be accurate. While a memo generally
requests or delivers a quick response to a specific question, it may also be a compact version of a
short report, progress report, or lab report. Although section titles may appear awkward in a
very short memo, they allow your readers to scan efficiently and respond quickly.
Memos are often routed, posted, and forwarded, which means they can reach a lot of people
quickly. Effects of careless mistakes compound quickly, since they tend to generate even more
memos asking for clarification. Memos usually also get filed, which means they can come back
to haunt you later.

Typical Components Of A Memo. A memo typically will have the following components:

Header Different offices may prefer different layouts, but in general you should use an
arrangement like the following:
Date: (Best to spell it out to rule out confusion)
To: (In general, omit titles such as Professor or Mr., but follow the style your
From: organization prefers. You may write your initials after your name on the
"From" line.)
cc: ("Carbon Copy")
bcc: ("Blind Carbon Copy") Note: A "blind copy" might go to a person who should
be informed of what is going on (such as an office assistant or a secretary), but who is
otherwise not directly involved. These headers are optional. The people on the "cc"
list do not see the names of the people on the "bcc" list.
Subject: (Be specific so as to tell the reader what your memo is about)

Also Note: The standard memo does not use a salutation or a closing. However, many people
do add such lines to e-mail messages.

Purpose Immediately state your reason for writing. Answer the journalist’s questions:
who, what, when, where, and why.
Example: The purpose of this memo is to request authorization to purchase a sound
card and a modem for the computer in the front office.

Summary The summary should do more than describe the contents of the memo, it should
be a miniature version of the memo. Put all your important information up front.
(Some readers, satisfied with the summary, might stop reading here. If so, you
have done your job well.)
Example: During last week’s working lunch, the HR Department asked the employees
to consider the suggestion to have a long weekend adding Monday to the
usual Saturday-Sunday days-off in case of a scheduled Holiday within the
coming week. While it was initially thought of as an option up for the
employees’ choosing, many expressed that it should be made into a policy.
The HR Department will hold an open meeting next Friday at 12, in
conference room 2, in order to solicit employee feedback.

72
Discussion Since your memo may be pulled from a file years from now, your discussion
section should include sufficient background information which may include the
names and titles of the people involved, or the dates of earlier memos related to
the one you are writing. The rest of the section should expand on and support all
the points you made in your summary. You may employ subheadings similar to
those found in larger technical documents: situation, problem, solution,
evaluation. Label these subsections. You may choose to arrange the discussion
chronologically, from more important to less important, or from the general to
the specific. Whatever rhetorical pattern you choose, you should follow these
general pointers:
1. Start with the old information and work carefully towards the new.
2. Give your reader a sense of the big picture before you zero in on the parts.
3. Use active verbs.
4. Use the pronoun “I” when you are talking about your work.
5. Simplify your language. Instead of “somewhere in the proximity of,” write
“near”. Instead of “at this point in time,” write “now.”
6. Avoid puffing up your writing to make yourself appear more important

Action Unless the purpose of the memo is simply to inform, you should finish with a
clear call for action. Who should do what, and how long do they have to do it?
You may need to include alternatives, in the event that your readers disagree
with you. Be polite when you ask others to do work for you, especially when
they are not under your supervision. You may wish to mention the actions that
you plan to take next, and what your own deadlines are, so your reader can gauge
how important the project is to you. A canned conclusion such as "If you have
any questions, please feel free to contact me at 555-1234" is too vague for a
statement of action.

Exercise: Below, write a brief memo about any of the following:

1. Request (for additional manpower, equipment, etc)
2. Change of office policies or procedures
3. Clarification on an important matter/issue
4. Response to a previous request
5. Solicitation of support

73
 Writing Letters
Today, letters are not as widely used written communications as they
were in the past, although they still serve many purposes for many
people. Following are guidelines for effective letters.

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER

1. DATE - required part of a business letter because it indicates to the reader when the letter
was written.
2. MAILING NOTATIONS and OTHER SPECIAL NOTATIONS Special mailing notations
(AIRMAIL, REGISTERED, SPECIAL DELIVERY, CERTIFIED) and other special notations
PERSONAL, CONFIDENTIAL) are keyed all in capital letters at the left margin a double
space below the dateline.
3. INSIDE ADDRESS/SALUTATION This provides all essential information for delivery of
the business letter: addressee's name, title, company name, street number and name, city,
and ZIP Code. It also provides the information needed to determine the correct salutation
to be used.
4. ATTENTION LINE Frequently an attention line is used to route a letter to a particular person
when a letter is addressed to a company. The attention line indicates that the letter concerns
company business and that the writer prefers that the letter be handled by the individual named
in the attention line (or by another individual in a similar role if the individual named is no longer
with the company. The salutation agrees with the inside address not the attention line.
5. SUBJECT LINE This serves as a title to the body of the letter and should be keyed a
double space below the salutation. It may be placed at the left margin or centered (in a
modified block format) or indented five spaces (if paragraphs are indented). SUBJECT or RE
is sometimes used with the subject line, but not required. The subject line can be keyed all
caps, in capitals and lowercase, or in capitals and lowercase underlined. A double space
follows the subject line before beginning the body of the letter.
6. BODY The message of the business letter is contained in the body. Each paragraph should
be single-spaced with double spacing between paragraphs. Efforts should be made to

74
 balance paragraph size, with at least two paragraphs in a letter. A very short letter (six
lines or less) may be double-spaced, or extra blank lines may be inserted between letter
parts to achieve balance. Quoted or tabular material within a letter is set off by a double
space before and after the quotation, and by a five-space indention from the left margin.
7. COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE, COMPANY NAME, and SIGNATURE LINES Recent survey
of businesses found that the majority used the ff: "Very truly yours" or "Sincerely,"
"Sincerely yours," "Yours very truly." Key the complimentary close at the left margin for
block style, begin at the center in modified block format, a double space below the body of a
letter. Capitalize only the first letter of the first word. With mixed punctuation, place a
comma after the complimentary close. With open punctuation, no punctuation is needed. In
some offices, the company name is keyed in all capital letters a double space after the
complimentary close. It begins in the same place as the complimentary close. The
signature lines are those lines which identify the writer of the letter and often the writer's
title or department or both. They follow the complimentary close (or the company name if
one is used) by four line spaces. The signature line begins in the same place as the
complimentary close. Titles may be on the same line as the writer's name, or on the
following line.
9. REFERENCE INITIALS They identify the typist of the business letter. They are placed at
the left margin, a double space below the final signature line. Reference initials are keyed
in a variety of ways:
* Indicating the typist: kds zz map
* Indicating the writer's (first initials) and the typist: ALR:kss TRD/POE SR:cm

10. ENCLOSURE When additional information is to be enclosed, an enclosure notation should

be used. This is placed at the left margin a double space below the reference initials.

11. COPY NOTATION When copies of a business letter are to be sent to other individuals, a
copy notation should be placed at the left margin, a double space below the enclosure
notation or reference initials, whichever is last. It is also helpful to indicate when enclosures
are (or are not) sent to those who are to receive copies of the letter: cc = carbon
copy, pc = photocopy, pc (w/enclosures). Sometimes the letter writer wants to send a
copy of the business letter without the addressee's knowledge. In this case, a blind copy
notation should be used on the file only: bcc or bpc:

75
Letter Styles There are a variety of letter styles a writer can use depending on his/her
preference. Each has its unique features and advantages.

FULL BLOCK STYLE MODIFIED BLOCK

Month day, YEAR
Mr. Business Writer
Company
Address
Dear Mr. Writer:
The full-block style is a continuation of the trend
toward simplicity and ease of use. All lines including
the date and closing lines, begin at the left margin.
Paragraphs are always blocked.
This letter format is more efficient than the semi-block
or the modified-block because no extra time is required
for paragraph indention or placement of the date and
closing lines. In addition, many writers believe that the
full-block arrangement provides an attractive,
businesslike appearance.
Sincerely,
OPTIMUM ACHIEVEMENT CONSULTING
Taguig, Metro Manila
Month day, YEAR
Mr. Business Writer
Business Writing Class
Company
Address
Dear Mr. Writer:
This letter is an example of a letter typed in modified block
format with blocked paragraphs and open punctuation.
Notice that all lines begin at the left margin except the date
and the closing line, which begin at the center of the page.
The spacing between letter parts is standard.
Even though it is more expensive to use than the block
format, modified block is still used by many conservative
businesses. It is the only letter format that gives the writer
the choice of indented paragraphs.

Racquel Garcia-Rebutar Sincerely yours,

OPTIMUM ACHIEVEMENT CONSULTING
Raquel Garcia-Rebutar

FUNCTIONAL STYLE
Month day, YEAR
Miss Business Writer
Business Writing Class
Company
Address

The functional arrangement is a variation of the simplified style. It could be described as a simplified version
of the simplified style. It is not widely used for the same reasons that the simplified arrangement is not widely
used: it is considered "different" and impersonal.

The functional arrangement is in several ways more desirable than the simplified style. Not all require or
benefit from the use of the subject line, which is a required part of the simplified style.

RAQUEL GARCIA-REBUTAR
Managing Consultant
OPTIMUM ACHIEVEMENT CONSULTANCY

76
 SIMPLIFIED STYLE
Month day, YEAR

Ms. Business Writer

Business Writing Class
Company
Address

THE SIMPLIFIED LETTER

Ms. Writer, do you like this letter style? It has several advantages, but possibly some disadvantages too.

It is the easiest letter of all to set up and type. In addition, it has a businesslike, no-nonsense look about it. A subject line, which
can be used in any letter style, is always included in the simplified style.

Some persons feel that this letter arrangement is unfriendly and impersonal because the customary salutation and complimentary
close are omitted. These lines are unnecessary, though , for if the letter is written as it should be, the reader will believe and
understand that it is "sincere", "cordial", and "very truly yours." Besides, all the persons we address "dear" are not really dear to us,
using the ordinary meaning of the word.

You may want to choose this letter to be the standard one for your office. If not, I think full-block would be a good choice. You
may also choose the semi-block or the modified block to be your standard arrangement, if you prefer their appearance - but your
typist will lose some time in setting them up.

RAQUEL GARCIA-REBUTAR

INDENTED PARAGRAPHS PERSONAL BUSINESS LETTER

with MIXED PUNCTUATION
From the Desk of:
OPTIMUM ACHIEVEMENT CONSULTANCY Racquel Garcia-Rebutar
Taguig, Metro Manila

Month day, YEAR Month day, YEAR

Mr. Business Writer Dear Writer,

Business Writing Class
Company Personal business letters are letters from an individual
Company Address about personal business matters, not letters from a
representative of an organization. Personal business
letters are written on personal stationery or plain paper.
Dear Mr. Writer:

This letter is an example of modified block with indented
paragraphs and mixed punctuation.
Though it was once a common form, it is becoming
increasingly outdated because it is an expensive form to use.
Every indentation takes the typist additional time, and that extra
time can add up over the year.
Yet, a few companies still prefer this format because some
people feel that it gives a warmer appearance than the block
format.
Very truly yours,
Racquel M. Garcia-Rebutar
Never write personal business letters on printed
letterhead stationery of the employing organization.
Doing so implies that you represent the organization by
whatever you say in the letter.
Application letters and other letters about employment
are examples of personal business letters.
Letters from an individual may be arranged in any of the
letter arrangements, except that the return address if not
printed on the sheet, is typewritten immediately above
the data.
Signed

77
 WRITING PROPOSALS A proposal is a presentation for consideration of something. It
could more precisely be discussed as appeals or bids for grants, donations, and sales of
goods/services. Basically, proposals are persuasive (sales)
presentations. They may be concerned with a wide variety of topics and
problems to be solved. In general, however, we may refer to proposals
in three ways --- according to their purpose (business or research),
length (short or long and formal), and origin (solicited or unsolicited).

Invited or Prospecting Proposals. Proposals maybe invited (example: an organization

announces it will make an award and is seeking applications for it) or prospecting (example: an
organization submits an unsolicited description of its projects to a philanthropic foundation to
ask for funding).
When you write a solicited proposal, remember that you most likely will have many competitors
also bidding for that contract. Follow meticulously the proposal requirements of the solicitor
regarding problem, needed solution, specific work to be done or equipment to be installed, even
the format of the proposal, number of copies desired, deadlines, and so forth. Whenever possible,
use the outline and same words the agency has in its literature or guidelines. Don’t use jargon
that only you can understand.
Likewise, when you write an unsolicited proposal, you need to convince the reader or review
committee that you understand the organization’s problems and that your firm or you are
qualified to solve it successfully.

Format and Organization. The physical arrangement and organization of proposals vary
widely. The simplest proposals resemble formal memos. The more complex proposals may take
the form of a long report including prefatory parts (title pages, letter of transmittal, table of
contents, executive summary), text, and an assortment of appended parts. Most are somewhat
between these extremes. It is wise to investigate carefully before designing a particular proposal
to determine which form is conventional among those who will read it. Check with those who
have done proposals before you, what they did in similar situations.

Proposal Requirements. Requirements of proposals also vary in both formality and content.
In some cases, strict formality is expected while in others informality is in order. The decision
should be based particularly on the relationship between the parties involved. Still there may be
cases when formality is expected regardless of the relationship of its parties.
Content. In determining content of a proposal, consider the needs of the individual case. In
case of an invited (solicited) proposal, review the facts of the proposal announcement. If there is
a suggested plan for the proposal, follow such guidelines. If the proposal is uninvited, determine
what the readers need to know. As each case will have different needs you will have to use your
best judgment. Although content possibilities vary widely, it is wise to consider including the
following topics:
1. Summary/Abstract 5. Time Table of Activities
2. Introduction 6. Agency Profile
a) background/situationer a) philosophy and goals
78
 b) need/rationale b) brief history
3. Project Description c) programs and projects
a) technical plan d) manpower capabilities
b) management plan e) facilities and resources
4. Requirements 7. Benefits of the Proposal
a) personnel 8. Concluding Comments
b) budget 9. Appendices (when appropriate)
More Guidelines for Writing Proposals. After you’ve carefully considered your purpose,
audience, and organization, consider these:
1. Choose the best format (letter or memo or report) to make your document “approachable” –
easy to get through and limited in scope.
2. Choose concise yet assertive wording and make your wording match your readers’
preference and engage their interest.
3. Make the text visually appealing. The page design must draw readers into the document.
- Use lists (with bullets or numbered points to highlight main ideas
- Follow your readers preferences as to font size, type, line spreading, etc.
- Use headings and subheadings to break up blocks of text.
4. Carefully wordsmith your beginning and ending sections and stress just a few points so
that they are read and understood according to your intentions.
- Capture the readers’ attention with a capsule summary of the entire proposal.
* Purpose of the Proposal
* Reader’s main need
* Main budget you offer
* Overview of proposal sections to follow
- Put important details in the body that should address these:
* What problem are you trying to solve, and why?
* What are the technical details of your approach?
* Who will do the work and wit what?
* When will it be done?
* How much will it cost?
- Use your conclusion to leverage on the opportunity to control the reader’s last impression.
* Emphasize main benefit or feature of your proposal
* Restate your interest in doing the work
* Indicate what would happen next
5. Use attachments for less important details but make sure the proposal text includes clear
references to these.
6. Edit carefully. Make sure to build enough time for a series of editing passes preferably by
different readers.

Exercise: Write a short (one page) memo proposal to your boss about a recommendation that
will cause improvements in your workplace. To plan your memo proposal, write below what
parts you want to include in your document, and briefly describe the contents of each.

79
 COMMUNICATING ON THE TELEPHONE
Module 4

The telephone, a seemingly insignificant instrument, when properly handled, can

be a potent tool for creating a positive organizational image, increasing work
efficiency, and facilitating the delivery of customer satisfaction. The opposite
however, is also true --- in the hands of unskilled, careless, or indifferent users, the
telephone can destroy the organization’s image, be a stumbling block to
organizational productivity, and turn off customers.

Basic Telephone Techniques Just as one needs to have all the necessary ingredients
to successfully prepare a recipe, one must ensure the essential ingredients that make for
professional telephone handling are in place. As you review the basic requirements of effective
phone handling, be aware of your own practices versus the recommended practices. Keep an
open mind and a willing heart to apply them in your daily telephone interactions. Consciously
develop good telephone habits by constantly and consistently putting to good use those desirable
behaviors. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the change you will have, as well as the change you
can effect in others when you really try to improve upon your own phone handling behaviors.

Techniques for Handling Incoming Calls

6.
1.
Three Rings Clarify & Confirm

2 7.
Smile Agree

3. Greet 8. Phone Number

4. Identify 9. Compliment

Listen Hang up Last

5. 10.

80
 Techniques for Handling Outgoing Calls

6.
1.
Plan Listen

2 7.
Prepare Action

3. Seven Rings 8. Phone Number

4. Smile 9. Compliment

Introduce Hang up First

5. 10.

Projecting Excellence on the Phone Apart from basic techniques for

handling telephone calls, there are other considerations to keep in mind in
order to consistently project excellence and professionalism in our
telephone interactions:

1. Telephone manners and courtesies Good manners and simple courtesies are hallmarks of
good communicators whether in person, in writing or on the telephone. Take the effort to
address people by their names and titles, use expressions of consideration and respect,
81
 practice discretion and confidentiality, put the receiver down gently, do not interrupt a caller
or be impatient, listen attentively and give the caller your undivided attention, do not talk
with anything in your mouth… are some of the simple but effective ways you can show
courtesy.

2. Body language and telephone image Your posture, gestures, and facial expressions do
affect your telephone image. Although they may not be seen by the person on the other end,
they certainly influence your overall attitude or mood which you unwittingly project through
your voice. Keep an erect posture, make your callers “see” your smiling face, put on positive
facial expressions and use appropriate gestures.
3. Voice and speech The need for clear speech is higher when communicating on the phone
because phone interactions are definitely disadvantaged by the absence of visual cues. Your
voice greatly affects the clarity and tone of your speech --- make it work for you. Adapt your
language and tone to best suit each caller. Choose appropriate words to convey your
message. Taking the time to consciously work on your language makes your message more
appealing, decreases the possibility of misunderstanding, reduces errors, limits frustrations,
and makes things easier for you and the other person to take the appropriate action.

4. Greetings and Endings The most memorable parts of any phone call are the greeting and
ending. Make your greeting show that there is an understanding person on your end of the
line. In a few brief moments you can capture a new friend for your organization, simply by
letting your best personality traits shine through. A sharp, inhospitable greeting, however
unintentional, can destroy goodwill that has taken years to build. Use standard greetings and
endings. Periodically you may change them to add your personal touch. Don’t end the
telephone conversation abruptly –indicate that the call is coming to an end with appropriate
signals such as “This is all I’ll need, Ms. Caller,” or “Will that be all, sir?”
or “I’m glad you let us know.”

5. Telephone skills The key to developing excellent phone handling techniques and being
perceived as “professional” is determining to practice and repeat those appropriate behaviors
on every opportunity.

Role Play Critique Sheet As you watch each role play, note what you feel the phone handler
did that were appropriate oreffective, what s/he did that were not effective, and your
recommendations for improvement.

Not
Effective/Appropriate
Situation Effective/Appropriate Recommendations
Actions
Actions
1. Telephone
coverage
2. When boss
is out
3. Wrong
connection
4. Call back

5. Frustrated
caller
6. Boss
nowhere to
82
 be found
7. Cover up

8. Get the
Message
9. Really
upset caller

COMMUNICATING IN PERSON
Module 5

Becoming A Good Conversationalist

Conversation is the most common form of oral communication. At
work, school, home, or play, we communicate with others by
conversing with them; hence, it pays to enhance our conversation
skills, in addition to our other communication skills.

Effective conversation skills do a great deal in making our messages more personalized and
warm. Most people feel more comfortable participating in informal and friendly conversations
even when discussing important business or wok matters than in more formal communication
situations (ex. corresponding by letters or memos ).

While there may not be strict hard and fast rules regarding good conversations, there are some
guidelines that are always helpful to keep in mind and apply.

Exercise: From your personal experience, what would you consider important DOs and
DON'Ts of good conversation. The puzzles below could provide you additional ideas. Simply
connect letters that are contiguous (horizontal, vertical, diagonal, right to left or left to right), no
skipping of letters is allowed.

DOs of GOOD CONVERSATION DON’Ts of GOOD CONVERSATION

A F N A T U R A L L I V M O N O P O L I Z E R I
S P R E L A X E D C N O U D A P T C F A D O A N
S A N I M A T E D O T I M C O N D E S C E N D S

83
 C C H E E R F U L N E C B V A G U E R A B B I I
L I S T E N E R A S R E L O P E M I N D A O N N
A C O N F I D E N I E C E P T S B A U L D R G C
R T A C T F U L T D S O R B I G O T T A T I V E
I R B O O S T I Y E T N A R G U M E N I A N P R
F U N S M I L E R R I T C E T O M B A C C G T E
I T S M O N O R O A N R E X A G G E R A T E D N
E H C I R C L E M T G O C I R T N E C O G E U P
S F U L A E L C U E S L S T O T A C T F U L L M
L U R E L R A S H Y O O H O L I F E L E S S L S
C O U R T E O U S N E W Y P E W T P A R T E O T
More Tips To Good Conversation In a conversation process, you as a communicator play the
roles of both the sender and receiver; hence, you will need to exercise both good speaking and good
listening skills at the same time, if you are to have the greatest enjoyment and benefit from it.

As a sender, remember to pay attention to feelings, attitudes, and

expectations (yours and others); filters that may operate; assumptions
and issues that are held by different parties; and such other things that
may influence the direction and tone of the conversation. In sending your
messages, make direct statements (a direct statement will describe the
situation, express feelings, make a request, or explain a consequence in a
clear and objective manner). Use a direct manner of expression (use an
even tone, smooth speech, direct eye contact, firm gestures and
movements, “I” statements). Avoid ambiguous words and tone. Ask direct
questions.

As a listener, apply good receiving skills: observing, listening, and asking appropriate questions.
Observe the voice and tone of the speaker, establish eye contact with him/her --- it’s amazing
how much more of the message you will get when you do this, and be aware of his/her actions
and movements in relation to what s/he is saying. Here are more tips to keep in mind:
1. Be aware of your own assumptions.
2. Don’t impose your views on others nor suppress what you think.
3. Probe the reasoning behind decisions – theirs and yours.
4. Explore others’ positions and beliefs and allow them to explore yours.
5. Recognize, yet be not distracted by what you wish to say before others finish speaking.
6. Pay attention to what is being said as well as what is not being said.
7. Try to see with new eyes what appeared as insignificant or profound.
8. Increase your awareness of your own reactions, perceptions, and interpretations.
9. Be genuinely interested and curious about what others have to say.
10. Strike a good balance between telling and asking --- skillful discussion.

84
Presenting Before an Audience

Oral presentations are a necessary part of business today. They are

vehicles through which the organization makes its products and
services known. They also are means of communicating to the people
"above" as well the people "below" in the organization. They also
serve as venues whereby one can make his brilliant ideas and
accomplishments known and be recognized. How well they are done
can have a tremendous impact on the success of the company, as well
as the professional career of the presenter.

Exercise: What would you consider a good presentation? _____________________________

One way or another, we all have an idea of what a good presentation is like. The real challenge
for many however, is how they can make their own presentations the kind that the audience will
remember the point of the presentation long after they listened to it. Here are a some helpful
reminders.

Five S Approach To Effective Presentations

1. Strategy. Formulate a strategy for the specific audience and occasion. Develop your
purposes in relationship to the to the audience and situation.
a. Identify your purpose --- both general and specific. Ask yourself: Are you trying to
motivate, inform, persuade, demonstrate, or teach? Your general purpose will influence
the kind of language, style, structure, and supplements that you will use in your actual
presentation. After you’ve identified your general purpose, it is easier to identify your
specific purpose by asking yourself: What do you want your audience to learn? Or What
behaviors or attitudes do you want audience to adopt? This specific purpose will
determine how you will tailor the remainder of your presentation to your audience and
the demands of the situation.
b. Talk your message to your specific audience. The key here is to understand their knowledge
of the subject, attitude toward your message, and expectations of your presentation.
c. Meet the demands of the situation. Respond appropriately to the expectations of your
audience. Consider the setting, occasion, time, audience composition.
2. Structure. Develop a clear structure that translates your broad strategy into specific content
elements.
a. Begin with a catching introduction. Arrest the audience attention, provide them a reason for
wanting to learn about your message, and give them a road map or quick sketch of your subject.

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 b. Choose an appropriate organizational pattern. Remember that your organization does a lot to
your credibility. An organized person is always viewed more positively than one who is not.
Use no more than 3-5 main points to present your message.
c. Use transitions or signposts to guide your audience through your message.
d. Conclude on a high note. Reach closure at the end of your presentation by summarizing your
major ideas or a final time. Call for action or reinforce your audience’s commitment to
action, establish feelings of goodwill, challenge them to at least consider the viewpoints
you’ve just presented.
3. Support. Support your ideas with examples, illustrations, and other material adapted to your
audience to reinforce your ideas.
a. Choose a variety of support. The most effective support is not well known to your
audience. Remember that using good support materials also increases your credibility. New
evidence and live videotapes have more impact. Note: The audience initial position
determines the extent to which they will find the evidence believable.
b. Use appropriate visual support. Visual aids have a dramatically increase comprehension and
retention of your message to 50% compared to a maximum of 20% without them. They also
enhance persuasion. Remember to keep your visual aids simple and effective.
4. Style. Prepare your material to create a presentation style that will enhance your ideas.
Remember that how you present is usually as important as how you present.
a. Prepare your notes and practice your total presentation well. Remember, the crucial effect is
conversational style. Engage your audience as if in a casual talk with you.
b. Convey controlled enthusiasm for your message. Communicate excitement about your
subject. Use your posture, tone of voice, and facial expressions to indicate your attitude
toward your message.
c. Involve your audience both mentally and physically through effective delivery. Use
appropriate eye contact, body movements to get your audience ever glued to your
presentation. Avoid any movement that distracts from your message.
d. Apply verbal precision. State your intent simply and clearly.
e. Project professionalism. Avoid errors --- whether grammatical or factual. Use the
appropriate tone and express appropriate cordiality.
5. Supplement. Supplement your presentation with confident, informed responses to your
questions and challenges. Ask yourself the most challenging questions that might possibly be
asked by the audience, be ready to answer those, even before your actual presentation.
a. Anticipate questions and thoroughly prepare to respond to them. Rehearse your answers to
especially difficult questions.
b. Respond appropriately to different audience reactions (objections and resistance, or
compliments). When handling objections: restate the objection/resistance, state your
position, offer support for your position, indicate the significance of your rebuttal.
c. Maintain control of the situation. Balance the demands of specific individuals with the
interest of the whole group. Keep exchanges on a rational and objective level. Make sure
you make the last statement to close the raised issue.

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 Effective Listening Effective listening is a necessary part of
effective communication. Of all the time we spend communicating, by
far the greatest is spent in listening, yet this communication skill is so
often overlooked or seriously short-changed. Listening as a method of
taking in information is used far more than reading and writing
combined. It is the channel used most often for learning yet, ironically,
on the average (according to experts) people are only about 25%
effective as listeners.

Lack of listening can result to serious problems: misunderstandings, hurt feelings, confused
instructions, loss of important information embarrassment, and frustrations (to name only a few).
Listening is an important communication skill. It is a learned skill which involves a more
sophisticated mental process than merely hearing. It demands energy and discipline. The first
step is to realize that listening is an active, not a passive process.
HOW DO YOU MEASURE UP AS A LISTENER? Read the questions listed below and rate
yourself on each of the following characteristics using the scale:
Always=4 Almost always=3 Rarely=2 Never=1
Responses
1. Do I allow the speaker to express his/her thoughts without interrupting? 4 3 2 1
2. Do I listen between the lines, especially when conversing with 4 3 2 1
individuals who frequently use hidden meanings?
3. Do I actively try to develop retention ability to remember important 4 3 2 1
details of the message?
4. Do I write down the most important details of a message? 4 3 2 1
5. In recording a message, do I concentrate on writing the major facts and 4 3 2 1
key phrases?
6. Do I read essential details back to the speaker before the conversation 4 3 2 1
ends to ensure correct understanding?
7. Do I refrain from turning off the speaker because I do not personally 4 3 2 1
know or like him/her?
8. Do I avoid becoming hostile or excited when a speaker’s views differ 4 3 2 1
from my own?
9. Do I ignore distractions when listening? 4 3 2 1
10. Do I express a genuine interest in other individual’s conversations? 4 3 2 1
TOTAL

Characteristics of Effective Listeners. One way to make listening work is to be aware of

attributes of an effective listener. Researches identify these characteristics of effective listeners.

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1. Keep an open, curious mind.
2. View listening as an opportunity to gather new and useful information. They listen for new
ideas everywhere, integrating what they hear with what they already know.
3. Tend to listen to ideas, rather than specific facts.
4. Are self-perceptive and thus listen to others with their total being. They are aware of their
personal biases and are able to avoid making automatic judgments about the speaker.
5. Are not readily influenced by emotionally charged words.
6. Become personally involved with what they hear.
7. Are introspective and have the capacity and desire to critically examine, understand, and
attempt to transform some of their values, attitudes, and relationships, within themselves
and others.
8. Are able to focus their attention on the speaker’s ideas, while listening with feeling and
intuition.
9. Use extra thought-time to anticipate the speaker’s next statement, to mentally summarize the
message, to question or evaluate the message, or to consciously notice non-verbal cues.

Some Helpful Listening Tips. Listening, like speaking is a two-way process. Of course, you would want to
learn to effectively listen to others, just as you would want to effectively get others to listen to you. Follow these
tips:

Listening To Others More Effectively Getting Others To Listen To You

1. Adopt a positive attitude 1. Speak clearly

2. Be responsive 2. Put yourself in the listener’s place and be
sensitive to his needs
3. Shut out distractions 3. Make it worthwhile for him to listen to you;
4. Listen for the speaker’s purpose think in terms of benefits to the listener
5. Look for signals for what is to come, 4. Anticipate possible questions and answer
summaries of what has gone before them
6. Evaluate the supporting details 5. Get to the point quickly --- avoid runabout
explanations
7. Take notes
6. Recover from interruptions gracefully
8. Look for nonverbal cues
7. Avoid emotional words
9. Clarify with the speaker what is 8. Work on your voice projection and make it
unclear work for you
10. Establish eye contact 9. Be courteous and positive in your
communication
10. Make sure the listener understands ---ask
questions, paraphrase, look for signals
(verbal or non-verbal), summarize

Communicating To Get Things Done Communication is an

essential tool for work productivity. Good communication aids in solving
problems and making decisions. One must learn to communicate with all those
s/he works with, upward or downward. Following are some tips:

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 Effective Downward Communication
1. Give your subordinates as much control over
their own work and work environment as
possible.
2. Make sure you know what your goals are
before you expect him to carry them out.
3. Let them know exactly what you expect of
them in clear, straightforward language.
4. Don't ever assume they know what you want.
Tell them; don't make them second-guess
you.
5. When subordinates do something wrong,
improper, or irritating, let therm know about
it right away, in a tactful manner. Let them
know that it bothers you. But, focus on
behavior.
6. Treat them with consistency and impartially.
Try not to let fluctuations in your moods
influence your behavior.
7. Give clear verbal instructions. Demonstrate,
when possible, and ask questions to be sure
they have understood your message. Give a
new person a lot of support when he is
starting out. Be available when s/he needs
you, and follow up to be sure s/he has
understood what you want.
8. Never belittle subordinates for making a
mistake or not knowing something. Treat
them and their problems with respect.
9. Don't expect perfection. People learn and
grow through mistakes. Treat errors matter-
of-factly and concentrate on correcting them.
10. Don't forget positive feedback. If you think
they are doing a good job, let them know it.
They can't read your mind here, either.
11. People need room to grow, give it to them.
As they grow, give them more challenging
responsibility. As soon as they show they
can handle it, back off and give them space
to do the job the way they see fit.
12. Give them as much background information
as possible. Let them know why things need
to be done and how their jobs fit into overall
picture.
13. If a subordinate persists in undesirable behavior,
persist in telling him about it.
14. Involve your subordinates in problem solving
and decision making whenever their input
might be useful and the decisions concern
their work.
15. Don't ask for a subordinate's opinion unless you're
really willing to listen.
Communicating To Address Issues and Solve Problems Communication is the key to
coordinating with others in the organization --- whether your boss or the significant others that
Effective Upward Communication
1. You can say almost anything to your boss if
you: a) Consider his point of view, b) Talk
straight - take responsibility for your message:
"I want...." " I am bothered by .....", c) Speak in
a non-threatening, conversational tone; d)
Have background facts and presentations clear
in your own mind first.
2. Never jump to conclusions. Always check facts
thoroughly first. Don't attempt to read your
boss' mind.
3. Accept the blame for your mistakes. Let the
boss know you're willing to correct them. Ask
for his help if necessary.
4. If the boss criticizes you unjustly, let a little
time pass and then tactfully point out his
mistakes when the two of you are alone. But
don't be picky on this issue; if the point is
minor, let it pass. The important thing is to
show the boss that you care about and results,
just as he does.
5. Avoid negative language, such as " I don't
know if you can help me, but .." "It's probably
too much to ask, but..."
6. When you want something, ask for it. Do so in
a direct, positive way. Back up your request
with benefits and reasons and a plan all
worked out to make it as simple as possible for
your boss to grant it.
7. If you want to be paid more money - ask for it.
Time your request to coincide with your boss's
good mood (an appropriate review time) and
your own outstanding performance. Be
specific as to the amount your want. Have your
reasons as to why you deserve a raise.
8. When you get something close to what you
wanted, thank the person responsible for your
getting it.
9. Bargain hard in the negotiating room, but
accept the results amiably. Don't hold grudges.
10. Protect your ideas by writing them down.
Work them up as fully as possible. See that
important people get copies of your proposals.
11. Remember: the worst possible consequence of
speaking up might be losing the job - and that
is not the end of the world.
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you have to work with. Here are a few things that you can do to smooth out the kinks that can
tie up the work flow between you and these others.
Working Effectively With Your Boss Working With Colleagues
1. Find out what your boss’ priorities and 1. Avoid hasty judgments. Suspicions are
expectations are. not facts. Don’t jump to conclusions.
2. Talk to your boss if you are disturbed 2. Get the facts. Go directly to the person/s
about something. responsible for the delay, the
misinformation, or the mix-up, and ask
3. Keep track of your boss’ projects. what went wrong.
4. Keep your boss informed of what 3. Take preventive measures. Be proactive.
you’re doing. Anticipate possible problems and prepare
to deal with them.
5. Don’t be afraid to disagree, but do so
4. Always maintain goodwill and establish
tactfully.
harmonious working relations. Even if
6. Try to anticipate your boss’ busy and you might not see eye-to-eye with each
light schedules. other, you can still operate in a spirit of
goodwill.
7. Look for extra things you can do for
your boss. 5. Learn about your colleagues. Being
acquainted with the vocabulary of the
8. Demonstrate your problem-solving other departments, for example, will
creativity. make it easier for you to communicate
with them.
9. Keep your cool when under pressure.
6. Communicate. Put your requests in
10. Be flexible. writing if miscommunications occur
frequently. If you have a complaint,
problem, or suggestion, take it to the
person involved. Explain the issue/s
objectively, omitting hurting emotional
words and tone.
7. Always keep an open mind. This will aid
you in understanding the other person’s
point of view.

Constructive Confrontation Conflicts arise in relationships, but conflicts need not deter good
working relationships. They have to be dealt with immediately, directly, objectively, positively,
productively. Here are very simple and practical tips to keep in mind :
1. Confront issues, not persons. Find out beforehand what the issues really are; collect data and
information that will help resolve the issues quickly and in a positive manner.
2. Build and maintain rapport during the discussion of the problem; stay calm even when strong
emotions are expressed. Listen actively for content. Focus the discussion on effective action.
3. Admit error, when wrong. Discourage defensiveness and encourage assumed responsibility
by admitting mistakes.
4. Remember the long-term effects of your communication and actions. Mutually negotiate a
plan and commit to act.
PARTICIPATING IN MEETINGS Meetings are an essential part of the
organization's communication system. Particularly today, when information has
taken a more significant role in the success of organizations, meetings serve as
the necessary venue where vital information is processed for the organization’s
use. Yet millions of pesos and precious man-hours are lost or wasted because of
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ineffective meetings, which otherwise could be used to further the progress of
the organization and improve its bottom line. Here are what observers note
regarding effective and ineffective meetings:
 BEST MEETINGS WORST MEETINGS
1. Clear characterization of task-closure 1. No decision reached - no closure,
2. Well defined purpose; clear agenda no summary
3. Participants courteous and well behaved 2. Lack of punctuality
4. Small attendance 3. Misunderstanding about...
5. Preparatory material/s 4. Everybody interrupting everyone else
6. “ I understood my role”
5. Chairperson didn't manage the meeting
7. Good group thinking
8. Closure on issues after reasonable 6. Terrible meeting manners
discussion 7. Disconnect between agenda and actual
9. Ample time for discussion data presented
10. Clear conclusions reached 8. No agenda
11. Accomplished objective 9. Process and mission meeting mixed
12. Began and ended on time throughout the meeting

Fifteen Ways To Increase Your Value In A Meeting. There are ways that you can make your
presence and contribution felt and appreciated, every time you attend and participate in a
meeting. Here are some of them:
1. Get there on time. You'll distract the group by coming late.
2. Sit opposite the leader. You'll get more involved and be noticed.
3. Come prepared. Read the agenda: anticipate needs the group will have for data you can bring.
4. Participate. Plan in advance at least one specific contribution. Speak up. Be candid, yet tactful.
5. Don't monopolize discussions. If you feel you have to comment on every issue, you're
probably talking too much.
6. Build on other's ideas. Recognize and appreciate the value of others’ ideas and they will
value yours, too.
7. Be optimistic about the group. A positive attitude about what the group can accomplish
will translate into action.
8. Listen to understand. Not listening causes misunderstanding and is a major meeting time-waster.
9. Speak to be understood. Speak clearly and objectively.
10. Stick to the agenda. Don't use the meeting as a platform for your personal agenda.
11. Challenge the group. Pose "what if" questions.
12. Criticize ideas, not people. Be harsh on ideas, soft on people.
13. Don't use the group as a substitute for direct discussions with individual members.
Don't needlessly embarrass anyone in front of the group or address issues that can be
resolved one-on-one.
14. Step into the chair when needed. Provide leadership at critical points without threatening
the formal leader.
15. Follow-up. Help ensure people deliver on their promises to accomplish assigned tasks.
EFFECTIVE MEETINGS CHECKLIST The following checklist will guide you in ensuring that the
meetings you lead or participate in are effective. Give your meeting 1 point for every “YES” answer and 0 point for
every “NO” answer.

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PREPARING FOR THE MEETING
1. Are the meeting facilities arranged for comfort and are conducive to attaining the meeting’s purpose(s)?
2. Is there a clear pre-published agenda?
3. Are the people who need to be present properly informed about it (date, time, venue, agenda, etc)?
4. Are all necessary materials (information, data, forms, etc.) present in the meeting venue?
OPENING THE MEETING
1. Does the meeting begin promptly?
2. Have the goals for the meeting been identified?
3. Has necessary background information been reviewed?

4. Are expectations for members' contributions clear?

5. Have time constraints been identified?
DEFINING ROLES
1. Are the need-to-be’s in the meeting? Promptly?
2. Do the members understand their roles and responsibilities in the meeting?
3. Does the leader clearly understand his role and responsibility?
4. Is the leader effective in controlling the meeting (managing time, facilitating balanced interaction,
moderating discussions, resolving conflicts, etc)?
5. Do the members co-share the responsibility of running the meeting smoothly?
ENCOURAGING BALANCED PARTICIPATION
1. Have leaders and members used questions to draw out quiet members?
2. Are off-track comments redirected with references to the agenda and is relevance always ensured?
3. Do the leader(s) and members suggest moving on when an agenda item has been dealt with adequately?
4. Does everyone speak up on every important issue discussed?
5. Do members freely voice their opinions and vote their consciences?
MAINTAINING POSITIVE TONE
1. Are questioning, paraphrasing, and other clarifying techniques used as non-defensive responses to negative
(hostile, dubious) remarks? Are ambiguous, unclear comments enhanced as much as possible?
2. Are ideas thoroughly examined before being rejected or accepted?
3. Does a climate of trust pervade the meeting?
4. Do the people listen to each other and build on each other’s ideas during discussions?
5. Are differences of opinion resolved productively?
6. Are meeting participants courteous and well-behaved?
SOLVING PROBLEMS CREATIVELY
1. Is the problem defined clearly (versus too narrowly or broadly?)
2. Are the causes and effects of the problem analyzed?
3. Are clear criteria for resolving problems established?
4. Are possible solutions brainstormed without being evaluated?
5. Is a decision made based on the previously established criteria?
6. Are methods of implementing the solution developed?
CLOSING THE MEETING
1. Is a decision reached? Is there an appropriate closure (conclusion, action plan, task assignment, etc.)?
2. Are all unclear points clarified to avoid any misunderstanding?
3. Does the meeting end on the time specified?
AFTER THE MEETING
1. Do attendees feel the meeting was good use of time? that the meeting accomplished its objective?
2. Do members leave the meeting with a clear direction on how to proceed about decisions made?
3. Are the meeting minutes distributed immediately after (ideally within 24 hours)?
4. Is there a planned follow-up on assignments made during the meeting?
5. Do confidential discussions remain confidential after the meeting?

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 Getting The Most Out Of Reading Reading is so important that
it is the first of the basic Rs of education. Yet, for some reason, many people
(including professionals) seem to have forgotten developing this essential
communication skill. Reading enriches one’s conversation skills, in many
ways.

The fact is, we live in an age when having certain information (or the lack of it) can spell one’s
success or failure in life. Information is so vital for many apparent reasons. John Locke
compared our mind at birth to a blank sheet of paper. Gradually, everything we see, feel, taste,
hear, and smell – our total sensory experience – writes on that blank sheet. That’s what gives us
mind and memory out of which we draw the very expressions of our communication. One
universal law of communication is: We can only express that which we have impressed. This
means that the quality of our expressions can only be as good as the quality of impressions in our
mind and memory, can never be any better.

Exercise: Answer the following questions:

1. How important is reading to your personal life? __________________________________

2. How important is reading to your professional or work life? ________________________

3. What are some of the benefits that you stand to get from having effective reading skills?

4. What recommendations will you give someone who is interested to get those reading
benefits? ________________________________________________________________

The first step toward improving your reading skills is to be aware of your weak areas then
identify the specific steps you can take to make the necessary improvements in them.
Areas for Improvement What I Will Do To Improve
Reading Speed
Getting the Main Idea
Noting details
Vocabulary Proficiency
Summarizing

Application Exercise: Get a reading material (magazine, book, newspaper, journal…). Read
about something in 10 minutes. Then share what you read about with someone. Imagine the
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tremendous amount of knowledge = power that could be yours if you would only read for 10 to
15 minutes daily.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

A quick re-look at the principles and practices of effective business communication and checking
our personal as well as group practices against them will help us have a more focused
communication improvement program. Do the exercise that follows:

Overall, as a group, how are our business communication skills?

What do we do that are effective? What do we do that are not so effective?

If we could change something in how we do things…

We would change… What we would do differently:

Overall, how are my communication skills?

What do I do that are effective? What do I do that are not so effective?

If I could change something in how I do things…

I would change… What I would do differently:

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95