BUSINESS

COMMUNICATION
BS33004FP / BS33004TT

3rd Edition

April 2024

Jointly offered by
School of Business & Services
ITE College Central, East and West

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PREFACE

Business Communication
BS33004FP / BS33004TT

Communication skills are important in everyday life, helping us to better understand issues
and form better relationships with people around us. The ability to communicate effectively
tops the list of skills highly sought after by employers. Communication skills are therefore
crucial in achieving success in both the workplace and in social settings.

This module aims to reinforce the importance of communication and help students acquire
skills to be better communicators. The module will cover basic rules in communication and the
four basic communication skills, with an emphasis on speaking and listening.

Aim and Objectives

The general objective of this course book is to prepare and equip students with fundamental
soft skills to respond to others in workplace and social settings in acceptable English
standards. It also seeks to sharpen students’ listening, questioning/clarification styles and
techniques and note-taking skills. Materials on interpreting textual and visual messages are
included to help students understand and decode meanings from a mirage of communication
mediums, so as to prepare and give them a competitive edge in the workplace. On completion
of the module, students should be able to apply essential communication skills to build
professional relationships, and prepare business documents as well as presentations.

What this book contains:

(a) Course materials for students to study for the required assessments & examination.

(b) Learning activities to make learning interactive and interesting.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

UNIT 1

A. Purpose of information search ........................................................................................6

B. Describe sources of information ......................................................................................6
C. Assess relevance of source of information ......................................................................7
D. Verify reliability of information .........................................................................................8
E. Reading skills ................................................................................................................10
F. Methods to organise information ...................................................................................24
G. Quoting references and implication of plagiarizing ........................................................24
H. Purpose of a summary ..................................................................................................26
I. Summary format and key information required ..............................................................27
J. Factors to consider when making informed judgements ................................................30

UNIT 2

A. Purpose of using Standard English ...............................................................................33

B. Purpose of active and reflective listening ......................................................................34
C. Qualities of a good listener ............................................................................................34
D. Ways to seek clarification ..............................................................................................34
E. Ways to improve delivery ..............................................................................................36
F. Purpose of non-verbal cues in conversation..................................................................40
G. Effective presentation ...................................................................................................41
H. Presentation preparations .............................................................................................45
I. Purpose of using appropriate vocal techniques .............................................................46
J. Purpose of showing sensitivity ......................................................................................47
K. Purpose of non-verbal cues ..........................................................................................48
L. Presentation proceedings .............................................................................................49
M. Strategy to engage audience ........................................................................................50
N. Ways to handle questions .............................................................................................51

UNIT 3

A. Purpose and types of business documents ...................................................................54

B. Factors to consider when writing business document ...................................................55
C. Contents requirement for a business document ............................................................59
D. Outline the format of business document ......................................................................59
E. Importance of proof reading ........................................................................................105

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 UNIT
1
Process and Interpret
Information
Objectives

1 Describe the workplace assignment in which information search is required

• Plan for an event
• Prepare for a presentation
• Write a proposal

2 Describe sources of information

• Publication
• Newspaper
• Media
• Workplace database
• Internet
• Interview
• Focus group

3 Describe the relevance of source of information

• Publication date
• Heading / Sub-heading

4 Describe ways to verify reliability of information:

• Online
• Print
• Conference

5 Describe reading skills

• Skimming
• Scanning
• Identifying main idea
• Interpreting literal and figurative language

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6 Explain methods to organise information
• Compare & contrast
• Problem-solution
• Elimination of alternatives

7 Explain the purpose of quoting references and implication of plagiarizing

8 Describe the purpose of a summary

• To create interest
• To inform
• To report

9 Describe the summary format and key information required

• Introduction (purpose, objective)
• Content (details, specification, timeframe, 5Ws and 1H)
• Conclusion (follow-up actions)

10 Describe factors to consider when making informed judgments

• Bias
• Propaganda
• Stereotype
• Opinion
• Fallacy
• Fact
• Etc.

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Information is everywhere. In this rapidly-evolving digital age, one can be easily overwhelmed
with the sheer amount of print and online resources. When faced with a limited time to
complete an assignment or research document, many will not hesitate to copy whatever
information that are available to finish the task in the shortest time. By doing so, they
compromise the quality and accuracy of their work by not considering carefully and evaluating
all information sources. It is therefore important to find ways to make the search process
meaningful to both writers and readers.

Information search requires careful planning and organisation. The purpose of this unit is to
give an overview of how to carry out information search before writing an assignment or
undertaking a work task.

A. Purpose of Information Search

Identify the purpose and define the scope or direction of the information search. Possible
purposes or reasons may include:

• planning for an event;

• preparation for an oral presentation;
• writing a proposal.

B. Describe Sources of Information

Primary Data

If secondary research cannot provide the information or insights needed, you may need to
gather the information yourself using primary research. In primary research, you collect the
data yourself using a range of tools. The more commonly used tools are surveys and
interviews. In some cases, researchers opt to conduct observations or even experiments,
such as test marketing.

Figure 1.1 – Data Collection Tools

Primary Data
Collection Tools

Interviews Surveys
(Questionnaire) Observations /
Face-to-Face / Experiments
Telephone / Group Mail/Online/Email

Secondary Data

You can start the information search by reviewing any available secondary data.
Secondary data are data that have been produced by other people. You may be able to
find numerous reports and other documents from within the company to help you with your
task/assignment. There are a wide range of print and online resources that you can find
online and in libraries as well.

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 Methods to Collect Secondary Data

The following are sources of secondary data.

• Publications – magazines (business/general), trade journals (information about specific

industry/profession), academic journals (research articles from researchers or academics).

• National (e.g. The Straits Times, The Business Times) / international newspapers (e.g.
New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Asahi Shimbun).

• Media – television commercials, brochures, newsletters, product catalogues.

• Workplace databases – employee records, documentation and filing of legal contracts,

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Letter of Acceptance (LOA), emails,
meetings/discussions.

• Internet – company/organisation websites and social media like Facebook. Instagram,

Twitter and online blogs.

• Interview – Via face-to-face, telephone call, or online platforms (e.g. Zoom or Microsoft
Teams).

• Focus Group – Via face-to-face or online platforms (e.g. Zoom or Microsoft Teams).

C. Assess Relevance of Source of Information

You must first consider the relevance of information gathered. Preview the information
gathered to check for relevance by doing the following steps.

Check Publication Date

Recently published works are likely to be more relevant as they offer the most up-to-date
information.

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 Read Headings and Sub-headings

Headings and sub-headings give a good outline of the scope(s) covered.

Figure 1.2 – Headings and sub-headings of an online article

Source: www.bloomberg.com

D. Verify Reliability of Information

Anyone can create a website, blog or start a discussion forum. When searching for information,
you should evaluate sources with care. Use the following factors when evaluating websites,
online information, print or conference.

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Types of Websites by Domain (Online)

Every website has a URL (short for universal resource locator) and all URLs end with an
extension or domain that indicates the type of site it is. Some of the most common domains
include:

• .com (commercial) – usually sites hosted by businesses (https://www.philips.com.sg/ ,

https://www.lazada.sg/)

• .edu (educational) – owned by education institutes (http://nus.edu.sg/,

https://www.np.edu.s , www.ite.edu.sg)

• .gov (governmental) – sites sponsored by local governments (www.acra.gov.sg,

www.iras.gov.sg)

• .net (network) – typically sites sponsored by businesses selling internet infrastructure

services (such as internet providers) but also sometimes chosen by businesses that
want to appear technologically sophisticated or indicate that they are a part of a
larger network

• .org (organisation) – usually non-profit group sites

An additional step in assessing reliability of a website is to determine the number and types
of sites that link to it. From Google search page, you can determine the number of times a
site has been linked to and review the linked sites. Type “link:” plus the URL as the search
criteria. Popularity alone does not indicate reliability, but when it is coupled with other
criteria, it may be one indication of reliability.

Print

Print materials such as books, newspapers, magazines and journals provide great sources
of information. To determine whether the print material is from a valid and reliable source,
one should always evaluate the following.

• Author’s credentials (education and past publications)

• Publication date (Was the book published recently?)
• Author bias (Is the Author being objective?)
• Check the evidence (Does the Author cite evidence and sources?)

Conference / Meeting

Meeting minutes are notes taken from discussions and decisions made during meetings
or conferences. In informal setting, meeting notes are taken to provide a record of the
discussion for future references, while in more formal settings, such as board meetings,
minutes are taken and kept on file as legal documents.

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E. READING SKILLS

Before you start reading anything, ask yourself why you are reading it. Once you know the
purpose, it will become easier to look for the specific information that you are looking for. To
extract meaning from text, one may do the following.

Skim

To read the text quickly for titles, subtitles and sub-headings as well as key words, phrases
and sentences. The aim is to get a general impression of the main ideas of the text.

Scan

To move the eyes quickly over a text to find a specific point or points that answer(s) a question
or questions. As your eyes move down the page, keep in mind what you are looking for and
ignore everything else.

DID YOU KNOW?

Speed reading is normally done at a rate of around 400-

700 wpm (words per minute). Studies have shown that
reading rate of above 500-600 wpm results in loss in
comprehension of the text, although this greatly varies
from person to person.

SCAN to read a Wall Street Journal article and find out

how fast you can read the excerpt!

Identify Main Idea(s)

This involves trying to absorb the major facts and ideas. You may have to read the article more
than once to try to understand the information and identify main ideas/key points. You will use
highlighting, underlining and note-taking to help with your comprehension. Reading to
understand takes more time than the other approaches because you are usually trying to learn
something new. This is also the type of reading you do with books, magazines and
newspapers.

Inference is using facts, observations, and logic or reasoning to come to a conclusion. Below
are some strategies for drawing inferences and conclusions from text to identify main ideas/key
points.

• Apply background knowledge

• Use clues/information from the text

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 Example:

Observation: The girl is wearing a fancy dress and carrying a bouquet of flowers in a
wedding.

Inference: The girl is a flower girl in a wedding.

Interpret Literal and Figurative Language

In order to understand texts effectively, it is important to know the difference between literal
language and figurative language. Below are some strategies to identify and interpret figurative
language and words with multiple meanings.

• Use a dictionary or online resources to check the meanings of words, their origins and
their proper use in speaking and writing.
• Use sentence and word context to find the meaning of unknown words.
• Use the meaning of prefixes and suffixes to determine the meaning of words.
• Use the thesaurus to distinguish words with multiple meanings.

Literal language refers to words or expressions used according to their defined meanings
stated in the dictionary. Non-literal or figurative language refers to words or expressions used
for comparisons that exaggerate or alter the usual meanings of the words.

Example:

He ran fast. (Literal)

He ran like the wind. (Figurative)

A simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a
different kind. It involves the use of ‘as’ or ‘like’ for comparisons.

Example:

His voice was as sharp as a knife. (Figurative)

His voice was very sharp. (Literal)

-- as smooth as silk -- like mother like daughter

-- as quick as lightning -- like a chip off the old block
-- as solid as a rock -- like cats and dogs

A metaphor is a figure of speech where a word or phrase is applied to something for which it
is not literally applicable.

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 Example:

He has a heart of stone. (Figurative)

He is totally insensitive. (Literal)

-- food for thought -- in a nutshell

-- pay through the nose -- through the grapevine
-- Singapore is a melting pot -- back to square one

The same words can have different meanings. It is essential to know and understand how and
when to use them.

Example:

The word ‘act’ can have the following meanings:

1. The process of doing or performing something: the act of thinking.

2. Something done or performed; a deed: a charitable act.
3. A decree passed by the legislative body: an Act of Parliament.
4. One of the major divisions of a play or opera. Act 1.
5. A performance usually forming part of a longer presentation: a magic act.
6. A manifestation of intentional or unintentional insincerity; a pose: put on an act.
It is important to know the meanings and origins of some frequently used foreign words in
the English language.

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 Example:

Words Origin Meaning/Sentence

en bloc French all together

Eighty percent of the owners of Tilly have just agreed to an en

bloc sale of their building.
vice-versa Latin the other way round

To make a bowl of cereal, you can pour the cereal then the milk,
or vice versa.
kowtow Chinese kneel and bow down

On the wedding day, a Chinese couple must kowtow to their

parents.
gecko Malay lizard

Maggie screamed at the sight of a gecko.

guru Indian teacher, master

The Financial Times describes him as 'the

Entrepreneurship guru’.

Assignment 1 - Read the following article and answer the questions below.

Brown sugar milk tea is the unhealthiest bubble tea – and milk foam is the worst
topping, Singapore hospital warns
Rachel Genevieve Chia
July 15, 2019

Sweet-toothed bubble tea lovers, look away now: the sugary drink has gotten so popular here
that a local hospital is calling for consumers to modify their orders to make them healthier.

Mount Alvernia Hospital – a private, not-for-profit tertiary care medical institution – published
an article on its website on Friday (July 5) comparing the sugar and calorie levels of various
types of bubble teas and their toppings.

It later posted an infographic of the article to Facebook due to “overwhelming requests” from
visitors.

Figure 1 - Facebook/Mount Alvernia

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In the article, the hospital warned Singaporeans against the sugar content of bubble tea, since
the drink had become “ubiquitous” and “wildly popular” here in recent years.

It acknowledged that green and black tea were indeed helpful in reducing the risk of diseases
like diabetes, arthritis and cancer, but warned that bubble tea (which contains sugar, milk and
non-dairy creamer) could actually increase the risk of chronic diseases.
Non-dairy creamer is a milk substitute that contains trans fat in the form of hydrogenated palm
oil. This oil has been strongly correlated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke,
the hospital said.
It added that the number of calories in a medium cup of bubble tea were equivalent to a slice
of cheesecake, and advised consumers to limit their intake to two cups a week.

The worst choice? Brown sugar milk tea with pearls. The hospital compared the sugar level in
seven types of bubble tea orders, and found that the unhealthiest option by far was brown
sugar milk tea with pearls. This drink contained 18.5 teaspoons of sugar. The second most
unhealthy option was winter melon tea, at 16 teaspoons of sugar.

An adult’s daily recommended sugar intake is 8 to 11 teaspoons, while for children and
teenagers, it is 5 teaspoons.

And while fruit-based drinks might seem healthy, they were in fact worse choices: passion fruit
green tea (8.5 teaspoons) and jasmine green tea with fruit toppings (8.5 teaspoons) outranked
milk tea with pearls (8 teaspoons) in sugar content.

To counter any cravings for sugary drinks, the hospital advised consumers to pick bubble tea
shops that allowed them to change the sweetness level of the drinks, and slowly reduce the
sugar level to “train” their taste buds.

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Foam toppings have even more calories than pearls. Apart from the drinks themselves, the
hospital also compared the calorie content of various toppings.

The toppings with the highest calories were milk foam (203 calories) and cheese foam (180
calories), beating out the classic option of black tapioca pearls (156 calories).

The lowest-calorie topping in the list was aloe vera, at 31 calories.

The hospital warned that toppings like jellies and pearls were kept in a sweet syrup to keep
them moist, adding to the drink’s sugar and calorie count.

It added that new trends like honey pearls or brown sugar syrup increased the drink’s sugar
content even further.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.sg/brown-sugar-milk-tea-is-the-unhealthiest-bubble-tea-and-milk-foam-is-
the-worst-topping-singapore-hospital-warns/

1. Is the term “sweet-toothed” a figurative or literal language?

2. The article headline started with “Brown sugar milk tea is the unhealthiest bubble
tea…”. State your opinion why this headline would grab the attention of readers.

3. Based on the article, what does the word ubiquitous means?

4. Refer to the calories in bubble tea toppings chart found in the infographic. State which is
the THREE lowest calorie toppings found in bubble teas in the following order: lowest,
second lowest and third lowest.

5. Why did Mount Alvernia Hospital publish an article comparing the sugar and calorie
content of bubble teas on its website?

6. Based on the infographic, state why bubble tea drinks may be more harmful than a can
of regular cola.

7. State THREE ways one can order a healthier bubble.

8. State any TWO drinks listed in the infographic that has lower sugar content than Jasmine
Green tea with Fruits.

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Assignment 2 - Read the following newspaper article and answer the questions below.

Ningxia to be 'world's factory' for halal food

Wednesday, Sep 18, 2013

YINCHUAN - North-west China's Ningxia region, home to about two million Chinese Muslims,
is planning to be a global halal food centre, including upgrading a halal industrial park and
perfecting domestic halal standards.

Officials and businessmen of Ningxia spoke about their vision just before the first China-Arab
States Expo opened on Sunday in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia. Ningxia's halal park, which
integrates research, design, manufacturing, processing and trade for halal foods, is located in
Wuzhong city.

The 63 sq km park has more than 40 enterprises to date with annual production worth 3.6
billion yuan (S$747 million), said Wuzhong's government.

Mr Zhao Yongqing, party chief of the city, told the Global Times that the park has the conditions
to attract halal food enterprises from home and abroad, and would help to promote China's
halal food industry.

By the end of last year, Yinchuan itself had more than 4,800 halal food enterprises. According
to Mr Moustapha Saphariny, former Palestinian ambassador to China, Ningxia enjoys an
advantage over other regions in the country: It operates a halal authentication centre, set up
in 2008. To tap the international halal food market, Ningxia is further perfecting the
authentication system.

With its unique edge, Mr Saphariny said, Ningxia, with Wuzhong, in particular, has the
potential to become the "world's factory" for halal food.

There are about 22 million Muslims in China.

Section A – Multiple Choice Questions

1. Name the capital of Ningxia.

A. Sichuan.
B. Wuxi.
C. Wuzhong.
D. Yinchuan.

2. Which one of the following statements is true?

A. There are 20 million Muslims in China.

B. There are 2 million Muslims in Ningxia.
C. There are 12 million Muslims in Pakistan.
D. There are 1.2 million Muslims in Singapore.

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3. What is the meaning of ‘unique edge’ in this article?

A. objective edge
B. distinctive edge
C. alternative edge
D. comparative edge

4. Why is there a need to have an authentication centre for halal food?

A. To ensure that the food is suitable for export.

B. To ensure that the food is fit to be eaten by Muslims.
C. To ensure that the food is hygienically manufactured.
D. All of the above.

5. The word ‘halal’ is a/an __________ word.

A. Arabic
B. English
C. French
D. Malay

Section B – Short Answer Questions

Answer the following questions in complete sentences.

6. Where is Ningxia region located in China?

7. Describe the halal park in Wuzhong city.

8. Name three industrial activities that can be found in Ningxia’s halal park.

9. Compared with other regions in China, why does the Ningxia region have an advantage
over them in the halal food industry?

10. Why does Mr Moustapha Saphariny, former Palestinian ambassador, think that Ningxia
has the potential to become the “world’s factory” for halal food?

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Assignment 3 – Read the following newspaper article and answer the questions below.

Most expect to work during retirement

Most polled do not anticipate full retirement after 65
The Sunday Times - November 3, 2013
By Alvin Foo

Most Singaporeans do not anticipate retiring fully after the age of 65, according to a survey. Nearly 70 per cent
expect to continue working part-time or full-time. -- ST FILE PHOTO

So much for getting a complete break after a lifetime of working.

The overwhelming majority of Singaporeans surveyed in a recently released poll expect to

work during their retirement. At 69 per cent, the figure here is well above the average across
the region, the poll found.

Across Asia, only 55 per cent of people polled by insurance giant Manulife expect to work part-
or full-time during their silver years.

"While working past the age of 65 is becoming more commonplace, many ageing workers will
find this more difficult than they anticipated," said Ms Annette King, president and chief
executive of Manulife Singapore.

She added: "They often fail to consider the limited employment opportunities for their age
group. And for a significant portion, health concerns ultimately prevent them from working."

The Manulife study is a quarterly poll covering Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, Japan,
Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. In each market, 500 interviews were conducted. The
interviews were done online in all the markets except for Malaysia and Indonesia, where the
survey was done face-to-face.

Those surveyed are middle-class to affluent investors aged 25 years and above, who are the
primary decision makers of financial matters in the household and currently own investment
products.

Singapore investors said they expect to be in retirement for 18 years on average, but their
estimated savings will last only 12 years, leaving a six-year funding gap.

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This amounts to a savings shortfall of $250,000 per person on average in today's terms, based
on investors' own calculations, the study found.

Ms King said: "The shortfall threatens the security and lifestyle of Singapore's workforce when
they retire. In our view, even those who have started planning are underestimating their
needs."

She added that one should work towards having retirement savings to last at least 20 years,
especially with life expectancy increasing.

Only 11 per cent of those surveyed said they are certain of being able to afford a comfortable
retirement.

But 41 per cent believe they are ahead of schedule or on track to achieve their financial goals.

While 20 per cent of local investors polled expect to rely on their children for financial
assistance after retirement, only 11 per cent feel comfortable doing so.

FINDINGS
69% expect to work after age 65
11% are sure of affording a comfortable retirement
41% think they are on track to achieve retirement goals
20% expect to rely on children for financial help

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the retirement age in this article?

A. 50.
B. 55.
C. 60.
D. 65.

2. Which one of the following countries is not covered by the poll?

A. Indonesia.
B. Malaysia
C. Singapore.
D. Thailand.

3. In which country was the on-line interview method used to collect the data?

A. Indonesia.
B. Malaysia
C. Singapore.
D. Thailand.

4. Singapore investors have enough money to last ________ years of their retirement.

A. 6
B. 12
C. 16
D. 18

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5. Who would the Singapore investors turn to if they do not have enough savings for
retirement?

A. Friends.
B. Children.
C. Government.
D. Social organisations.

Section B – Short Answer Questions

Answer the following questions in complete sentences.

6. According to a poll conducted by Manulife Singapore, the percentage of Singaporeans

working after 65 is higher than the rest of Asia. Explain.

7. Why is it difficult for those past 65 to find a job?

8. Describe the respondents of the poll.

9. What happens when the Singapore investors polled do not have enough money for
retirement?

10. With life expectancy increasing, what is Ms King’s advice to Singapore investors regarding
their retirement savings?

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Assignment 4 - Read the following newspaper article and answer the questions below.

3 out of 4 Singapore caregivers lack eldercare leave

Tuesday, Oct 08, 2013
The Straits Times
By Priscilla Goy

SINGAPORE - The National Trades Union Congress on Saturday shared findings of a new
survey which showed that more than three-quarters of working caregivers here do not enjoy
eldercare leave.

That is why one of the labour movement's long-term goals is to push for family-care leave to
be made law, said NTUC assistant secretary-general Cham Hui Fong.

She said: "In this ageing workforce... I think there's a need for us to re-examine the leave
schemes we have, to see how we can reconfigure them so that they are more inclusive, and
you can take care of employees with young families, and those with old families."

Speaking on the side lines of an NTUC family event on Saturday, she said in the short term,
NTUC aims to have half of the unionised companies here providing flexible work arrangements
or leave structures by 2015. This could include expanding the scope of existing leave
categories - such as compassionate or critical-illness leave when family members die or are
in intensive care - to also cover looking after dependants who require medical attention.

The e-survey, conducted in August by U Family - NTUC's family development unit - was aimed
at finding out more about the needs of Singaporeans with caregiving responsibilities.
Some 3,635 caregivers aged 21 to 65 participated in the survey. Almost all, or 94 per cent, are
working adults.

Of the 3,418 working caregivers surveyed, 77 per cent said they do not have eldercare leave,
and 62 per cent do not have flexi-work arrangements. To take care of family members, they
would usually apply for annual or medical leave, or adjust their work timings - arriving late or
leaving early from work.

Among the caregivers who are not working, 72 per cent left their jobs to look after family
members. About three-quarters said they would have reconsidered their decision to quit if they
were given flexi-work arrangement options.

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Dr Mary Ann Tsao, chairman of Tsao Foundation, which specialises in eldercare, said she has
come across "so many people who have lost their jobs or are stressed about losing
employment because they take time off to look after their parents", so such legislation would
"simply be common sense".

To ease employers into the new leave structure, should it become law, it could be introduced
through sick-leave entitlement, said Dr Tsao. Her foundation, for instance, allows all its
employees to use up to five of their 14 annual sick-leave days for family care.

But she added: "Ideally, employers should be required to give workers a certain number of
days off separately for family care, like child-care leave because they are both family
responsibilities and you have to give people time off if you want to retain them in the
workforce."

[email protected]

Section A – Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which survey method is used to gather the information?

A. Observation.
B. Postal survey.
C. Internet survey.
D. Telephone survey.

2. How many percent of the 3,635 caregivers surveyed is working?

A. 63%.
B. 62%.
C. 77%.
D. 94%.

3. How many percent of the people who work are not given leave to look after elderly family
members?

A. 27.
B. 62.
C. 77.
D. 217.

4. What do caregivers do to take care of their family members?

A. Apply for sick leave.

B. Use their annual leave.
C. Make flexi-work arrangements.
D. All of the above.

5. At Tsao Foundation, employees are allowed to use _________ leave entitlement to look
after their family members.

A. hospitalisation
B. marriage
C. sick
D. study

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Section B – Short Answer Questions

Answer the following questions in complete sentences.

6. One of NTUC’s long-term goals is to push for family-care leave to be made law. Why?

7. What does NTUC hope to achieve from now until 2015?

8. What was the purpose of this survey?

9. What can employers do to encourage 72% of the caregivers who are not working to rejoin
the workforce?

10. How many percent of the 217 non-working caregivers are looking after aged parents and
their own children?

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F. Methods to Organise Information

After gathering information, you will need to present your information to the reader in a
meaningful manner. Some basic methods to organise information in reports are given below.

Compare and Contrast

When using this method, you will be discussing strengths and weaknesses or use the “pros
and cons” pattern. Give a specific heading for each argument.

Problem-solution

• Identify the problem – identify problem and explain its background or history (e.g.
unavailability of a venue/vendor and finding an alternative for company’s Family Day).

• Discuss causes (e.g. high costs / unable to meet requirements).

• Analyse advantages/disadvantages of possible solutions (e.g. postponing the event or

finding alternative vendors; discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each
solution proposed).

• Recommendations.

Elimination of Alternatives

• Discuss solutions that are impractical and state why it would not work.

• End with most practical solution.

G. Quoting References and Implication of Plagiarising

When you need to refer to the work of other writers for your research assignment, it is important
to cite the sources of information. Avoid plagiarism by following the simple rules below.

(a) Summarise/paraphrase the gathered information.

(b) Use quotation marks when you quote the writers’ exact phrase or sentence.

24
SAMPLE TEXT

The private label is particularly well-established in Britain. One department store, Marks &
Spencer, has been selling only its own label products for several decades, and as the big
supermarket chains position themselves in the market, the customer is often making
choices preferring various supermarkets’ own labels than manufacturers’ brands.

Summarised version:
Private labels in Britain have enjoyed wider consumer acceptance through supermarket
chains and departmental store.

Paraphrased version:
Private labels are especially well-grounded in Britain. The Marks & Spencer department
store, for instance, has been exclusively retailing products under its own label for some
decades. And due to market positioning of huge supermarket chains, the consumer is often
seen choosing between different private labels instead of between manufacturers’ brands.

(c) At the end of the paper, list your sources to provide readers with references from which
the information was obtained. This will help you improve the credibility of the facts and
opinions presented.

Source Details required

Journal/Magazine/Newspaper • Author
article • Year of publication
• Title and subtitle of article
• Name of journal/magazine
• Volume number/issue number
• Page number of article
Book • Author
• Year of publication
• Title and subtitle
• Place of publication
• Publisher
Websites • Author
• Date of publication or most recent update
(use “n.d.” if there is no date)
• Title of section
• Title of document
• URL of section

(d) Provide proper referencing using the APA (American Psychological Association) or
MLA (Modern Language Association) method.

Example (APA, 6th edition):

Dwyer, J. (2003). The business communication handbook (6th ed.). Australia:
Prentice Hall.

25
H. Purpose of a Summary

Summaries may be found at the beginning (sometimes at the end) of a report, article or
webpage.

Most people do not have the time to read a lengthy document. A clear executive summary that
focuses on the facts are useful to readers in the following ways.

Inform and Interest the Reader

• It informs the reader of the main points of the document without giving elaborate details.

• Readers who read the summarised version of the document may use it to decide if
they should continue reading it.

• If a summary is well-written, it may interest the reader to continue reading the

document.

• It also helps to enhance understanding of the topic covered. Summaries help to recap
the key points that were discussed.

• When writing a summary, the writer will need to think about what was being discussed
and paraphrase it (using their own sentence structures) with the key points.

Report an Event

Post-event reports provide valuable learning points that can help improve future events.

A good event report should include the following points:

• overall success of the event

• ascertain if event has met its objectives
• key learning points (what went well and what did not go well)
• recommendations for future events

26
 Report an Incident

In a business, an incident report usually documents unusual occurrences. As these reports

are written as soon as it happens, they are usually very detailed. They contain a lot of
information so that they will be useful when there is a need to evaluate the situation, file
an insurance claim or investigate customers’ complaints.

The following are examples of unusual occurrences that require an incident report:

• customer creating a scene at a store

• accidents at workplace
• co-workers arguing
• customers’ complaints
• significant disruptions in service delivery

I. Summary Format and Key Information Required

Introduction

Start with an introductory sentence. The following are suggestions on how you may start
a summary.

• State the main topic being discussed.

• State the purpose of the report (if you are writing an executive summary).
• Include the title & author of an article/journal/book that you are summarising.

Content Details – Extracting Main Points

When summarising, the general rule is that it should be substantially shorter than the
original document. Cut it short by at least 50%. Some summaries can be as little as 10%
of its original length. You can follow these steps when you are required to summarise a
document.

• Read the document (more than once preferably) and understand it. You may need to
read the article several times if it is particularly long.
• Underline the key points. Look up words that you do not know.
• Write down the main ideas and create an outline of the document.
• Craft your summary.
• Re-read your summary against the original source and check its accuracy.

27
 Example - Summarising Effectively

Original Source (116 words)

Our facilities costs spiralled out of control last year. The 23% jump was far ahead of
every cost category in the company and many times higher than the 4% average rise
for commercial real estate in the Portland metropolitan area. The rise can be attributed
to many factors, but the major factors include repairs (mostly electrical and structural
problems at the downtown office), energy (most of our offices are heated by electricity,
the price of which has been increasing much faster than oil or gas), and last but not the
least, the loss of two sub-lease tenants whose rent payments made a substantial dent
in our cost profile for the past five years.

Summarised Version (45 words)

Our facilities costs jumped 23% last year, far ahead of every cost category in the
company and many times higher than the 4% local average. The major factors
attributing to the increase are repairs, energy and the loss of two sub-lease tenants.

Summarised Version (22 words)

Our facilities costs jumped 23% last year due mainly to rising repair costs, energy costs
and the loss of sub-lease income.

Source: Bovee & Thill (2012)

5W1H Framework

Apart from the note-taking methods mentioned earlier, you can also use the 5W1H
(who, what, why, where, when, how) technique to pick out relevant details in your
summary.

28
Figure 1.3 – 5W1H questioning technique

Source: http://www.nlb.gov.sg/sure/wp-co 1

Conclusions

Conclude the summary of the report:

• by stating recommendations on improvement which are mentioned in the report; and

• follow-up on actions required.

29
J. Factors to consider when making informed judgements

Bias is an inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way
considered to be unfair.

Propaganda is a form of communication aimed at influencing the attitude of the community

towards some cause or position, by presenting only one side of an argument.

Stereotyping is a prejudice, mistaken idea or belief about what someone or something is like
without proven fact(s).

Traditional Gender Stereotypes

Feminine Masculine
Dependent Independent
Submissive Dominant
Passive Active
Indecisive Decisive
Talkative Quiet
Gentle Tough
Emotional Logical

Facts are concrete bits of information which can be proven to be true. Facts are thus objective.

Examples:
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
Fire is hot.

Opinions describe someone’s judgment, beliefs, feelings or way of thinking about a topic.
Opinions are thus subjective and relative.

Examples:
Bill Gates is more creative than Steve Jobs.
He seems to be suitable for the position.
They probably had some outside help.

Fallacies are errors of reasoning.

Examples:
“John read this book. Then John did this awful deed. This book, therefore, must have
caused John to carry out the awful deed.”

“As students are no longer interested in acquiring a broad range of knowledge, the
college should not teach any topics that are not required for assessment.”

30
 UNIT
2
Deliver a Presentation
Objectives

1 Explain the purpose of using Standard English

2 Explain the purpose of active and reflective listening

3 Describe qualities of a good listener:

• Listen in totality
• Interrupt minimally
• Show interest
• Take notes

4 Describe ways to seek clarification using:

• Open-ended question
• Polar/Close question
• Statement and question tag
• Paraphrasing

5 Describe ways to improve delivery:

1. Clear pronunciation
2. Logical and coherent expression
3. Stress patterns
4. Pitch
5. Tone
6. Volume
7. Pace

6 Explain the purpose of non-verbal cues in conversation through:

• Gesture
• Posture
• Facial expression
• Eye contact

31
7 Describe an effective presentation:
• Time management
• Use of presentation aid
• Use of vocal technique
• Use of non-verbal cue
• Strategy used to engage audience and handle question
• Good coverage of topic
• Effective use of language
• Good time management
• Effective use of presentation aids
• Appropriate use of verbal and non-verbal communication techniques

8 Describe the presentation preparations:

• Target audience
• Purpose
• Presentation aids
• Venue
• Duration

9 Explain the purpose of using appropriate vocal techniques:

• Audibility
• Tone
• Pitch
• Fluency

10 Explain the purpose of showing sensitivity:

• Gender
• Cultural
• Gestures

11 Explain the purpose of non-verbal cues:

• Poise
• Confidence
• Eye contact
• Physical appearance/grooming

12 Describe the presentation proceedings

• Introduction
• Content
• Conclusion
• Question and Answer

13 Describe strategy to engage audience:

• Ask for response
• Pause at appropriate time
• Invitation to comment
• Share experience
• Etc.

14 Describe ways to handle question/s

32
A. Purpose of Using Standard English

Standard English is the official language of the entire English-speaking world, regardless of
nationality. It is important that you acquire the skills of speaking Standard English in this
globalised world as it is, increasingly, the language of business and international law.
Speaking English well will enable you to communicate more effectively and be easily
understood by others.

Practice 1 - Speak Standard English

Fill in the spaces with the appropriate words, phrases or sentences.

Do Not Say… Say…

1. Why you never bring home?

2. He take go already.
3. Why he anyhow do things?
4. I cannot ownself do.
5. I'll take for my ownself.

6. You very clever to arrow people ah,

ownself never do.

7. Why you always like that one?

8. I also can.
9. Who say one?
10. Like that also want to see.
11. Don't worry, sure can one.
12. So late already you still want to go ah?

13. Our drawing so simple how to score?

14. You sit this bus 96 and drop at the bus

stop in front of the Com Centre.

Can you please alight me at the

15.
Centrepoint taxi stand?

16. Every school also got a canteen.

17. Want to rain, want to rain, never rain.

18. How come nobody tell us this exam is

open book one?
19. She got a headache.

20. I study in the Institute of Technical

Education.

33
B. Purpose of Active and Reflective Listening

People who are considered excellent listeners typically apply ‘active listening’ skills.

The following techniques will help you to become a better and more effective listener by
applying active listening:

• Get ready to listen

• Keep an open mind
• Look at the speaker or audience
• Listen for main themes
• Take short notes
• Provide feedback for clarification or deeper understanding

‘Reflective listening’ is to verbally reflect on what a person has just said. It helps a listener to
check whether he/she understood the speaker correctly.

C. Qualities of a Good Listener

1. Listen in Totality

A good listener will listen to the entire content that the speaker is talking about to get the
full understanding of the message or information put across. It is not advisable to jump to
conclusions or form opinions prematurely before the communication session concludes.

2. Interrupt Minimally

A good listener will not interrupt the speaker unnecessarily during a conversation. If there
are queries, he/she should ask only after the speaker stops speaking. This is to ensure
that the full focus is given to the message being delivered.

3. Show Interest

A good listener should show interest in what he/she is listening to by displaying appropriate
non-verbal cues like nodding, maintaining eye contact, etc.

4. Take Notes

To ensure that you draw the main and important points from a message, it is important for
you to take down notes. Prior to a listening task, get ready a paper and pen to take down
the main points for future reference.

D. Ways to Seek Clarification

For effective communication to take place, the speaker must communicate the message
clearly. The listener should take steps to clarify information to ensure that the message is
interpreted according to the speaker’s intent.

Effective questioning allows us to understand what the other party is saying. Knowing the
correct type of questions to ask in different situations is crucial. The different types of questions
are:

34
1. Open-ended Question

• Cannot be answered with a “yes” or “no”

• Used to gain information and build rapport
• Open questions about what, when, where, who, why and how (5Ws, 1H) help the
sender to be specific, precise and open

Example:
How did you come up with this budget?

2. Polar Question

• Also known as a closed question

• Requires a “yes” or “no” answer
• Useful for establishing facts and making decisions

Example:
Did you enjoy the show?
(The only possible answer is a “yes” or “no”.)

3. Statement and Question Tag

A tag question is a statement followed by a mini-question. The whole sentence is a "tag

question", and the mini-question at the end is called a "question tag".

• Used at the end of statements to ask for confirmation. For example, "Am I right?" or
"Do you agree?"
• Used to ask for information or help, and starts with a negative statement

Example:
You do know of good restaurants in the vicinity, don’t you?
You wouldn’t mind holding the door, would you?
You haven't got a $1 coin to lend me, have you?

4. Paraphrasing

Rephrasing or paraphrasing means to say something again using different words. A

listener should paraphrase what the speaker has said to check if he/she has understood
the speaker’s message and intent correctly.

Useful phrases for paraphrasing are:

• In other words…
• If I’ve understood you correctly, what you’re saying is…
• Correct me if I’m wrong, but what you’re saying is…
• To put it another way…
• So what you’re saying is…

35
E. Ways to Improve Delivery

1. Clear Pronunciation

When a person does not speak and/or pronounce words clearly and correctly, it would be
difficult for others to understand him/her. This may result in misunderstanding of the
intended message. It is necessary to look up the pronunciation of new or unfamiliar words.
The main drawback of wrong pronunciation is that the person might seem less
knowledgeable or credible, when being considered for a job promotion, during interviews
and oral presentations, and when establishing rapport with customers and clients.

Strategies to pronounce words correctly include:

• speaking aloud to yourself;

• repeating the word several times;
• practising in front of a small audience such as family members or friends; and
• studying the mouth positions when others pronounce the word and watch their lips.

Practice 1 – Syllable Stress

• Practise pronouncing the following words with different syllable stress.

• Write four more words for each category.

One syllable stress Two syllables Two syllables Three syllables

(first syllable (second syllable (first syllable
stressed ) stressed) stressed)

1. eat 1. GIant 1. toDAY 1. ENergy

2. drink 2. PICture 2. aHEAD 2. OPerate

3. sign 3. HEAting 3. aLLOW 3. ORganise

36
Practice 2 - Pronunciation

Pronounce the following words:

Don’t say Say

1. Antartic 1. Antarctic
2. athelete 2. athlete
3. bidness 3. business
4. old timer’s disease 4. Alzheimer’s disease
5. cannidate 5. candidate
6. dialate 6. dilate
7. expresso 7. espresso
8. excetera 8. et cetera
9. foilage 9. foliage
10. hi-archy 10. hierarchy
11. jewllery 11. jewellery
12. libary 12. library
13. miniture 13. miniature
14. pottable 14. potable
15. crosaunt 15. croissant

DID YOU KNOW?

Most online dictionaries have an audio function which allows

you to listen to pronunciations of words by clicking on icon,
usually placed beside the ‘searched’ word (see image below).

SCAN
to access Oxford
Dictionary online
and listen to correct
word pronunciations

37
2. Logical and Coherent Expression

The use of logical and coherent expressions is important if messages are to be transmitted
accurately to prevent misunderstandings during a face-to-face or over the phone
interaction. Also, plan what you wish to speak or talk about in the correct sequence so
your audience would not be confused.

For example, if you are introducing a new product, it is important to avoid the use of jargons
or technical terms. You should start with the background of the product and then move on
to the features, before concluding with the pricing details.

3. Stress Patterns

Mistakes in word stress are a common cause of misunderstanding in English for the
following reasons.

• Stressing the wrong syllable in a word can make the word very difficult to hear and
understand.
• Stressing a word differently can change the meaning or type of the word.
• Even if the speaker can be understood, mistakes with word stress can make the
listener feel irritated, or perhaps even amused, and could prevent good communication
from taking place.

Example: Say out the word “computer”. The second syllable of the three is stressed.

A stressed syllable combines the following five features.

• It is l-o-n-g-e-r. – comp-u-ter
• It is LOUDER. – computer.
• It has a change in pitch. – the pitch of the stressed syllable is usually higher
• It is said more clearly.
• It uses larger facial movements.

38
4. Pitch

Each person has a low, middle and high pitch. Try to vary your voice by raising or lowering
the pitch to help listeners understand the key points of the oral message and retain
important information.

Practise reading aloud the following sentences by letting your voice rise on the
underlined word:

Productivity is extremely important.

Productivity is extremely important.
Productivity is extremely important.

5. Tone

Using the appropriate tone is critical when we speak. We should always use a gentle and
polite tone, instead of a harsh or angry tone.

If the wrong tone is used, others may misinterpret our message or intentions.

6. Volume

Speak at an appropriate volume during conversations. If you are speaking to a small

group, keep your volume down. As long as others are able to hear you, there is no need
to speak loudly or shout.

However, if you are making an oral presentation or speaking to a large audience, you
would need to increase the volume of your voice to ensure that you are heard. Use a
microphone, if available.

7. Pace

It is frustrating and difficult to listen to and understand a speech that is too fast or too slow.
If the speaker is too fast, listeners struggle to understand what is being said. If he/she
speaks too slowly, it annoys listeners and interferes with their ability to understand. They
would soon lose interest. Therefore, it is important to modify the pace to suit listeners.

F. Purpose of Non-verbal Cues in Conversation

What is non-verbal communication? Non-verbal communication is the process of

communicating messages without words. Non-verbal communication can be communicated
through:

1. Gesture

A gesture is a bodily movement intended to express meaning. One can express with the
hands, arms or body and movements of the head, face and eyes, such as winking,
nodding, or rolling ones' eyes.

39
2. Posture

Sitting up straight sets a good impression to others. A confident person stands tall, with
shoulders back and chin held up. On the other hand, a slumped body posture projects a
lazy disposition.

3. Facial Expressions

Facial expressions usually communicate Figure 1.1 –Verbal vs. non-verbal

emotions. The expressions tell the attitudes communication
of the communicator.

For example, the eyes tend to reveal

happiness or sadness, and even surprise,
while a smile can communicate friendliness
and cooperation.

4. Eye Contact

Eye contact is a direct and powerful form of

non-verbal communication. Eye contact can
indicate interest, attention, and involvement.
For example:
• Maintained eye contact can show if a person is trustworthy, sincere or caring.
• Shifty eyes can suggest deception.
• Downward glances are generally associated with modesty or shyness.

G. Effective Presentation

There are factors that determine the effectiveness of a presentation.

1. Time Management

• Was the timing appropriate?

• Was the presentation done within the time limit?
• Was sufficient time allocated for each segment of the content?

2. Use of Presentation Aid

• What kind of audio-visual aids were used to improve the presentation?

• What types of technology were incorporated to influence the presentation?
• Were the presentation aids relevant and appropriate to the content?
• Were the various aids and media integrated smoothly to enhance the presentation?

3. Use of Vocal Technique

• Did the presenter project his/her voice suitably?

• Was the presenter’s tone appropriate and consistent to the content being shared?
• Was the tone used positive and encouraging?
• Did the presenter use appropriate pitching to grab audience’s attention or at parts of
speech which needed an impact?
• Did the presenter speak effortlessly, smoothly and with words pronounced clearly?

40
4. Use of Non-verbal Cues

• Did the presenter have adequate eye contact with everyone in the audience?
• Was the presenter confident in the presentation of content?
• Did the presenter display good facial expressions, gestures and movements
throughout the presentation?

5. Strategy Used to Engage Audience and Handle Question

• Did the presenter establish a rapport with the audience?

• Did the presenter use strategies such as ‘pauses’, ‘asking questions’ or ‘invitation to
comment’ to get audience participation?
• Were questions managed appropriately?
• Were the answers to questions well-received by the audience?
• Did the presenter ensure answers were well-understood and received before moving
on to the next question?

6. Good Coverage of Topic

• Did the presenter state the objectives of the presentation at the beginning of the
presentation?
• Did the presenter focus on the topic?
• Did the presenter convey the required information to the audience?

7. Effective Use of Language

The presenter should use language that is:

• concrete and specific (refer to things that we can experience through our senses);
• concise (convey the message in as few words as possible);
• familiar (readers easily recognize and understand);
• precise and clear;
• constructive (phrases a potentially negative message in a positive way);
• appropriately formal (formality of language used should match the formality of the
situation).

8. Good Time Management

• Presentations must be timed properly to ensure that sufficient time is allocated to

important points.
• Presentations should end on time as it shows respect to your audience.

9. Effective Use of Presentation Aids

• Presentation slides should contain essential information only.

• Presenter should not keep a slide on longer than necessary.
• Presenter should face the audience instead of the screen.
• Presenter should not block the view of the audience.
• Presenter should organise all the presentation aids for a logical presentation.

10. Appropriate Use of Verbal and Non-verbal Communication Techniques

• Presenter must use the correct words, tone of voice and body language.

41
DID YOU KNOW?

You can use free online graphic editing software like Canva
to create a visually impactful presentation deck to help you
ace a presentation and impress the audience. Read to get
some tips on how you can create a stunning Keynote
presentation https://www.canva.com/learn/keynote-presentations/

SCAN
to watch YouTube
video and learn how
to save a Canva
presentation to
PowerPoint

42
Suggested Class Activity 1 - Present like a Professional

30 Seconds Filler-Free
Remove those “uh”, “uhm” and “y’know”. These are called filler words; words used to
fill the gaps during thinking or structuring of sentences. Using too many fillers makes
you look unprepared and unprofessional.

Activity:
Give a talk on any topic for 30 seconds. Make sure you omit all filler words. Whenever
you use a filler word, start over and try again. Do this exercise ten times, filler-free.
Lecturer can choose a few groups to present their achievement.

Suggested Class Activity 2 - One Minute Off-the-Cuff

Get comfortable speaking without preparing!

Activity:
Give an impromptu speech on any topic that interests you for 1 minute. No preparation
is allowed. You must speak off-the-cuff. The key is to choose topics that are familiar to
you. Lecturer can choose a few groups to present their achievement.

Suggested Class Activity 3 - Tell a Photo Story

Engage your audience! The challenge in any presentation is to make your audience
listen attentively and retain the information shared. Any picture can be “glamorised”.
All you need is practice.

Activity:
Find an interesting photo (online or otherwise), develop an engaging story about that
photo and present it. Discuss the storyline, who the people are, their goals, their
aspirations, pain, struggle, joy etc. The key is to tell a compelling story about the visual.
Lecturer can choose a few groups to present their achievement.

Suggested Class Activity 4 - Interview with an Expert

Show your authority and take control of your content delivery! Despite a lack of
knowledge, you can show control over your content.

Activity:
Choose a topic that you do not know much about. Your partner will interview you about
it. You must answer their questions as though you’re a well-informed expert.

43
H. Presentation Preparations

Failing to plan is planning to fail. Preparing for a presentation is a primary need. Every good
speaker plans. There are some main areas to consider in planning for a presentation.

1. Target Audience

Knowing the characteristics of your audience can help you tune your presentation to
ensure that you are speaking directly to them. It helps you to connect with your audience.

Points to consider:

Size of audience • helps determine the required room size, appropriate

visual aids, equipment needed

Audience • knowing the designations, culture and gender

demographics differences, expertise, etc. affects the organisation of
presentation
• pitch your speech to their proficiency level and use
common lingo
• avoid cultural taboos; be aware of customary practices

Audience’s • helps ascertain how much of background information

knowledge of should be presented
topic • for audience with little subject knowledge, a dynamic
introduction would be important
• build on existing knowledge; fill in the gaps in their
knowledge
• give information they need, not what you want to give
them

Audience’s • audience’s knowledge of the presenter can affect their

familiarity with perception of messages shared
presenter • the level of credibility that an audience has in the
presenter is important

Negative biases • audience’s biases towards presenter or topic may

require a focus on changing those views in the
introduction phase of presentation
• convince audience why they need to listen to you

2. Purpose of Presentation

Knowing the purpose of a presentation will allow for a clear mapping of presentation points.
The main purpose of a presentation is to inform. A well prepared presentation ensures
that audience walk away properly informed on the topic.

There are three main reasons why people speak to a group: to inform, persuade or
entertain. After stating the general purpose, write a more specific objective in two ways:

a) What do you aim to achieve?

b) How does your audience benefit?

44
3. Presentation Aids

Presentation aids enhance the quality of presentations and create a greater impact in the
minds of the audience.

Common visual aids include:

• posters
• flip charts
• presentation slides
• photographs
• drawings
• videos
• handouts

The above audio/visual aids can add variety to any presentation, however, it should be
noted that these aids must support a presentation and not replace the presenter.

4. Venue

Presentation facilities can affect how you present your speech and the presentation aids
you can choose.

Listed below are some useful questions:

i) Room Configuration
• What is the physical layout of the room?
• How much space is available for you to use?

ii) Furniture/Equipment
• Will there be a lectern for you? Table? Chair?

iii) Audio Visual Equipment

• What audio-visual equipment is available? Will there be technical support?
• Are projectors, microphones and laptops available?
• Is all audio-visual equipment in good working condition?

iv) Power Source

• Do you need to control the lighting? If so, where are the switches?
• Do you need power points? Extension cables?

5. Duration

Research has shown that the average attention span of an adult is 20 minutes. Twenty
minutes is long enough to expand on key points but short enough to keep the attention of
the audience.

I. Purpose of Using Appropriate Vocal Techniques

In presentations, building a rapport with the audience is important. One of the ways to build
this rapport is by using your vocals.

When making a presentation to a group, the following should be noted:

45
 Audibility • People farthest away from the front should hear clearly at all times.

• Vary the volume so as to create emphasis at certain parts of the

speech that need a passionate, impactful delivery.

• Create dramatic effects to engage the audience and make

presentations memorable.

Tone • Tone must be appropriate and consistent to the content being

shared.

E.g. a speech to persuade an audience to invest in a new product

requires conviction and enthusiasm compared to delivering the
sales forecast for the new financial year.

• Tone should be positive; talking down to an audience or portraying

superiority in words must be avoided.

Pitch • Pitch is the “highness” or “lowness” of a voice.

• Changes in pitch can help grab audience’s attention especially

when used purposefully at parts of speech delivery which need an
impact.

Fluency • Speak effortlessly, smoothly and with words pronounced clearly.

• Being well prepared and familiar with the content will usually bring
about fluency in speech.

J. Purpose of Showing Sensitivity

Presentations involve speaking to groups of people who have the common interest to learn
what the presenter has to share. In a global environment connected by technology, global
audiences from varied backgrounds and cultures are expected.

It is important that a presenter shows sensitivity to the content being shared especially in the
areas of culture, gender and gestures, all of which are inter-related.

1. Gender

Gender views are dependent to a large extent on the culture that one is from. Gender
equality is a global move which ensures freedom in expression and equal opportunities for
genders. This must be kept in mind when preparing for and making presentations so as
not to offend audience members through insensitive gender-biased comments.

2. Culture

Culture refers to the beliefs, values, norms and behaviour of a group of people. Every
culture is unique in its beliefs and should be respected. Culture has an impact in the way
business is conducted, decisions are made and how individuals are viewed. It is thus
critical for a presenter to research his/her audience thoroughly to ensure that cultural
norms and values are appreciated.

46
3. Gestures

Gestures are a part of non-verbal communication that send strong messages to an

audience. Pointing, waving and other movements are part of daily communication. The
meaning of some gestures, however, can be very different across cultures. For example,
pointing with the index finger at something or someone is considered offensive in some
cultures while accepted in others. When unsure, point with the right open palm facing up.

As presenters, it is important to know the audience composition in order to tailor

appropriate gestures to stress the content matter.

K. Purpose of Non-verbal Cues

1. Poise and Confidence • Poise refers to the calm, composed, confident way that an
individual carries himself/herself.

• Stand tall, pull shoulders back and distribute weight on

both legs.

• Move from side to side purposefully to engage the

audience or to signal transition to the next point.

• If a lectern is given, do not rest your weight against it.

2. Eye Contact • It is vital to establish eye contact with everyone in the

audience.

• The following can be done:

- Divide the audience into segments and shift your gaze
from one segment to another.
- Do not read from your cue cards or presentation slides
all the time.
- Glance occasionally at audience to help you recall the
next point.
- Pause and pace your speech to let thoughts flow
smoothly.

• Maintaining eye contact can also help in picking up cues

on audience’s body language: you would be able to tell if
they are feeling bored or unable to follow your
presentation.

3. Physical Appearance/ • Appropriate attire and proper grooming create a good first
Grooming impression.

• Dress professionally for the occasion by wearing well-

fitting, smart and comfortable attire that does not distract
the audience.

• In some cultures, it is a must to dress conservatively;

plunging necklines and mini-skirts are unacceptable.

• Dressing can also be dictated by an organisation’s culture.

47
 E.g. some companies require all employees to wear
formal suits to work.

L. Presentation Proceedings

All presentations must have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. This three-part structure
must be communicated not only through speech but also through any handouts or presentation
slides that are used. The last part of any presentation is giving the audience a chance to clarify
doubts or obtain elaborations on the points presented. This segment is called: Question and
Answer (Q & A).

Introduction

Body

Conclusion

Q&A

1. Introduction

The introduction serves two purposes: to grab your audience’s attention and to tell them
why they should listen to you.

Here are some attention-grabbing techniques.

Techniques Description
Narratives Stories or jokes that spark interest or inject humour

Quotations Direct use of someone else’s words or phrases

Quantifiable data that make a strong point; statistics can be used
Statistics
to shock, create empathy or curiosity
Questions Questions that stimulate thinking; thought-provoking questions
Visuals that make a bold statement and help make intended
Pictures
messages memorable; includes charts, tables etc.
Encourage participation, inject fun and build rapport with the
Games/Riddle/Trivia
audience; create a foundation for the content to be shared

48
2. Content

Content is to be structured in a manner that is straightforward, logical and easy to follow.

Common structures include:

Structure Organisation of Content

Sub-topics of a main subject (e.g. Living Healthy and its impact on the
Topical
young and elderly)
In order of time where items are ordered according to the date or time
Chronological
they occurred (e.g. improvements in technology through the years)
Organised according to geographical area/space (e.g. local and
international impact of political unrest) or connected parts of a whole
Spatial
(e.g. designing a website which includes programming, graphics, links,
ads, etc.)
Problem-
Two sections: i) problem/need ii) solution/satisfaction
solution

3. Conclusion

Many studies have shown that the conclusion may be the last thing an audience hears, but
the first thing they remember. It is therefore important to conclude well.

Conclusion serves three purposes:

• signals that the presentation is ending

• provides a summary of the key points
• leaves a memorable message (so make the conclusion as impactful as the
introduction)

4. Question and Answer (Q&A)

Prior to the oral presentation, prepare a list of possible questions that the audience may
ask and ensure that appropriate answers for each question are written. This list allows
you to be confident and convincing when responding.

For questions that you may not have an answer to, politely admit that you would find out
the answer and respond to them at a later time. This will ensure that you maintain your
credibility.

Examples:
“Thank you for your question. However, I do not have enough information to answer
that question now. Can I get back to you?”

“Your feedback is useful. I will definitely discuss this with my team and make
improvements to the product.”

M. Strategies to Engage Audience

There are many strategies that can be employed to get audience members to participate.
Some common strategies include the following:

49
1. Ask for Response • Main goal to asking questions is to get a response.

• Getting responses is indicative of an engaged and

attentive audience.

• To gauge if the audience has understood the content and

to create a change in momentum.

• Quizzes and polls can be used.

2. Pause at Appropriate • Control the pacing of the delivery.

Time
• Help audience to follow each point closely and reflect on
what is shared.

• Enable audience to understand and connect the points to

their prior experiences or knowledge.

• Allow audience to seek clarification when used together

with ‘asking questions’ strategy.

3. Invitation to • Give value to the opinions and views of audience by

Comment/Share inviting them to share or comment on any points that were
Experience raised.

• Audience members feel important as their opinions and

views are heard.

• If the audience is homogenous (i.e. audience sharing a

similar level of interest and expertise in topic), there might
be a greater level of sharing and discussion.

N. Ways to Handle Questions

Every presentation usually ends with a Question and Answer segment. Pre-planning a list of
possible questions and corresponding answers can give you greater confidence.

The following are some ways of handling a Question and Answer segment.

1. Cite Appropriate • Examples of appropriate comments are:

Presenter’s - “That was a great question”.
Comments - “Glad you asked that question”.
- “I get asked that question by many people”.
- “Thank you for that insightful question”.
- “I agree with your point”.
- “Your comments are valid”.

2. Repeat the • Repeat the questions out loud to ensure that

Questions Posed everyone in the audience has heard them.

3. Say ‘Correct me if I • To clarify, you can say ‘Correct me if I am wrong,

am wrong….’ what you are saying is….’

50
4. Respond to the • Answer honestly and to the best of your ability.
Question Honestly
• If you do not know the answer, do NOT pretend to
know it but rather let them know that you do not
know and assure them that you will find out the
answer and get back to them.

• Get their details (email, contact number) to update

them on the answer at a later date.

5. Move to the Next • Question to see if they are satisfied with the answer.
Question by
Asking them a Examples:
Question - “Does that answer your question?”
- “Is that the kind of information you were looking
for?”
- “Does that help clear your doubts?”

• If the audience member’s response is "yes",

then the next question can be addressed.

• If the audience member feels dissatisfied with

the answer, then he/she can be allowed to seek
clarification.

51
 UNIT
3
Produce Workplace
Document

Objectives

1 Describe purpose and types of business documents

2 Describe factors to consider when writing business document

• Purpose
• Target reader
• Presentation and style
• Language use, choice of expression and word
• Grammar
• Writing etiquette: courtesy and professionalism

3 Describe the contents requirement for a business document

• Introduction
• Detail
• Response
• Close

4 Outline the format of

• Email
• Letter
• Announcement
• Incident report

5 Explain the importance of proof-reading

52
The essence of communication is sharing – providing data, information, insights, and
inspiration in an exchange that benefits both you and the people with whom you are
communicating (Thill & Bovee, 2013). The best ideas will not benefit the company or anyone
if they are not expressed clearly and simply. Communication can be verbal, non-verbal or
written. The success established within a workplace and globally is closely associated with the
ability to communicate effectively.

Written messages take various forms and in this era of technology, messages are frequently
sent within seconds digitally. In a business context, communicating with anyone means
building and maintaining positive relationships with all stakeholders. Every employee
represents the company they are working for and thus plays a vital role in its success.

The common types of documents used to correspond with clients, vendors, and other external
parties as well as internal staff are letters, emails and reports. Reports, which range in their
scope, are usually longer than emails or letters and more formal in tone.

As writing does not have the benefit of feedback like oral or face-to-face communication, it is
important to ensure that written messages fully convey the intended meaning.

A. Types of Business Documents

1. Email

Email is one of the most common methods of exchanging digital messages over computer
networks. Globally, emails are used to communicate routine and important messages.
They are an indispensable channel of communication in the workplace.

Emails allow short to medium length messages to be sent quickly and according to the
sender’s schedule. Emails remain the most popular business communication medium.

Emails, should be short but cover the subject matter well. Only important information and
simple words should be used in emails.

2. Letter

A business letter is written in formal language from one business organisation to another,
or for correspondence between such organisations and their customers/clients or external
parties and even employees.

Some common business letters include the following:

• enquiry letter sent by a firm to a supplier;

• reply letter sent to a firm or customer;
• customer’s complaint letter received by a firm;
• letter of commendation from a customer or management;
• letter of resignation; and
• letter to convey goodwill.

Although emails are a popular medium, letters are still used as they produce permanent
records of official correspondences.

53
 3. Announcement

An announcement is an important information that is announced either orally or in

writing addressed to people so that they know that something is happening or about to
happen.

General Structure of Announcement Text

i) Title
- Contains the name or main theme of the announced business or event.

ii) Date and Time

- Contains information on the day, date, and time of the event or activity to be held.

iii) Location
- Contains information on where the event or activity will be held.

iv) Contact Person

- Contains information on the name of the person or address that can be contacted.

Types of Announcement Text

- Events
- Missing persons / animals / items
- Winners of a competition
- Job vacancy
- Sad news
- Inauguration / marriage / birth
- New products

4. Incident Report

An incident report is a formal document that details the facts related to an incident at
the workplace. Examples of workplace incidents include work injury, accident, theft,
altercations and fire etc.

The information provided in an incident report is objective and is organised logically. It

provides a clear presentation of information which can allow readers to gain
understanding as well as for decision-making. Incident reports can help organisations
implement necessary changes, improvements, and corrective actions to prevent future
incidents.

B. Key Points to Consider before Writing

1. Purpose

Business messages have general and specific purposes. The purpose of business
writing is usually transactional. It relates to a specific and purposeful transaction
between the writer and his/her audience.

General purpose – inform, persuade, inquire, collaborate, instruct, request, correct,

question, offer goodwill.

54
 Specific purpose – what you hope to achieve with your message and what you would
like your audience to do or think after reading your message E.g. who should respond,
how should they respond, when should they respond, etc.

2. Target Reader

Knowing the target reader and their needs, expectations and preferences will ensure
effective communication.

• Who are the intended target readers? Are they the decision makers? Are their concerns
what you are addressing?

• Do target readers have similar experiences, language, education, rank/status, age,

attitudes, etc.?

• Do target readers share similar backgrounds to you? Would they have difficulty in
understanding terms used in correspondences?

• Do target readers expect or prefer detailed information or a short summary?

• How do you expect target readers to react or respond to your message?

3. Presentation and Style

The presentation of a correspondence includes a good layout that aids readability and
understanding. The choice of font size, font type, colours, numbering and white space
are some of the factors that should be considered.

Writing style is the manner in which a writer addresses the target reader. The
communication style chosen affects the words used, how those words are phrased and
placed. The writing style creates the overall tone of the correspondence.

The following are some points to note:

Tone (overall • ranges from informal, conversational to formal

impression) depending on the target reader

Simple, plain language • allows readers to easily understand the meaning

of the message and react quickly

Eliminate unnecessary • communicate points concisely

words

Shorter sentences • for easy reading and understanding

instead of long ones • avoid more than 20 words in a sentence

Active voice vs Passive • active voice makes the writing shorter, direct,
voice and easier to understand

55
 • passive voice is formal, impersonal, objective
and avoids personal references or personal
pronouns

• passive voice can be written in ways that do not

tell the reader who the doer of the action is and
it does not place blame or credit on anyone so it
can be more diplomatic

• although it is recommended that the active voice

be used as the preferred style in business
correspondences, each voice has its purpose
and should be used when necessary

“You” Attitude • have an audience-centred perspective

• express message in terms of audience’s

interests and needs

E.g. “We can only offer the lower range of

products”, can be re-worded to “You have a
choice from the lower range of products”

4. Language Use: Expression and Word Choice

Language in business correspondences should be clear, specific, accurate and

appropriate to target readers. Writers should look at the way sentences are put together,
choice of words and the use of conventions (images, similes, metaphors, spelling,
punctuation, capitalisation, grammar) to achieve good language use.

• Use strong, precise words: strong nouns and verbs VS many adjectives and adverbs.

Example: sales plunged is stronger than sales saw a dramatic drop

• Select words that are appropriate for your readers; choose familiar words.

Example: If writing to the purchasing department, “The bidding exercise is for specific
inventory items and vendors are required to follow the standard tender protocol.”

• Avoid clichés.

Example: “nip it in the bud”, “place your cards right”, “tip of the iceberg”

• Use buzzwords and jargons carefully.

56
5. Grammar

The best business writing should be understood clearly when read quickly. The
message should be well planned, simple, clear, and direct. Grammar helps obtain this
goal.

It is important to ensure that general rules of grammar and syntax are followed when
writing, such as:

• pronoun/noun agreement
• subject-verb agreement
• tense agreement
• modifiers
• sentence formation
• word order in a sentence
• sentence order in a paragraph, etc.

6. Writing Etiquette: Courtesy and Professionalism

Even in writing, good etiquette must be practiced. The language used in business letters
must be courteous and professional. A writer must always use open, friendly, and
honest wording in his/her letter. ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’ are important to include.
Courtesy shows respect for the readers, helps minimise negative reactions and projects
professionalism.

Example: Instead of “You have been delaying shipment of our order for almost 3 weeks
and we demand its delivery now’ it can be re-worded to “As the sales season is in less
than a month, we need the items urgently. Please respond today with a definite
shipment date. Thank you.”

Considering the following etiquette will further build on a writer’s credibility.

• Exclamation marks
- use sparingly
- use only when really necessary, to convey excitement
• Capital letters
- use in contents should be avoided
- message conveyed is that of rudeness or unhappiness

• Abbreviations
- abbreviations (such as LOL, BTW, B4) can be acceptable for use in personal
communications but is not recommended for business correspondences
- confusing to recipients especially when business involves people from many
different cultures around the world

• Emoticons
- popular and widely practiced in personal, social contexts but they are not advised
for business communication
- seen as childish
- to confirm the emotion of a message, it is best to write them in words

57
DID YOU KNOW?
The choice of words can mean a world of difference to how others receive your message.
Negative impact of unpleasant news can be softened by the use of positive language.

So, what is positive language? It is simply choosing words with positive rather than
negative connotations. Below are some examples:

Negative: Had the bus not been late, I would have been on time for lessons.
Positive: Had the bus arrived earlier, I would have been on time for lessons.

Negative: She did badly for the mid-term assessments.

Positive: She could have done better for the mid-term assessments.

C. Format and Content

1. Email

i) Purpose of an Email

Emails can be used in business for the following reasons.

• Request for information

• Make or respond to enquiry
• Express needs, wants, likes or dislikes, preferences, opinions
• Provide recommendations or suggestions
• Send/receive confirmation on business product/service offering, documents,
meetings etc.
• Send information or instruction to internal (e.g. colleagues/employees) or
external parties (e.g. customers)

ii) Format of an Email

HEADER

To: This is to enter the email addresses of the intended recipient

or recipients of the email message.

Cc: Carbon Copy / Courtesy Copy. This is to send to receivers who

are not the intended recipients but whom the writer wishes to
publicly inform of the message.

Bcc: Blind carbon copy/courtesy copy. Recipients who are

discreetly informed of the message and cannot be seen by any
of the other addressees. Recipients are not visible to both “To”
and “cc” fields.

Subject: A brief summary of the contents of the message.

Attachments: This is where you can enter a file/document that you wish to
send along with the message.

58
 CONTENTS

Salutation Use salutations such as “Dear” when you write formally to

someone or a group you do not know. It is proper to identify
yourself early in the message.

4-point plan Introduction, Details, Response, Close (IDRC).

ENDING

Signature Line A closing word such as ‘Regards’ is popular. For official

messages, include your designation followed by your
company’s name and telephone number.

iii) Contents - Email

This section contains the information that you want to send to the intended
recipients. To help you to organise correctly, a 4-point plan can be used.

Introduction – Paragraph 1

Introduction provides the background information and the basis to why you are
writing the email to the recipients. You could also be referring to previous
correspondences, contact or document. You should indicate interest here.

Details – Paragraph 2

Provide details to the recipients on why you are writing the email. Include facts
and figures. The email could also be used to provide instructions, ask for more
information or provide relevant facts or figures.

Response – Paragraph 3

If some actions/responses are to be taken/given by the recipients, provide some

instructions. If actions are required by the sender, provide information on what
actions will be taken.

Close – Paragraph 4

A relatively simple closing will be sufficient. This will allow the recipients to know
that this is the end of the message.

59
 EMAIL WRITING

Instruction to staff: The items in the format* must be strictly adhered to and would not be
discussed during standardisation.

email address of recipient (Person(s) you are writing to)

email address of people who need to be informed about the message

(CC is Carbon Copy - Person(s) you want to keep informed)
(BCC is Blind Carbon Copy - Person(s) you want to keep informed, but wish to hide their *1) Header
email addresses from the rest in the To & CC lists)
A brief summary of the contents of the message.
Enter a file/document that you wish to send along with the message.

Dear Sir (if name of recipient is unknown.

The letter ‘S’ must be in capital letters)
*2a) Salutation
or (for one recipient)

Dear Mr/Miss/Ms/Mrs/Mdm (must include courtesy title)

*2b) Salutation
Dear All (The letter ‘A’ must be in capital letters) (for more than one recipient)

Intro 3) Content - Present date, time,

venue in the following format:
Details
The details are as follows:
Response
Date: Tuesday, 2 May 20XX
Close Time: 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm
(or 24-hr format)
Venue: Conference Room 1
Regards
Name in full (include courtesy title for females)
Designation of sender *4) Signature line
Company’s Name
Tel: (do not spell the word ‘Telephone’ in full)

60
Practice 1 – Signature Line
Make use of the following information and construct a signature line for an email message.

1) Human Resource Manager of Deco 2) Diamond Enterprise, 6902 1267,

Interior Ltd, 67758433, Betty Hsu Sales Manager, Raja Kumar

3) 68113256, Director of Design 4) Leonard De Silva, Creative Director of

Consultants, Miss Siti Zubaidah bte Artz Collezion Ltd, 67125433
Ismail

61
Assignment 1 – Email

You received a catalogue from Mr Andy Klaus, Sales Director of Computerkids Ltd yesterday
(email address: [email protected]).

As the Administrative Co-ordinator of Crescent Kindergarten, write an email message to

express that you are keen to order some computer accessories. Attach the list of computer
accessories that you are keen on, in your email message. Ask for information on the prices,
discounts and delivery terms. Your Vice-Principal, Ms Jocelyn Wang
([email protected]) needs to be informed of this matter. Crescent Kindergarten’s
telephone number is 6775 9145.

62
Assignment 2 – Email

As the Administration Manager of GSS International (Tel: 67400756), you are tasked to
organise a visit to Joy’s Place, a home for abandoned children on the 15th of next month. The
purpose of the visit is to participate in community service.

Transport to the home will be provided from Ang Mo Kio and Clementi MRT stations. Some
activities have been planned to entertain the children. Staff are to be ‘buddies’ to the children
and accompany them throughout the visit.

Write an e-mail message to all staff of your company ([email protected]) to inform

them of the visit. Staff members are to submit their names to their respective department heads
by (date, month, year) if they are interested to join in. All department heads are requested to
submit the names of the staff to you by (date, month, year).

63
Assignment 3 – Email

As a Personnel Assistant, send an email message to inform all the staff ([email protected]) of
Goldman Finance on a course on ‘Financial Plans for the Future’ to be held on 30 March,
Tuesday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm in the Conference Room. Ms Lydia Hanz from the CPF
Board will be conducting the one-day course.

Encourage all staff to attend. Interested persons are to reply via email to you. Send a courtesy
copy to your Personnel Manager, Ms Aisya Raj at [email protected]. Attach a document
listing the course topics in your email message. Your contact number is 6177 6363.

64
Assignment 4 – Email

You, the Training Coordinator of Impressive Image Consultants (Telephone number:

68410088), received an email from Mr Albert Yong ([email protected]) of Asianet
Corporation, enquiring about the course on “Your Image, Your Reputation” which was
advertised in the newspapers.

Write an appropriate reply and provide the following information:

• 10% discount for three or more participants

• the course will be held at a local hotel, which will be confirmed later

Also, let him know that the course is very popular and the course instructor is a renowned
image consultant with over 10 years of experience in this field. Encourage him to register early
as there are limited vacancies.

65
66
Assignment 5 - Email

Recently, your department manager discovered that there has been excessive photocopying
which caused the monthly expenditure to increase from $4,500 to $6,300.

Your department manager, Samuel Poh ([email protected]), wants you to write

an email to inform all staff members ([email protected]) of the following:

• to refrain from photocopying large jobs of 50 pages or more

• the monthly expenditure will be closely monitored
• the company may have to resort to placing a limit of 100 copies of photocopying per
person, if monthly expenditure is not reduced

Keep your department manager informed of this email.

Give your email an appropriate close.

You are the Marketing Executive of Accent Supplies. Your telephone number is 65508866.

67
68
2. Letter

i) Purpose of a Letter

Enquiry Letter

An enquiry letter is written by a buyer to enquire about another company’s

product or service. It is a preliminary document that is not contractually binding,
but may eventually lead to a contract between two or more
companies/organisations.

Reply to an Enquiry Letter

This is a corresponding reply to a letter of enquiry put forth by a potential buyer

about a company’s products and services.

ii) Format of a Letter

Writer’s Address The writer’s address shows the company’s name, logo
(Letterhead) (if any), address, telephone number, fax number, email
address, and/or website address.

References References help in keeping track of letters and refers to

both writer’s and addressee’s reference.

Date This refers to the date when the letter was created (date,
month, year: dd/mmm/yyyy)

Inside Name The inside name refers to the name of the person the
letter is addressed to.

Inside Designation The inside designation refers to the position of the

addressee.

Inside Address This shows the addressee’s company and its address.

Salutation Salutation refers to a greeting which usually indicates

respect.

Subject Heading The subject heading summarises the gist of the letter.

Content Different paragraphs form the content of the letter.

Complimentary This indicates the closing of the letter. (Yours faithfully,

Close Yours sincerely)

Writer’s Signature This is where the writer signs off.

Writer’s Name This shows the name of the writer, written legibly.

Writer’s This shows the writer’s designation.

Designation

Enclosure(s) This shows that there are enclosures with the letter.

69
 iii) Contents

In general, the content of the letter is organised similarly to the content of an

email which consists of: Introduction, Details, Response and Close.

Information to be included in an Enquiry Letter:

• Provide general factual information about one’s company.

• Express company’s needs for product/service.
• Request for information on discount, price, terms of delivery etc.
• Request for quotation, demonstration, sample, catalogue, price-list etc.
• Conclude appropriately.

Information to be included in a Reply to Enquiry Letter:

• Thank the writer for showing interest in one’s company’s product/service.

• Provide general factual information about the product/ service.
• Express recommendation or suggestion.
• Provide information on enclosed material such as catalogue, sample, price-list
• Suggest meeting or demonstration where needed.
• Conclude with an invitation to establish a business relationship.

ENQUIRY LETTER REPLY TO ENQUIRY

Introduction: Introduction:
• Source of reference (e.g. • thank buyer for enquiry and indicate date
advertisement, internet, of enquiry letter
magazine, etc.) • indicate the product(s) enquired about
• date of source and/or date when • indicate the source where buyer learnt
supplier details were seen, etc. about the product(s)
• indicate product(s) that buyer is • E.g. Thank you for your enquiry / enquiry
interested in letter dated 5 January 20XX regarding our
range of corporate gifts which you saw in
the ‘Lifestyle’ magazine
Details: Details:
• All information relating to • all information relating to company and
company, need for product, etc. products etc.
• include discounts (cash & trade discounts)
• delivery details

Response: Response:
• indicate everything that buyer • indicate all that the supplier is providing to
wants from supplier (e.g. price list, the buyer as requested
catalogue, warranty information, • attachments
discount information, • e.g. price list, pricing, catalogue,
demonstration, etc.) demonstration arrangement, showroom
• attachments visits
Close: Close:
• We look forward to your reply • We look forward to your business.
soon. • We look forward to doing business with
• We look forward to hearing from you.
you soon.

70
 LETTER WRITING

Instruction to staff: The items in the format* must be strictly adhered to and would not be
discussed during standardisation.

Regent Pte Ltd

7 Jln Bahagia *(Point 3) Writer’s
Address (Letterhead)
Singapore 320980 To include Tel and Fax numbers, if given
Tel: 64456734
Fax: 64456789

Your Ref: *(Point 4) Reference (must be included at all times)

Our Ref: PH/03/05 Capital letters for ‘Y’, ‘O’ & ‘R’

11 January 20XX *(Point 5) Date (dd mmm yyyy)

Ms Dahlia bte Shah

*(Point 8) Inside Name & Designation (must include courtesy title)
Sales Manager
Orchid Pte Ltd
18 Changi Road *(Point 3) Inside Address
Singapore 145523 Do not include Tel and Fax numbers

Dear Ms Dahlia *(Point 8) Salutation (only ‘Dear’ is acceptable)

Digital Cameras *(Point 6) Subject Title (in title-case)

We are interested in your digital cameras. *(Point 10) Content

We viewed them at the recent Cyber Exhibition at the Present date, time venue in the
Singapore Expo. following format:
Date: Tuesday, 2 May 20XX
We would appreciate it if you could send to us your latest Time: 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm
catalogue and price-list. (or 24-hr format)
Venue: Conference Room 1
We look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely *(Point 8) Complimentary Close (small ‘s’)

*(Point 7) Writer’s Signature

RichardPhua

*(Point 9) Writer’s Name (include courtesy title for females)

Richard Phua
Purchasing Manager
*Writer’s Designation

*For enclosures, Enc (for one enclosure)

Encs (for more than one enclosure)

71
iv) Contents - General Guidelines for Business Letters

• Fully Blocked Style

Business letters, in general, conform to fully blocked style. Paragraphs
are not indented and are separated by one-line spacing.

• Open Punctuation

Open punctuation omits all non-essential punctuations which include

colon or comma after the salutation and the comma after the
complimentary close. In the example below, all nonessential
punctuations are removed.

Mr Timothy Chua Dr Lee Su Chai

Sales Manager Managing Director
LCD Computer Pte Ltd Digital Solutions Pte Ltd
109 North Bridge Road 3 Fusionopolis Place
#02-19 Singapore 138523
Funan The IT Mall
Singapore 179097

• Writing Addresses

Full Name of Addressee

Designation
Company Name
Block number Street name
(#) Unit number
Building name
Postal Code
COUNTRY (for foreign addresses only)

Most addresses are written in the above format. Write the postal code
in one line and for international address, the country should be spelt in
full and in capital letters.

72
 Different ways of writing addresses:

Low-Rise Building - Private House

Mr Calvin Tan
32 Toh Guan Avenue
Singapore 341330

High-Rise - Flat, Apartments

Mr Zainal Bin Othman
Blk 423 Ang Mo Kio Ave 5
#12-150
Singapore 760423

High-Rise - Shopping Centres, Factories, Offices

Miss Julia Fernando
Sales Manager
Creative Pte Ltd
45 Marine Parade Road
#13-00
Parkway Parade
Singapore 782266

Post Office Box Address - Rental

Ms Radha Menon
Bedok Central P.O.Box 98
Singapore 896766

Overseas – Street / City / Part / Country

Mr George Michael
450 Pirie Street
Adelaide SA 5000
AUSTRALIA

• References

References are usually optional in a business letter. However, it is good

to include them especially if there are a number of correspondences of
the same subject matter. This will facilitate the users to keep track of
the letters.

 Your Ref: - If reference number is not given in the question, you

Our Ref: PH/03/05 can leave it blank or indicate “-“.

73
• Dates

Usually, the date order is date, month and year. Abbreviations as well
as superscripts should not be used.

 14 February 2017

 14/2/2017
 14-2-2017
 14th February 2017

• Subject Heading

All subject headings are to be written in title-case. Do not underline the

subject headings.

• Draft

There are times when important letters are crafted out as drafts for your
superiors.

These draft copies are not to be signed as they have not been approved
to be sent out to the recipients. Only the actual copy of the letter requires
a signature.

• Inside Name, Salutation and Complimentary Close

The inside name, salutation and complimentary close must also

complement each other. If you do not know the name of the person that
you are writing to (recipient), the complimentary close should always be
“Yours faithfully”. (The letter ‘f’ must be written in lower case)

The Sales Manager Inside Name (name of recipient is unknown, must use
‘The’ before the position)
Dickson & Co Pte Ltd
60 Martin Road Inside Address (include company’s name & address)
Singapore 905106
Salutation (if name of recipient is unknown)
Dear Sir
Complimentary Close (if name of recipient is unknown.
Yours faithfully The letter ‘f’ must be written in lower case)

74
 However, if you know the name of the person that you are writing
to, the complimentary close will be “Yours sincerely”. (The letter
‘s’ must be written in lower case)

Mr Ronald Lim Inside Name (name of recipient is known, must use full
Sales Manager name with courtesy title and position without ‘The’
Dickson & Co Pte Ltd
60 Martin Road Inside Address (include company’s name & address)
Singapore 905106
Salutation (if name of recipient is known, use surname
Dear Mr Lim with courtesy title)

Yours sincerely
Complimentary Close (if name of recipient is known.
The letter ‘s’ must be written in lower case)

• Writer’s Name and Courtesy Title

If the sender of the letter is a male, there is no need to insert any

courtesy title.

However, if the sender is a female, there is a need to use the

courtesy title to indicate the status of the sender. Courtesy title is
denoted in brackets after the name. If no indication is given on the
status of the female, ‘Ms’ is to be used.

Some examples of courtesy titles and names are shown below:

Race Inside Salutation Writer’s

Name/Recipient Name
Chinese Ms Florence Ng Dear Ms Ng Florence Ng (Ms)
Mr Lim Teck Guan Dear Mr Lim Lim Teck Guan
Malay Mdm Maznah bte Ali Dear Mdm Maznah bte Ali
Maznah (Mdm)
Mr Rahim bin Dear Mr Rahim Rahim bin
Muhammad Muhammad
Indian Miss Leela Dear Miss Leela Leela Muthusamy
Muthusamy (Miss)
Mr Raja Singh Dear Mr Raja Raja Singh
Mr Muthiah s/o Raju Dear Mr Muthiah Muthiah s/o Raju
Western Mrs Angelina Zolie Dear Mrs Zolie Angelina Zolie
(Mrs)
Dr Richard Brown Dear Dr Brown Richard Brown

75
 • Reply to Letter of Enquiry

The word ‘Enc / Encs’ must be included after the writer’s designation if
enclosures such as catalogues and price-list are included in the letter.

For one enclosure For more than one enclosure

Yours sincerely Yours sincerely

Daniel Lum Daniel Lum

Sales Manager Sales Manager

Enc Encs

76
Practice 1 - Parts of a Letter

Instructions: Name the different parts of the letter.

77
Practice 2 – Writing Addresses

Instructions: Practise writing these addresses in the proper format.

1. 358 Alexandra Road, Sunshine Pte Ltd, Singapore 150358

2. Singapore 234122, Lucerne Cookware, 600 George’s Lane

3. #16-00, Singapore 040018, OCBC Bank, 18 Church Street

4. AVJ Electronics Shop, Singapore 257306, #01-20, 119 North Bridge Road

5. Marsiling Industrial Estate Road, Blk 6, Far East Office Pte Ltd, Singapore 257306,
#01-20

6. Bende Warehouse, Singapore 339910, Asterias Marketing, 17B Bende Road

7. Lucky Plaza, 2 Orchard Road, Singapore 238849, Wedgewood Department Store,

#01-30

8. Singapore 560067, Dextarius House, Sportsware Collection Pte Ltd, 10B Grange
Road, #01-355

9. Singapore 133545, 12 Kallang Road, #10-03, Brosco Trading, Numero Building

10. #02-45, Porcelain Pte Ltd, 120 Tuas Ave 4, Singapore 639664, Forklift Building

11. Funan The IT Mall, LCD Computer Pte Ltd, 109 North Bridge Road, Singapore
179097, #02-19

12. 68 Aljunied Road, Singapore 380068, Eastern Electric Pte Ltd, #05-06, Aljunied
Industrial Complex

13. Modern Electronics Pte Ltd, Podium B Suntec Tower, #12-204, Singapore 010102,
88 Marina Boulevard

14. Starlight Building, #07-554, Think Computers Ltd, 12 Brandon Street, Singapore
456122

15. 30 Sunflower Street, Handbag Specialist Pte Ltd, Singapore 112377, #11-245, WIN
Building

78
1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

7. 8. 9.

10. 11. 12.

13. 14. 15.

79
Practice 3 – Enquiry Letter

Instructions: Study the message (content) and name the paragraphs correctly according to the
4-point plan (introduction, details, response and close). Fill in the correct answers in the boxes
provided.

80
Practice 4 – Enquiry Letter

Instructions: Study the message (content) and name the paragraphs correctly according to the
4-point plan (introduction, details, response and close). Fill in the correct answers in the boxes
provided.

81
Practice 5 - Enquiry Letter

Instructions: Choose the correct phrase/word from the table below and fill in the correct
answers in the space provided.

large dealer send us look forward

learnt state

82
Practice 6 - Enquiry Letter

Instructions: Choose the correct phrase/word from the table below and fill in the correct
answers in the space provided.

prompt delivery send look forward to

prices are reasonable arrange read
advertisement place an order

83
Practice 7 - Enquiry Letter

Instructions: Choose the correct phrase/word from the table below and fill in the correct
answers in the space provided.

require delivery within send us appreciate it

new designs available to hearing Bought

84
Practice 8 - Enquiry Letter

Instructions: Choose the correct phrase/word from the table below and fill in the correct
answers in the space provided.

would appreciate it look forward latest

send us Straits Times interested
range saw

85
Assignment 1 – Enquiry Letter

You saw an advertisement in The Straits Times on digital cameras. As a Purchasing Executive
of East Photography School (#01-26, Balestier Plaza, Tel: 6511 7428, 400 Balestier Road,
Singapore 329802), you are asked by your Purchasing Manager, Ms Karen Miller, to draft an
enquiry letter on the latest digital cameras which can enhance indoor and outdoor shoots. Date
your letter today.

State your intention of ordering in bulk if the digital cameras are of good quality and of a
reasonable price. A demonstration at the office would be required at the soonest date and a
catalogue should be delivered too. Use KN/21-7 as your reference.

In your letter of enquiry to the Sales Manager, you are to include the following:

• terms of payment
• warranty period
• delivery schedule
• discounts, if any

The address to enquire is: Image Marketing Pte Ltd

7 Jalan Bendera
#01-00
Pacific Centre
Singapore 158303

Assignment 2 – Enquiry Letter

As the Purchasing Manager of Rosewood Hotel, you need to find out the latest range of vanity
countertops and wash basins to give the bathrooms an elegant and distinctive feel. The hotel
has 500 deluxe rooms with 10 suites and targets clientele who are high-flying executives and
diplomats. The renovation must be completed before the Great Sale.

You saw an advertisement on vanity countertops and wash basins in a Dwelling and Décor
magazine. You decided to write in for more information. The company, Terracotta Bathroom,
is located at Singapore Shopping Centre, Singapore 239924, 190 Clemenceau Avenue.

In your letter of enquiry to the manager, ask for the following:

• terms of payment
• warranty period
• catalogue
• delivery schedule
• price list
• discount (if orders are in bulk)

The hotel, Rosewood Hotel, is located at Singapore 239066, 50 Orchard Road, Tel: 6238
4553. Use RW/pm-1 as your reference. Date your letter today.

86
Assignment 3 – Enquiry Letter

As the chairperson of your company’s Dinner & Dance Committee, you are to purchase 800
pieces of Heidz Crystal items as door gifts for the event. You found their address and contact
information from their website which was stated as 134 Joo Seng Road, Singapore 368359,
Tel: 6665 9878.

Write to the relevant manager and enquire whether extra costs would be incurred if the crystals
are custom-made and engraved with initials. You need to know if quantity discounts are
available as the order is large. Request for information on the terms of payment and delivery
schedule as well. Your budget is limited; therefore, you need to source for designs in the price
range of $15 - $30 per piece, within one month’s time. You would also like to see some
samples previously made for other companies’ Dinner & Dance events. Date your letter of
enquiry today.

Use HC/dd-01 as your reference.

Your company details are as follows:

Think Computers Ltd

Sun Building
17 Brandon Street
Tel: 6889 2091
Singapore 456122

Assignment 4 – Enquiry Letter

The Purchasing Manager for E-Design Store, Mrs Tracy Lim, asked you to source for new
designs to be brought in for the Mid-Year Sale season. You are working as a Purchasing
Officer in the Ladies’ Handbag Division. Time is running out as the Sale is only 6 weeks away,
and the stock has to be delivered one month before that.

At the recent Handbags Exhibition 20XX at Suntec City, you received a supplier’s name-card,
listing Ms Nina Rusdi as the Sales Manager. This company has some new designs, is reliable
and able to meet tight deadlines.

Draft a letter of enquiry for your manager asking for the following:

• price list & discounts

• catalogue on designs available
• terms of payment
• delivery of products
• meeting with a representative to see some samples

The company details are as follows:

E-Design Store D’Handbag Pte Ltd
Singapore 331356 Singapore 112377
#03-26, 30 Leather Avenue
Tel: 6782 9245 #11-245
20 Century Lane
Pelt Square

Date your letter today. Use TL/9 as your reference.

87
Assignment 5 – Enquiry Letter

You are the Purchasing Officer of Comz Pte Ltd (#03-233, Tel: 6243 7685, Singapore 238875,
55 Cecil Street). Your manager asked you to gather information on the established laser
printer models available in the market. You browsed through the Yellow Pages and decided to
select this company which offers a wide range of products:

Name of Company: PanTech Pte Ltd

Address: #05-12, 28 Cable Road
Spring Plaza, Singapore 280117

Product Feature: colour laser printer -- print/copy/scan and email functions

Draft a letter of enquiry for your Purchasing Manager, Miss Rosa Duncan. She wants to have
the catalogues with the prices on the various types of laser printers that the company carries,
especially the detailed features of these 2 models: Aspen 390 and Aspen 3800 Laser printer
series.

You are to enquire about the terms of payment, delivery schedule, warranty periods and any
discounts, in your letter of enquiry to the Sales Manager.

Date your letter today. Use Com/po-009 as your reference.

88
Practice 9 – Reply Letter

Instructions: Study the message (content) and name the paragraphs correctly according to the
4-point plan (introduction, details, response and close). Fill in the correct answers in the boxes
provided.

89
Practice 10 – Reply Letter

Instructions: Study the message (content) and name the paragraphs correctly according to the
4-point plan (introduction, details, response and close). Fill in the correct answers in the boxes
provided.

90
Practice 11 – Reply Letter

Instructions: Choose the correct phrase/word from the table below and fill in the correct
answers in the space provided.

will send take advantage are pleased

for payment made allow enclose

91
Practice 12 – Reply Letter

Instructions: Choose the correct phrase/word from the table below and fill in the correct
answers in the space provided.

will call on you offer you impressed with

look forward we enclose thank you
from the date of invoice trade discount

92
Practice 13 – Reply Letter

Instructions: Choose the correct phrase/word from the table below and fill in the correct
answers in the space provided.

authorised to negotiate place orders to doing business

will visit enquiry offer
enclosed catalogue place your order

93
Practice 14 – Reply Letter

Instructions: Choose the correct phrase/word from the table below and fill in the correct
answers in the space provided.

guarantee prompt delivery enclosed assure you

to doing business available letter

94
Assignment 6 – Reply Letter

As the Sales Executive of Cazov Marketing Ltd (Pacific Centre, 7 Jalan Kilang Timor,
Singapore 159303, #01-00), you received a letter of enquiry (dated 12 Jan) from Mark Koh,
Purchasing Executive of East Photography School (#01-26, 400 Balestier Road, Singapore
329802, Balestier Plaza).

Your Divisional Sales Manager, Mr Yunus Razak would like you to draft a reply by highlighting
to the customer that a personal visit to their office is not possible due to an impending road
show which will be held at Grand Building from 18 to 21 of next month. The customer could
visit the booth to see the models and demonstrations. There would be free photo printers to
be given away during the road show if purchases are made on the very same day.

You recommend EOS300D digital SLR camera to the customer as it has benefits such as
extensive choice of exposure and super-fast auto focus.

In addition, state that purchases above $10,000 would benefit from a trade discount of 5%.
Explain in your letter that a cash discount of 3%, 21 days is also given. Date your letter today.
Use TB/002 as your reference.

Assignment 7 – Reply Letter

You are the Sales Executive at PanTech Electronics (Heritage Building, 28 North Bridge Road,
#02-12, Singapore 280117). In response to the letter of enquiry (referenced FT22 & dated 15
Feb) from Mr Roy Tay, Purchasing Manager of FutureTech Pte Ltd (#03-233, 55 Cecil Street,
Singapore 237777), draft a reply for your Sales Manager, Mr Pavin Raj. Date your letter today.

Your company offers a trade discount of 10% for purchases above $5,000. For payments within
21 days, the cash discount is 2%. The standard delivery schedule is 15 days from date of
receipt of order.

In your reply, inform them that you have enclosed the latest catalogue of January (current year)
and also a price list on the computer and laptop models:

• Microsoft Creative Studio 2 Desktop Computer

• Microsoft Surface Pro 6 (12.3 inch) touchscreen laptop

Inform the customer that the prices quoted in the price list are inclusive of packing and delivery
charges. Use PanT/rp-0016 as your reference.

95
Assignment 8 – Reply Letter

You are Flora Wu, Business Executive of Terracotta Bathroom (Singapore 239924, #04-02,
Singapore Shopping Centre, 19 Clemenceau Avenue). Write a reply letter and address it to
the Purchasing Manager, Ken Tze of Rosewood Hotel, 50 Orchard Road, Singapore 239066,
Telephone 6432 4322.

You are to mention in your letter that the vanity countertops and the wash basins are imported
from Australia and come with a 10-year warranty. Stress that the items listed in the enclosed
catalogue are in stock and can be custom-made, if necessary. Invite the customer to visit the
showroom as your knowledgeable service staff are able to assist them in choosing the right
product.

Your company is offering a first-order discount of 2% if payment of the account is made within
one month, and a trade discount of 5% for purchases above $600,000. The terms of delivery
are 14 days from receipt of order. Date your letter today. Use TB/002 as your reference.

Assignment 9 – Reply Letter

You are the Marketing Executive of Heidz Crystal located at 134 Joo Seng Road Singapore
368359. Your potential customer had written in after seeing a newspaper advertisement
(dated 2 days ago) on the range of crystal items offered by your company. Write to inform this
prospect that the paperweight crystal is one of the most popular door gifts - practical and
exquisite. Silver Crystal line has a variety of designs for her to choose from.

Explain to Ms Julia Gomez, Purchasing Manager of Think Computers Ltd (Singapore 456122,
11 Brandon Street), that custom-made designs are unavailable at the moment but engraving
will be done at no cost - provided that orders are received within two weeks from the date of
this letter.

In addition, your company is offering a trade discount of 4% for purchases above $8,000 and
further details can be obtained from the illustrated catalogue attached. If there is a need, the
customer can visit the showroom at Centrepoint, Orchard Road. Date your letter today.
Use HewCy-20 as your reference.

96
Assignment 10 – Reply Letter

You are the Sales Manager of Purse Specialist Pte Ltd (LCN Building, #11-245, 30
Macpherson Road, Singapore 112377). You received a letter (ref: E223) from Ms Sharmala
Devi, Purchasing Manager of E-Design Store (20 Novena Road, Novena Square, #03-26,
Singapore 331356). They got to know about your company from the recent Handbags
Exhibition Singapore at Suntec City.

Catalogue

Ladies’ Leather Handbags

Product No Retail Price

9103 $207
9107 $438
9209 $500

All products are allowed a trade discount of 10%.

Cash discount, 2% 30 days. Ex-stock.

Use the information from the above catalogue in your reply.

Additional requests from buyer include:

• new designs needed for the Great Sale;

• stock – deliver one month before the Great Sale;
• price list & Catalogue on designs available;
• meeting with a representative to see samples.

Date your letter today. Use PS-hb-27 as your reference.

97
3. Incident Report

i) Purpose of an Incident Report

Incident reports provide information on a particular incident, after the incident has
occurred. The information provided should be factual, relevant and in
chronological order. The target audience is usually the relevant authorities
and/or management, as they need a clear idea of what has happened in order to
decide what to do next e.g. follow up with an investigation, stop-work order, etc.

ii) Format of an Incident Report

Title This is a “headline” title, of 10 words or less, describing

the incident. For example, “Forklift Crash”. The title is
meant to give the reader an understanding on what the
incident is about before reading the incident summary.

Type of Incident This is a classification that helps the report to be filed

and retrieved at a later date by category. The 4 main
categories that will be addressed are Workplace
Accident, Altercation, Fire and Theft.

Date/Time/Location Self-explanatory.
For example, “2 December 2023, 11.30 am,
Warehouse C ”

Persons Involved These refer to the persons directly involved in the

incidents. It exclude witnesses and people providing
additional information as to the possible causes of the
incident. The persons involved should be listed with
names followed by designation.

For example, John Tan (Machinery Operator).

iii) Incident Summary/Content

Information to be included in an Incident Summary:

• Details of the events or setting before the incident happened

• Details on the trigger event/stimulus for the incident
• Outcome/consequence of the trigger event/stimulus
• Elaboration of any injury, damage.
• Elaboration of any follow up action up till the point that the incident
was reported

98
 Sample Incident Report

Title: Overturned Forklift

Type of Incident: Workplace Accident

Date/Time/Location: 1 June 2023, 10.25 am, Tanjong Warehouse B

Persons directly involved: Max Tan (Forklift Operator)

Incident Summary

On 1st June 2023, at 10.25 am, Max Tan, a forklift operator was driving a forklift at Tanjong
Warehouse B when the front tire of the vehicle caught on a piece of wood on the ground. This
caused the forklift to overturn with the forklift operator inside.

A co-worker who was nearby at the scene, went to help Max climb out of the right side of the
forklift. Max reported that his right shoulder and the right side of his neck were hurting due to
the impact. As Max had only sustained minor bruises, he decided it was not necessary to visit
the hospital. His manager then sent him to a nearby clinic to let a doctor tend to his bruises.
Upon investigation, it was discovered that the wood that caused the accident had not been
stacked properly. It has been relocated to another location.

99
Assignment 1 – Incident Report

You work as an executive in the safety department of a logistics company that is located at 12
Tembusu Lane. You are in charge of preparing reports to submit to your management for any
incidents or accidents that occur in the company. You have just been informed that an accident
occurred at one of the warehouses on the company premises today. One of your colleagues
was driving a forklift and crashed it into several pallets and caused some damage. Fortunately
no one was hurt. You spoke to staff who witnessed the accident and they have shared the
following information with you. You organized the relevant information into an incident report
to submit to management

"I saw Jason operating the forklift. He was moving it to another area. Suddenly, he swerved
and hit a stack of pallets. Luckily, no one was hurt. He was driving around 15 km/hour, but I
think it's ok, because there was no other forklift or person around the area at that time".

-Habeeb bin Abdullah (foreman)

"I was outside the warehouse cleaning up some rubbish. It was about 11.55 am. I saw a dog
suddenly dash into the warehouse, then I heard somebody shout and there was a crashing
sound. When I went into the warehouse, I saw that a forklift had crashed into some pallets. I
think it was just around noon time because the company bell for lunch time sounded shortly
after."

-Tan Rong Jie (cleaner)

"It was close to lunchtime. I was driving the forklift to load some pallets. Suddenly I saw
something moving just in front of my forklift. I immediately turned to the right to avoid it and
crashed into some pallets."

-Jason Poh (forklift driver who was involved in the accident).

“We have been having a problem with stray dogs recently. It's really difficult to keep them out
of the warehouses as they sneak in through the drains.”

-Brian Wong (security guard)

“Our insurance has assessed the damage to the goods on the pallets that were hit by the
forklift. Three pallets were damaged and the goods have been badly damaged and cannot be
made good. We will have to write this off.”

-Varshalini (Claims Executive)

Upon further investigation, you also found out the following information:
• forklift driver was moving from loading bay to holding area – forklift license plate: AZX
1221
• full name of the forklift driver is Jason Poh, 54 years old and has been working with the
company for over 20 years; never been in any accident before.
• speed limit for forklift inside the warehouse is 10 km/hour.
• he had just returned from his off day the day before the accident occurred and looked
fresh when he reported for work on the morning of the accident.
• warehouse where the incident occurred was Warehouse A.
• there was only some slight damage to the forklift – mainly scratches with the mast.
• no repairs are required and the forklift is fully working.

100
 Incident Report

Title:

Type of Incident:

Date/Time/Location:

Persons directly involved:

Incident Summary:

101
Assignment 2 – Incident Report

You work part-time as a safe distancing ambassador (SDA) in Tampines Shopping Mall. You
were patrolling the 3rd floor of the mall on 3 December 2023 and it was coming to 12pm. You
saw one of your colleagues, Michael, approaching a mall patron who had pulled his mask
down and was talking loudly on his phone, just outside a McDonald’s restaurant. The following
were observed.

• Michael waved at the man as he approached saying, “Hello, Uncle. Please put your
mask back on.” The man looked to be in his late 60s. The man gestured to Michael
that he was talking on the phone. Michael repeated himself, slightly louder and in a firm
but polite tone. The man turned his back on Michael and faced the other way. He
continued talking on his phone.

• Michael went closer and lightly tapped the man on his shoulder. The man shouted
some vulgarities at Michael and pointed his finger at him aggressively. Suddenly, he
kicked Michael on his leg. Michael dropped to the ground in pain.

• A passer-by rushed to stand between Michael and the man saying, “Brother, relax.
People are just doing their job. No need to get violent”.

The man continued shouting, “Who asked him to push me first?”. A security guard,
Paul Chan, who was nearby rushed over and brought the man to a corner to talk to
him and calm him down. The facility manager of the mall joined shortly after and
attended to Michael. Someone had called the police and they arrived after 5 minutes.
The police interviewed the man, Michael, the passer-by, the security guard and the
facility manager. The man left the mall after the police had taken down his personal
details.

• One of the police officers approached the facility manager and the following
conversation transpired.

Police: “I notice there is a CCTV just outside the McDonalds restaurant.

It would be helpful if it captured the incident.”

Facility Manager: “Sure, I’ll check and download the relevant portion of the
footage, and send it to you by email”.

Police: “Thanks, we’ll review the footage and update you on whether we
will be taking any follow-up action for this incident. The SDA
seems fine now, but please keep us posted on his condition if
he requires any further medical attention later”.

The name of the man is Lee Kok Ming.

102
 • The facility manager, Ravi Singh, checked on the condition of the SDA.

SDA: “I’m alright. He kicked me on the shin. It’s a bit bruised but I can
walk.”

Facility Manager: “Ok, go see a doctor and rest at home for today.”

You later find out that the SDA, Michael Poon, had gotten 2 days of MC.

The facility manager noticed you standing nearby and asked if you had witnessed the whole
incident. He requests for your help to prepare an incident report of what you saw so that he
can forward this to the building management. Arrange the relevant information above in an
incident report.

Incident Report

Title:

Type of Incident:

Date/Time/Location:

Persons directly involved:

Incident Summary

103
D. Proofreading Documents

Proofreading is the checking of documents for the following:

• writing errors – grammar, spelling, punctuation;

• missing elements – missing text portions, missing exhibits or references; and
• mistakes in formatting, design and programming – margins, fonts, spacing, alignment,
page numbers, etc.

Purpose:

i) Ensure error-free documents.

ii) Ensure that coherence and logical flow of thoughts and ideas are maintained
throughout the document/message so that points are understood as intended
by the writer. This requires appropriate paragraphing, expression and language
as well as proper choice of words.
iii) Ensure that there is accuracy in facts/messages conveyed.
iv) Ensure clarity in messages for understanding.

104
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Bovee, C. L., & Thill, J. V. (2012). Business communication essentials (5th ed.). New Jersey:
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