Republic of the Philippines

City of Olongapo
GORDON COLLEGE
College of Education Arts and Sciences
Olongapo City Sports Complex, East Tapinac, Olongapo City
Tel. No. (047) 224-2089 loc. 314

COURSE MODULE
Purposive Communication
GEC 05

Prepared by:

Guiller Marila
Instructor I
Course Code: GEC 05
This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
Course Title: Purposive Communication
Course Description:

Purposive Communication is about writing, speaking, and presenting to different

audiences and for various purposes. (CMO 20 s 2013)
Purposive Communication is a three-unit course that develops students’ communicative
competence and enhances their cultural and intercultural awareness through multimodal
tasks that provide them opportunities for communicating effectively and appropriately to
a multicultural audience in a local or global context. It equips students with tools for
critical evaluation of a variety of texts and focuses on the power of language and the
impact of images to emphasize the importance of conveying messages responsibly. The
knowledge, skills and insights that students gain from this course may be used in their
other academic endeavors, their chosen disciplines, and their future careers as they
compose and produce relevant oral, written, audio-visual and/or web-based output for
various purposes.

Course Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the course, the student should be able to do the following according to:

Knowledge
1. Describe the nature, elements, and functions of verbal and non-verbal
communication in various and multicultural contexts
2. Explain how cultural and global issues affect communication
3. Determine culturally appropriate terms, expressions, and images
4. Evaluate multimodal texts critically to enhance receptive (listening, reading,
viewing) skills
5. Summarize the principles of academic text structure

Skills
1. Convey ideas through oral, audio-visual, or web-based presentations for different
target audiences in local and global settings using appropriate registers
2. Create clear, coherent, and effective communication materials
3. Present ideas persuasively using appropriate language registers, tone, facial
expressions, and gestures
4. Write and present academic papers using appropriate tone, style, conventions, and
reference styles
Values
1. Adopt cultural and intercultural awareness and sensitivity in communication of
ideas
2. Appreciate the differences of the varieties of spoken and written language
3. Adopt awareness of audience and context in presenting ideas
4. Appreciate the impact of communication on society and the world

This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
Grading Rubric:
Midterm Final term FINAL GRADE
Class standing 70% Class standing 70% Midterm Grade 50%
Midterm Exam 30% Final term Exam 30% Final Term Grade 50%
Midterm grade 100% Final term grade 100% Final Grade 100%

Course Schedule Overview

Module number Date of
Weeks and Dates
Title Submission
Wk. 1–3 1
Wk. 4–6 2
Wk. 7–9 3
Wk. 10 – 12 4
Wk. 13 – 16 5

Course Syllabus
Teaching and
Module
Learning Topic and Key Learning
number and Learning Tasks
Objectives Concept Materials and
Title
Resources
Module 1:  Describe the  Communication  Copy of the  Create a diagram that
Communicati nature, Defined Course Module. presents the nature of
on and components,  Communication  Pen and short Communication. Explain
Globalization and process of processes, bond paper each briefly
communication principles, and  Laptop or  Answer the given
 Understand the ethics smart phones questions in not more
principles and  Forms of than three sentences. Do
ethics of Communication Visit the not forget to highlight the
Communication  Elements of following link for key points/ideas in your
in Various Communication more answer by underlining or
Multicultural  Types of information: highlighting them using
contexts communication markers.
 Explain the  Globalization https://  Choose three Ethics of
effects and and www.youtube.co Communication discussed
impacts of Communication m/watch? in this module. Write a
globalization to  Impacts of v=t7Xr3AsBEK4 situation for each one and
communication Globalization in explain the importance of
Communication the ethics chosen.
 Effects of https://  Using a concept map,
globalization on www.ted.com/ present The Impact of
global talks/ Globalization on
communication sherry_turkle_con Communication Skills
nected_but_alone Development. Give ways
/transcript? on how we can develop
language=en each skills
 Present the effects of
Globalization by
completing the table
provided.
 Read the article given
(Flight from
This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
 Conversations) Answer
the given questions in not
more than three
sentences.
Module 2:  Explain the  Diversity  Copy of the  Watch Pop Culture in the
Communicati importance of Explained Course Module. Arab World on TED Talks
on in Multi- cultural  The global  Pen and short https://
cultural proficiency community bond paper www.youtube.com/watch?
Setting  Differentiate  Cultural  Laptop or v=ROgFmb3oTLo&t=302s
Multicultural, Proficiency smart phones or read the script provided
Intercultural,  Varieties and  Newspapers and write a 7 to 10
and Cross- Registers of sentence reflection about
cultural Spoken and Visit the it.
communication Written following link for  Using a Venn Diagram,
 Determine Language more present the difference and
culturally- information: similarities of
appropriate Multicultural, Intercultural,
terms, https:// and Cross-cultural
expressions, www.youtube.co communication.
and images. m/watch?  Take a picture of
 Use culturally- v=ROgFmb3oTLo something that
appropriate &t=302s symbolizes your culture.
terms, Explain it briefly.
expressions,  Create a photocollage of
and images. different
 Discuss instances/situations that
Language shows Gender Sensitivity
Variety and  Compose a dialogue using
Register one register discussed in
 Be familiar with this module. The dialogue
the different should be 10 – 16
varieties and lines/sentences.
registers  Read the article provided
and answer the given
questions in not more
than three sentences.
Highlight key points/ideas
in your answer (underline
or use highlighter)

 MIDTERM EXAMINAITON
Module 3:  Evaluate  Language of  Copy of the  Draw and design a logo
Evaluating multimodal Image Course Module. and give a seven to ten
Messages texts critically  Linguistic  Pen and short sentence explanation for
to enhance Landscape bond paper it.
receptive  Geo-Semiotics  Laptop or  Evaluate three (3) videos
(listening,  Online smart phones (commercial, infomercial,
reading, Landscape  Newspapers vlog, advertisement etc.)
viewing) skills Evaluating Media from internet or Television
 Convey ideas through Media Visit the by answering the given
through oral, Literacy following link for questions.
audio-visual, more  Evaluate three (3) memes
and web-based information: from different social
presentations media platform.
for different https://  Create three (3) original
target youtu.be/ memes
audiences in aHAApvHZ6XE  Evaluate the signs
local and global provided by answering the
settings using https:// given questions
appropriate butte.libguides.c
This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
 registers om/evaluate
 Adopt
awareness of
audience and
context in
presenting
ideas
 Understand the
importance of
signs and
symbols
Module 4:  Convey ideas  Definition  Copy of the  Read the article provided.
Communicati through oral, Communication Course Module. Answer the questions
on Aids audio-visual, Aids and  Pen and short given in not more than
Strategies and web-based Strategy bond paper three sentences
presentations  Factors in  Laptop or  Create an outline for the
for different Developing smart phones article above.
target Communication  Newspapers  Create a PowerPoint
audiences in Strategy presentation about the
local and global  Purpose of Visit the outline you created using
settings using Communication following link for your phone or computer.
appropriate more  FOR OPTION 1: Watch a
registers information: news program. Answer
 Adopt the questions given.
awareness of https://  FOR OPTION 2: Watch the
audience and knowhow.ncvo.or video The Worst
context in g.uk/campaigns/ Research presentation
presenting communications/ (https://www.youtube.co
ideas communications- m/watch?v=nSGqp4-
 Create clear, strategy bZQY) Answer the
coherent, and questions given in not
effective more than three
communication sentences
materials  Write a speech about a
 Present ideas relevant issue. The
persuasively speech should be 500-
using 600 words.
appropriate
language
registers, tone,
facial
expressions
and gestures
 Write and
present
academic
papers using
appropriate
tone, style,
conventions
and reference
styles
Module 5:  Create clear  Public speaking  Copy of the  Record a speech delivery
Communicati coherent, and  Interview Course Module.  Use the STAR technique
on for effective  Workplace  Pen and short on how they were able to
Various communication Communication bond paper solve the given problems/
Purposes materials  Communication  Laptop or situation.
 Understand for Academic smart phones  Video Record a mock
Moral and Purposes  Newspapers interview
Ethical  Choose four types of

This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
 Standards in Visit the business letter and write
Workplace following link for an example for each.
communication more  Write a report about an
 Write and information: incident at school or
present community that they
academic https:// personally witnessed
papers using www.youtube.co  Write a research plan
appropriate m/watch? consisting of the proposed
tone, style, v=a2MR5XbJtXU title, problem statement,
conventions and timeframe. Prepare a
and reference https:// list of reference. Write a
styles www.youtube.co research proposal
m/watch?  Create a power point
v=ppf9j8x0LA8 presentation for the plan
created/written
https://
www.youtube.co
m/watch?
v=RVmMeMcGc0
Y&list=PL4lVGVy
D-
Ve1tcuTXR8qA8S
uePc9n0rbJ
FINAL EXAMS

This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
 Module No. 3: Evaluating Messages

Introduction
The book you previously read; the sign you see in a door; the logo of your organization; the way
someone moves when distressed – all of these are form of communication. Almost everything you
see around you communicates in a language you might or might not be familiar with. And as we
continue to live in a world becoming more accustomed to internet, people look for more avenues
and mediums to convey their messages. Technological advancements changed the ways in which
people use visual images and other forms of media. The function of visual images and media is
now beyond aesthetic and artistic concept. So, the question now is how do we evaluate these
mediums in communication? As individual living in the 21 st century, what knowledge and skills do
we need to evaluate and decode the messages these mediums are conveying?

This module will help you more in evaluating images and other forms of landscapes which we can
find and see in the world we are living in. This module will also guide you in understanding and
developing the knowledge and skills you need in evaluating messages and images.

Learning Objectives
After studying this module, you should be able to:
 Evaluate multimodal texts critically to enhance receptive (listening, reading, viewing) skills
 Convey ideas through oral, audio-visual, and web-based presentations for different target
audiences in local and global settings using appropriate registers
 Adopt awareness of audience and context in presenting ideas
 Understand the importance of signs and symbols

Language of Image
As we navigate through the world, we use signs and symbols. Barnes (2017) discussed in her book that in
contemporary society, professional designers and scholars place signs and symbols into cultural
classifications. These classifications can be different for professions and academics. For instance,
professionals categorize visual symbols as either pictorial or graphic. In contrast, academics use terms
from semiotics—signified and signifier. Additionally, linguistic concepts such as connotation, denotation,
metaphor, and the semantic differential can also be applied to the process of understanding visual signs
and symbols.

Signs can be used to help individuals understand their environment. For instance, public signs have been
designed to enable literate and illiterate individuals to easily identify places and things, such as rest rooms
and telephones. Symbols can show actual objects or they can represent a concept. Visual symbols move
from the concrete object to the abstract idea. There are many different types of signs and symbols that
communicate visual information. (Barnes, 2017)
Let us look into the different landscapes to further understand the language and message that images
have.

Linguistic Landscape
An article Entitled Linguistic landscapes: an introduction, discussed that the term linguistic landscape
refers to all visible semiotic signs in public space. This not only includes printed, written, carved, sprayed
or otherwise visible language that occurs in the physical world but also pictures, colors, logos, graphs and
other meaningful signs. The public road signs, advertising billboards, street names, commercial shop signs,
This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
and signs of different establishments are all part of Linguistic Landscape. The things that you see that do
not need words to express a message is called Linguistic Landscape.
The study of the linguistic landscape is a relatively new area, which draws from several academic
disciplines such as applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, anthropology, sociology, psychology and cultural
geography (Ben-Rafael, Shohamy and Barni, 2010).
Categories of Linguistic Landscape

Category Examples:
Top-down LL contain official (i.e.,  Public institutions: Religious institutions, governmental,
institutional) information, often related municipal – cultural, educational, medical
to regulations, designations, or public  Public signs of general interests
announcements.  Public announcements
 Signs of Street names
Bottom-up LL signs contain all other  Shops signs: food, clothing
types of information that is  Private business signs: offices, factories, agencies
communicated by private,  Private announcements: ‘wanted’ ads, job posts, sale or
commercial, or subcultural actors. rentals of things

Geo-Semiotics
Collins dictionary defines Geo as a prefix that contains information about location and used to make verbs,
nouns and adjectives (Macmillan Dictionary). Semiotics, on the other hand, is the study of signs and sign-
using behaviour. It was defined by one of its founders, the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, as the
study of the life of signs within society. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020)
With these definitions, we can assume that geo-semiotics is the study of signs and meaning of their
placement in the world. We live in a world full of signs and symbols. This is the aim of geo-semiotics.

Principles of Geosemiotics (Lenkcis, 2014)

 Principle of indexicality
Every sign has its meaning, but this meaning was given to a sign by a place the sign was put in. For
example, the red light at a crossing is a clear sign that a driver should stop. But if the red light was
put in the forest, would it have the same meaning? Or would you know what it means? Same with
signs in speed limits, you would never put a speed limit sign inside a building.
 Principle of Dialogicality
Signs have double meaning and that they correspond with each other. For example people driving
the same route every day may not pay attention to signs and only drive from their memory, but if
they suddenly see the sign telling them to resume speed they instantly know that they did not
notice a new speed limit sign on their way, because these signs are in a way linked. As for the
double meaning, a sign SLOW CHILDREN AT PLAY put near a playground means that you have to
slow down, because children are playing nearby, but put near a school for special needs children
may just inform you that children with some disabilities are in close proximity.
 Principle of Selection
People do not see all the signs in their surroundings because of selection. People decide which sign
to see and which to ignore depending on the state of mind. For example, the No Smoking sign in
front of a building where people usually smokes.

Kinds of Signs

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 Regulatory – indicates authority, an official or legal prohibition (traffic
signs)
Infrastructural – labels things or directs for the maintenance of a building
or any infrastructure (warning signs)
Commercial – advertises and promotes a product, an event, or a service
in commerce (leaflets)
Transgressive – violates (intentionally or accidentally) the conventional
semiotics or is in wrong place (Graffiti)

Online Landscape
In a world now dominated by technology, people are now accustomed to surfing the internet and has
become citizen of it or what we call netizens. A netizen refers to an active participant in the online
community of internet. Nowadays, people express their opinions and sentiments about relevant issues
(social, historical, political, etc.) using their social media accounts. People are not anymore just users of
internet content but they have become creators of content in this platform. These platforms that people
use are called online landscape.

Let us look into some popular online landscape.

1. YouTube – According to TechTerms (2009), YouTube is a video sharing service that allows users to
watch videos posted by other users and upload videos of their own. The slogan of the YouTube
website is "Broadcast Yourself." This implies the YouTube service is designed primarily for ordinary
people who want to publish videos (amateur films, homemade music videos, sports bloopers, funny
events caught on video, instructional videos, do-it-yourself guides) they have created.
2. Twitter – Twitter is an online service that allows you to share updates with other users by
answering one simple question: "What are you doing?" (https://techterms.com/definition/twitter)
Twitter limits each tweet to 140 characters, which means there is no room for rambling. Many
people use Twitter to blog about the news, politics, TV shows, or any other hot topic. Some people
even use it to share their thoughts on lectures or sermons. So Twitter posts are certainly not limited
to answering the question, "What are you doing?"
3. Facebook – According to Techopedia, Facebook is a free social networking Web platform that
promotes and facilitates interaction between friends, family and colleagues. Facebook was founded
in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and several Harvard University classmates. It allows users to share
pictures, music, videos, and articles, as well as their own thoughts and opinions with however many
people they like.
4. Meme – A meme is a concept or behavior that spreads from person to person. Examples of memes
include beliefs, fashions, stories, and phrases. In previous generations, memes typically spread
within local cultures or social groups. However, now that the Internet has created a global
community, memes can span countries and cultures across the world. Memes that are propagated
online are called "Internet memes." (https://techterms.com/definition/meme)
Internet memes may also be subjects, such as people or animals made popular by blogs or other
websites. For example, a politician or celebrity involved in a public scandal may become an Internet
meme thanks to numerous bloggers who publish their thoughts on the story. A household pet may
even become a meme if it stars in a YouTube video that goes viral. These types of Internet memes
are typically short-lived, but they are part of the larger meme of social networking, in which people
participate in online communities.
Understanding these Landscape is important because it gives us a valuable language learning resource. It
helps us in interacting with the society and gives us our identity. For example, a graffiti (a transgressive
sign) can be used to express ideas and be a medium of public voice. Another one is a online meme, this
can be a medium in expressing political or social issues.

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According to Akram (2017) and Kumar (2017), social network is transforming the behavior in which
youthful people relate with their parents, peers, as well as how they make use of technology. The paper
they wrote discussed the two faces (positive and negative effects) of these social media networking in
different fields (Health, business, education, society and kids and teenagers).
We probably know the benefit and positive effects of the use of social media, but let us focus more on the
negative for us to be aware.
Field Negative Effect
Health o Incorrect self-diagnosis
o Potential breach of privacy
Business o Negative remark can lead an association to disappointment.
o Negative customer reviews are harmful.
o Highly time consuming.
o The web is crowded with more and more content.
o A mistake made on social media is hard to rectify
Education o Reduced learning and research capabilities
o Reduction in real human contact
o Reduces command over language use age and creative writing skills
o Effect on health
Society o Cyber Harassing
o Hacking
o Addiction
o Fraud and Scams
o Fake news and misinformation

Evaluating Media through Media Literacy

According to National Association for Media Literacy, media literacy is the ability to access, analyze,
evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication is interdisciplinary by nature. Media literacy
represents a necessary, inevitable, and realistic response to the complex, ever-changing electronic
environment and communication cornucopia that surround us.
With the help of technology, information and messages are communicated to us through a powerful
combination of words, images, and sound. This is the reason we need to hone our literacy skills that will
help us comprehend the messages being sent to us and for us to better communicate our ideas and
opinion in this medium of communication. To become successful in your field, you need to develop
expertise with the increasingly sophisticated information and entertainment media that address us on a
multi-sensory level which affects the way we see things, think, feel, behave, and react to certain issues
around us.

Key Concepts for Media Literacy

For us to critically respond and evaluate media, these key concepts suggested by Canada’s Center for
Digital and Media Literacy can help as filter and tool in evaluating media resources.
Concept Definition Key Questions
Media are Media products are created by individuals who make Who created this media
construction decisions about what to include or leave out and how product?
s to present what is included based on their own point What is its purpose?
of view, assumptions, biases, and experience. As a What assumptions or beliefs
result, media products are never entirely accurate do its creators have that are
reflections of the real world even documentaries reflected in the content?
shown by media organization undergo editing on
what footage will make the cut.
Audiences The creator does not only create the meaning of any How might different people
negotiate media product. A collaboration between them and the see this media product
meaning audience happens which means different audience differently?
can interpret different meaning for the same product. How does this make you feel,
In interpreting media, we should understand that age, based on how similar or
This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
 sex, gender, race, social statue, etc. can affect us. different you are from the
people portrayed in the media
product?
Media have Most media production is a business and must, What is the commercial
commercial therefore, make a profit. In addition, media industries purpose of this media product
implications belong to a powerful network of corporations that (in other words, how will it
exert influence on content and distribution. Questions help someone make money)?
of ownership and control are central – a relatively How does this influence the
small number of individuals control what we watch, content and how is it
read and hear in the media. Even in cases where communicated?
media content is not made for profit – such as If no commercial purpose can
YouTube videos and Facebook posts – the ways in be found, what other purposes
which content is distributed are nearly always run might the media product
with profit in mind. have?
How do those purposes
influence the content and how
is it communicated?
Media have Media convey ideological messages about values, Who and what is shown in a
social and power, and authority. In media literacy, what or who positive light? In a negative
political is absent may be more important than what or who is light?
implications included. These messages may be the result of Why might these people and
conscious decisions, but more often they are the things be shown this way?
result of unconscious biases and unquestioned Who and what is not shown at
assumptions – and they can have a significant all?
influence on what we think and believe. What conclusions might
audiences draw based on
As a result, media have great influence on politics these facts?
and on forming social change. TV news coverage and
advertising can greatly influence the election of a
national leader on the basis of image;
representations of world issues, both in journalism
and fiction, can affect how much attention they
receive; and society’s views towards different groups
can be directly influenced by how – and how often –
they appear in media.
Each The content of media depends in part on the nature What techniques does the
medium has of the medium. This includes the technical, media product use to get your
a unique commercial and storytelling demands of each attention and to communicate
aesthetic medium: for instance, the interactive nature of video its message?
form games leads to different forms of storytelling – and In what ways are the images
different demands on media creators – that are found in the media product
in film and TV. manipulated through various
techniques?
What are the expectations of
the genre towards its subject?

Learning Tasks and Activities

1. Draw and design your own logo. Explain its features (color, shapes, images used, etc.)

2. Evaluate three (3) videos (commercial, infomercial, vlog, advertisement etc.) from internet or
Television by answering the following question (in not more than three sentences) for each video.
Include the link or the title of the video or a screenshot or picture of the video. .
 Who created this media product?
 What is its purpose? How does it influence the content and how is it communicated?
 How does this make you feel, based on how similar or different you are from the people
portrayed in the media product?
 What conclusions might audiences draw based on provided facts?
 What techniques does the media product use to get your attention and to communicate its
message?
This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
 3. Evaluate three (3) memes from different social media platform. Paste the meme in your document.
Answer the following questions in not more than three sentences. Do it each meme.
 What techniques does the media product use to get your attention and to communicate its
message?
 How might different people see this media product differently?
 How does this make you feel, based on how similar or different you are from the people
portrayed in the media product?
 What is its purpose?
 Who/what is shown in a positive light? In a negative light? Why might these people/things be
shown this way?

4. Create three (3) original memes. Answer the following questions for each meme.
 What is your purpose in creating this?
 How might different people see this media product differently?
 What conclusions might audiences draw based on these facts?
 What techniques did you use to get the viewers/audience attention?
 How does the features you included reflect you as the creator?
5. Evaluate the signs below by answering the following questions
 What is the image about? What is the message?.
 What is its purpose?
 What kind of context does the information provide? Does it answer the questions Where,
How, Why, and for whom was the image made?
 What are other way/s of better presenting it?

Reference
10 Funny double-meaning signs. https://daddu.net/double-meaning-signs/

Akram, W. Kumar, R. (2017, October 30) A Study on Positive and Negative Effects of Social Media on
Society.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323903323_A_Study_on_Positive_and_Neg
ative_Effects_of_Social_Media_on_Society/link/5ab1c064a6fdcc1bc0bfefef/download

Barnes (2017) Language of images: signs, symbols, and semiotics.

https://www.peterlang.com/view/9781433142055/xhtml/chapter04.xhtml

Canada’s Center for Digital and Media Literacy. (n.d.) Media Literacy Fundamentals.
https://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/general-information/digital-media-literacy-
fundamentals/media-literacy-fundamentals

Encyclopaedia Britannica (2020, May 21) Semiotics. https://www.britannica.com/science/semiotics

Lenkcis, Paulina. (2014). Principles of geosemiotics.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269700583_Principles_of_geosemiotics/citation/
download
This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
Macmillan Dictionary (n.d.) Geo. https://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/geo

National Association for Media Literacy Education. (n.d.) Media literacy defined
https://namle.net/publications/media-literacy-definitions/

Shohamy, E., Ben-Rafael, E., and Barni, M. (2010) Linguistic Landscape in the City Multilingual Matters.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326841840_Linguistic_landscape_in_the_city

Tech Terms (2009, March 19) Internet Terms : Twitter Definition https://techterms.com/definition/twitter

Tech Terms (2009, October 7). Internet Terms: YouTube Definition.

https://techterms.com/definition/youtube

Techopedia (2016, November 14). Definition: Facebook

https://www.techopedia.com/definition/4941/facebook

Webwise (n.d.)Explained: What is Facebook? https://www.webwise.ie/parents/explained-what-is-facebook-

2/

Module No. 4: Communication Aids and Strategies

Introduction
Communication is the most important tool of social existence and survival. If you are able to
communicate your ideas across effectively, you would most likely to be successful in your
endeavors. However, as we already discussed previously, communication is a complex process
and needs to be planned in order for the information to be sent, comprehended and remembered
effectively. And because of modern technology, communication is not limited to writings and
meetings already. The challenges we face in communicating effectively in different context and
purpose has become even more difficult.

This module will help you understand the use of communication aids and strategies as a tool for
effective communication. In addition, this module aims to equip you with knowledge and skills in
selecting appropriate aids and strategies you may use in different context and purpose

Learning Objectives
After studying this module, you should be able to:
 Convey ideas through oral, audio-visual, and web-based presentations for different target
audiences in local and global settings using appropriate registers
 Adopt awareness of audience and context in presenting ideas
 Create clear, coherent, and effective communication materials
 Present ideas persuasively using appropriate language registers, tone, facial expressions
and gestures
 Write and present academic papers using appropriate tone, style, conventions and
reference styles

Communication Aids and Strategy

One of the most important tools of effective communication is the use of various visual aids and strategies
in order to enable a more in-depth understanding of the messages you want to convey. According to
Farooq (2020), communication strategy is the scheme of planning how to share information.
Communication strategy is referred to the choice of the most useful objectives of communication, and
recognition of a particular brand and its strategy in terms of attitude. A strategy need to be interlinked
with the basis of organization and has to be taken into account very seriously. Employees of the
organization are supposed to be committed to the organization’s strategy completely. An organization
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cannot compete well with the world outside if it lacks a proper strategy that informs about what it aims to
do.
There are three types of communication strategy according to Farooq (2020). They are as follows:

Verbal can be broken down into the two categories of written and oral
communication communication. Written strategies consist of avenues such as e-mail, text,
strategies and chat. Examples that fall into the oral category are phone calls, video
chats, and face-to-face conversation.
Nonverbal consist of mostly visual cues, such as body language, facial expressions,
communication physical distance between communicators, or the tone of your voice.
strategies These cues are typically not intended. However, it is important to realize
the message you are sending. Otherwise, you may be saying one thing,
yet the receiver is hearing another.
Visual can be seen through signs, webpages, and illustrations. These strategies
communication are used in the workplace to draw attention and provide documentation.
strategies Human resources are required to post certain visuals throughout the
workplace to comply with safety laws.

Factors in Developing Communication Strategy

According to Hovland (2005) Drawing up a communications strategy is an art, not a science and there are
lots of different ways of approaching the task. Hovland (2005) and The National Council for Voluntary
Organizations suggested the following factor to be considered in developing a communication strategy.

1. Objectives/Purpose
Your objectives are the key to the success of your communications strategy. They should ensure
that your communications strategy is organizationally driven rather than communications driven.
Your communications activity is not an end in itself but should serve and hence be aligned with
your organizational objectives.

It is useful to say up front why you have developed a communications strategy and what you hope
to achieve with it. This does not need to be very detailed; it acts as a reference and reminder for
those using it in their work. For example:
"This communications strategy shows how effective communications can:
o help us achieve our overall organizational objectives
o engage effectively with stakeholders
o demonstrate the success of our work

2. Audiences
You should identify those audiences with whom you need to communicate to achieve your
organizational objectives. The best audiences to target in order to achieve an objective may not
always be the most obvious ones, and targeting audiences such as the media may not always help
achieve your objectives. Everyone would like a higher media and political profile, yet activities
aiming towards this may ultimately be self-serving and only communications driven, with no wider
impact. They can even have a negative effect if you dedicate resources towards this that would
otherwise be put towards communicating with key stakeholders.

3. Messages
Remember that your messages should be relevant and appropriate to the audience. Strategic
targeting and consistency are key to your organization’s messages. Create a comprehensive case
covering all the key messages, and emphasize the different elements of the case for different
audiences.

To maximize impact you should summarize the case in three key points which can be constantly
repeated. Remember that communications is all about storytelling: use interesting narrative,
human interest stories and arresting imagery.
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 Take note that the message has three parts introduction, body and conclusion. The introduction
may include your thesis statement (central idea), the body to discuss your points and support your
thesis, and a conclusion to wrap up, summarize, reflect, or give suggestions and/or
recommendations.

An appropriate organizational pattern maybe used in organizing your messages. You may use the
following organizational pattern in outlining your message.

Chronological A speech organized chronologically has main points oriented toward time. In this
Order format, you discuss main points in an order that could be followed on a calendar or a
clock.
Spatial Order A speech organized spatially has main points oriented toward space or a directional
pattern. In this format, you discuss main points in an order that could be traced on a
map.
Causal A speech organized causally has main points oriented toward cause and effect. You
discuss main points in an order that alerts the audience to a problem or
circumstance and then tells the audience what action resulted from the original
circumstance.
Topical A speech organized topically has main points organized more randomly by sub-
topics. In this format, you discuss main points in a more random order that labels
specific aspects of the topic and addresses them in separate categories. Most
speeches that are not organized chronologically, spatially, or causally are organized
topically.
Problem and Problem and Solution is a pattern of organization where information in a passage is
Solution expressed as a dilemma or concerning issue (a problem) and something that was,
can be, or should be done to remedy this issue (solution or attempted solution).
Sequence Sequential order, or process writing as it is sometimes called, is when information in
a passage is organized by the order in which it occurs. This method of organizing
text is generally used for instructions or directions, but it can also be used to explain
processes in nature or society, such as how a president is elected.
Compare and Compare and Contrast is a text structure or pattern of organization where the
Contrast similarities and differences of two or more things are explored. It is important to
remember that with the compare and contrast text structure the text should be
discussing similarities and differences. If the text only discusses similarities, it is only
comparing. Likewise, if it only discusses ways that the things are different, it is only
contrasting. The text must do both to be considered compare and contrast.
Criteria We use this pattern when the audience might initially oppose your solution. You
satisfaction show how your idea meets what the audience needs by first establishing and getting
agreement on the necessary criteria and then showing how your solution meets the
criteria.

4. Tools and activities

For each audience identified in your previous section, you should now indicate the most appropriate
channels for communicating with them. These might include an e-bulletin, conference, workshop,
leaflet, press release, event – or broader methods such as media and your website.

There are pros and cons to all these channels, which once again will vary depending on your
organizations needs and resources. Try a simple internal analysis of the channels you have at your
disposal to see which are the best to use for getting specific messages to audiences.

In academic and work context, you may use presentation software such as Microsoft office, Prezi or
Apple Keynote. Presentation software is a category of application software that is specifically
designed to allow users to create a presentation of ideas by stringing together text, images, and
audio/video. The presentation tells a story or supports speech or the presentation of information.
Choosing the right tools (tables, diagram, graphs, videos, pictures, charts, posters, handouts) to aid
in your presentation will contribute greatly in communicating the messages and information
effectively.
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 Pitfalls you should avoid in creating your presentation
 Poorly conceived message
 Design over content
 Overly complex presentation

General Guidelines in using presentation software

 Keep it simple.
 Keep your audience in mind when designing your visual aids.
 Proofread very carefully.
 Fonts should be clear and easy to read.
 Colored fonts should have a dark background (dark blue is best) with primary titles in
either yellow or white and secondary titles in the remaining color.
 Avoid using shades of the background color for titles or details.
 Avoid commercial endorsements.
 Test your presentation ahead of time.

You may check out https://www.ieee-pes.org/guidelines-for-preparing-visuals-for-pes-

presentations website for further information in creating your presentation .

5. Resources and Timescales

With your audiences and key communications methods identified, the next step is to draw up a
table that indicates the key communications activities, budget, and resources allocated to
delivering the strategy. The work plan should also include proposed timescales and identify
particular milestones within the strategy. This will allow you to measure clear steps towards
ultimate goals. There may be specific projects, events or publications that you know will take place,
and these should be highlighted.

6. Evaluation and amendment

Consider performing a communications audit to assess the effectiveness of your strategy with both
your internal and external audiences. You should use open questions with appropriate prompts and
benchmarks and, if possible, get someone independent to do the work. Consider and discuss the
results carefully and use them to amend your strategy.

Example audiences to consider are your staff, funders, key political targets and media. Questions
you should consider asking are:

 What do you read/see/hear?

 What works/doesn't work?
 What do you want to see more of?
 What information do you need that you are not currently supplied with?
 How often do you want us to communicate with you?

While drawing up your strategy, you should involve your team, and on a smaller scale, the entire
organization. Feed the communications strategy into the organizational strategy to ensure
maximum alignment and efficiency.

Purpose of Communication
One of the factors to consider in developing communication aids and strategies is the purpose. That is the
first one because the aids and strategies you will use will be based on the purpose of communication.

There are five major purposes of communication according to Encyclopedia Britannica. They are as follows:

Informative When people share knowledge about the world in which they live, they are
Communicatio participating in the process of informative communication. Informative messages
n attempt to present an objective—that is, truthful and unbiased—view of the topics
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 being considered.
Informative communication is an important part of life. Young people are exposed to
informative messages throughout their school years; it is the main type of
communication at all educational levels. As students mature, they are expected to
grow in their ability to understand and create informative messages. When reading or
listening to such messages, students are expected to recognize the subject or
purpose, identify the main points, pick out important details, summarize information,
make some assumptions, ask relevant questions, and draw additional conclusions.
The working world depends on informative communication. Nations such as the
United States were once called industrial societies, as most people worked in
industries that manufactured products. Today these nations are often called
information societies, as an increasing number of careers involve the processing of
information rather than the fabrication of products. People who work with things
rather than ideas, however, also must use such job-related informative messages as
parts manuals, job descriptions, catalogs, inventory reports, instructions, warranties,
contracts, and invoices.
The following are tips in doing informative presentation:
 Stick to the facts
 Avoid repetitions
 Make it clear.
Affective Affective communication is the process through which people express feelings about
Communicatio things, themselves, and others. Expressions of positive and negative feelings about
n places, objects, events, policies, and ideas are called opinions.
Affective communication also contributes to the formation of self-concept—what one
thinks of oneself. Through affective exchanges children form opinions about
themselves. As students attend school, interactions with teachers and other students
continue to influence their self-concepts.
Affective communication is of major importance throughout life. Employers value
employees who get along well with other people, who take criticism well, and who are
open and honest in their relationships with others. Affective communication is also
important to a happy family life. Psychologists and family therapists stress the
importance of open communication in the home. Members of supportive families feel
free to talk about positive feelings of love, joy, and appreciation as well as negative
feelings of anger, fear, and disappointment.
Imaginative Imaginative communication may be defined as the process through which invented
Communicatio situations are created and, in most cases, shared. Whenever people invent jokes or
n stories, speculate, daydream, or make believe, they are engaged in imaginative
communication. People also engage in imaginative communication when they
appreciate fictional messages found in books, magazines, newspapers, films,
television dramas, plays, and conversations. Imaginative communication plays a
major role in the lives of all people; from appreciation to creating literary works.
Persuasive Persuasive communication may be defined as the process through which people
Communicatio attempt to influence the beliefs or actions of others. In many cases persuasive
n communication involves people who are important to each other—parents influence
children, children influence parents, and friends influence each other. Persuasive
communication such as advertising frequently involves strangers. Those involved in
designing ads or producing commercials will attempt to “know” the target audience,
but this is generally limited to a few important details about potential customers, such
as where they live or how much money they are expected to spend on certain items
in a given year.

Persuasive communication plays a central role in a number of professions. Lawyers,

salespersons, advertising specialists, public relations experts, and politicians must
use persuasive communication. While persuasive communication may not be the
central ingredient in many careers, most people need to be able to influence others in
work-related settings.
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 The most prominent form of persuasive communication in contemporary life is
advertising. Consumers are confronted by advertisements from a variety of
directions. While newspapers are thought of as informative sources, local, national,
and classified advertising take up about 65 percent of their average total space.
The following are tips in doing persuasive presentation:
 Be objective, be subjective
 Use your brain, not your heart
 Cite, cite, cite
Ritualistic Ritualistic communication is the process through which people meet social
Communicatio expectations. The word ritual comes from the Latin ritualis, meaning “pertaining to
n rites.” At one time rites were seen as acts of religious or public ceremony. People
were expected to perform the rites in a certain way. People still have strong
expectations about how others should act in a wide range of social situations.
Ritualistic communication is important because people who violate the rules and
customs of social interaction may have difficulty relating well to others. They can also
be seen as weakening the unity of the social group. Children who do not recognize
when other children are “kidding,” or overreact when other children are “teasing,”
have difficulty adjusting to school life. Teenagers who have difficulty in engaging in
light banter and responding to put-downs are considered by their peers to be odd.
Adults who seem too stiff and formal or too loose and informal have difficulty in
relating to other adults.
There are many different kinds of social rituals. In modern life people are expected to
engage in such everyday speech acts as greeting one another, small talk, leave-
taking, teasing, and joking. It is also expected that people use social amenities, or
polite expressions, when relating to each other. People are expected to use such
polite expressions as “May I please...,” “Yes, you may,” “Thank you,” “You’re
welcome,” “May I be excused,” and “Pardon me.”
People are also expected to introduce others gracefully, use telephone etiquette,
demonstrate good table manners, and write thank-you notes. In conversation it is
expected that individuals take turns, change topics skillfully, and demonstrate
interest in the ideas that are expressed by others. In group discussions, participants
are expected to share leadership roles, meet the emotional needs of other group
members, follow agendas, and compromise.
In written communication people are also expected to conform to social expectations.
Personal letters, business letters, letters to editors, limericks, sonnets, ballads, haikus,
invitations, responses to invitations, short stories, novels, and editorials are all
governed by rules or expectations

Learning Tasks Activities

1. Read the article below. Answer the questions in not more than three sentences. Highlight key
points/ideas in your answer.
 What kind of organizational pattern did the author used? Why did you say so?
 What is the purpose of the article?
 What is the thesis statement?
 What should be an appropriate title for this article?

2. Create an outline for the article above.

3. Create a PowerPoint presentation for the outline you created using your phone or computer.

4. FOR OPTION 1: Watch a news program or interview on TV. Answer the questions below in not more
than three sentences. Highlight key points in your answer.
 What is the objective of the interview?
 How did the interviewer interact with the interviewee?
 Are there not so good things that you noticed about the interviewer? Interviewee? Explain.
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 FOR OPTION 2 :Watch the video The Worst Research presentation
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSGqp4-bZQY) Answer the questions below in not more
than three sentences. Highlight key points in your answer.
 What is the objective of this presentation?
 How did the speaker interact with her audience?
 What are the bad things done by the presenter?
 Why is this the worst presentation?

5. Write your own speech about a relevant issue. The speech should be 700 to 1000 words.

Article for Task 1

Globalization is defined as a process that, based on international strategies, aims to expand business
operations on a worldwide level, and was precipitated by the facilitation of global communications due to
technological advancements, and socioeconomic, political and environmental developments.

The goal of globalization is to provide organizations a superior competitive position with lower operating
costs, to gain greater numbers of products, services, and consumers. This approach to competition is
gained via diversification of resources, the creation and development of new investment opportunities by
opening up additional markets and accessing new raw materials and resources. Diversification of
resources is a business strategy that increases the variety of business products and services within various
organizations. Diversification strengthens institutions by lowering organizational risk factors, spreading
interests in different areas, taking advantage of market opportunities, and acquiring companies both
horizontal and vertical in nature.

Industrialized or developed nations are specific countries with a high level of economic development and
meet certain socioeconomic criteria based on economic theory, such as gross domestic product (GDP),
industrialization and human development index (HDI) as defined by the International Monetary Fund (IMF),
the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Using these definitions, some
industrialized countries are: United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Japan,
Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.

The components of globalization include GDP, industrialization and the Human Development Index (HDI).
The GDP is the market value of all finished goods and services produced within a country's borders in a
year and serves as a measure of a country's overall economic output. Industrialization is a process which,
driven by technological innovation, effectuates social change and economic development by transforming
a country into a modernized industrial, or developed nation. The Human Development Index comprises
three components: a country's population's life expectancy, knowledge and education measured by the
adult literacy, and income.

The degree to which an organization is globalized and diversified has bearing on the strategies that it uses
to pursue greater development and investment opportunities.

Globalization compels businesses to adapt to different strategies based on new ideological trends that try
to balance the rights and interests of both the individual and the community as a whole. This change
enables businesses to compete worldwide and also signifies a dramatic change for business leaders, labor
and management by legitimately accepting the participation of workers and government in developing and
implementing company policies and strategies. Risk reduction via diversification can be accomplished
through company involvement with international financial institutions and partnering with both local and
multinational businesses.

Globalization brings reorganization at the international, national and sub-national levels. Specifically, it
brings the reorganization of production, international trade and the integration of financial markets. This
affects capitalist economic and social relations, via multilateralism and microeconomic phenomena, such
as business competitiveness, at the global level. The transformation of production systems affects the
class structure, the labor process, the application of technology and the structure and organization of
capital. Globalization is now seen as marginalizing the less educated and low-skilled workers. Business

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expansion will no longer automatically imply increased employment. Additionally, it can cause a high
remuneration of capital, due to its higher mobility compared to labor.

The phenomenon seems to be driven by three major forces: the globalization of all product and financial
markets, technology, and deregulation. Globalization of product and financial markets refers to an
increased economic integration in specialization and economies of scale, which will result in greater trade
in financial services through both capital flows and cross-border entry activity. The technology factor,
specifically telecommunication and information availability, has facilitated remote delivery and provided
new access and distribution channels, while revamping industrial structures for financial services by
allowing entry of non-bank entities, such as telecoms and utilities.

Deregulation pertains to the liberalization of capital account and financial services in products, markets,
and geographic locations. It integrates banks by offering a broad array of services, allows entry of new
providers, and increases multinational presence in many markets and more cross-border activities.

In a global economy, power is the ability of a company to command both tangible and intangible assets
that create customer loyalty, regardless of location. Independent of size or geographic location, a company
can meet global standards and tap into global networks, thrive and act as a world-class thinker, maker,
and trader, by using its greatest assets: its concepts, competence, and connections.

Some economists have a positive outlook regarding the net effects of globalization on economic growth.
These effects have been analyzed over the years by several studies attempting to measure the impact of
globalization on various nations' economies using variables such as trade, capital flows, and their
openness, GDP per capita, foreign direct investment (FDI) and more. These studies examined the effects of
several components of globalization on growth using time-series cross-sectional data on trade, FDI and
portfolio investment. Although they provide an analysis of individual components of globalization on
economic growth, some of the results are inconclusive or even contradictory. However, overall, the
findings of those studies seem to be supportive of the economists' positive position, instead of the one
held by the public and non-economist view.

Trade among nations via the use of comparative advantage promotes growth, which is attributed to a
strong correlation between the openness to trade flows and the effect on economic growth and economic
performance. Additionally, there is a strong positive relation between capital flows and their impact on
economic growth.

Foreign Direct Investment's impact on economic growth has had a positive growth effect in wealthy
countries and an increase in trade and FDI, resulting in higher growth rates. Empirical research examining
the effects of several components of globalization on growth, using time series and cross-sectional data on
trade, FDI and portfolio investment, found that a country tends to have a lower degree of globalization if it
generates higher revenues from trade taxes. Further evidence indicates that there is a positive growth-
effect in countries that are sufficiently rich, as are most of the developed nations.

The World Bank reports that integration with global capital markets can lead to disastrous effects, without
sound domestic financial systems in place.

One of the potential benefits of globalization is to provide opportunities for reducing macroeconomic
volatility on output and consumption via diversification of risk.

Non-economists and the wide public expect the costs associated with globalization to outweigh the
benefits, especially in the short-run. Less wealthy countries from those among the industrialized nations
may not have the same highly-accentuated beneficial effect from globalization as more wealthy countries,
measured by GDP per capita, etc. Although free trade increases opportunities for international trade, it
also increases the risk of failure for smaller companies that cannot compete globally. Additionally, free
trade may drive up production and labor costs, including higher wages for a more skilled workforce, which
again can lead to outsourcing jobs from countries with higher wages.

Domestic industries in some countries may be endangered due to comparative or absolute advantage of
other countries in specific industries. Another possible danger and harmful effect is the overuse and abuse
of natural resources to meet new higher demands in the production of goods.

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One of the major potential benefits of globalization is to provide opportunities for reducing macroeconomic
volatility on output and consumption via diversification of risk. The overall evidence of the globalization
effect on macroeconomic volatility of output indicates that although direct effects are ambiguous in
theoretical models, financial integration helps in a nation's production base diversification, and leads to an
increase in specialization of production. However, the specialization of production, based on the concept of
comparative advantage, can also lead to higher volatility in specific industries within an economy and
society of a nation. As time passes, successful companies, independent of size, will be the ones that are
part of the global economy.

Reference

Business photo created by ijeab https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/business

Encyclopædia Britannica (n.d.) Communication. https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/communication/273754

Farooq, U. (2020, June 25). What is communication strategy?. https://www.businessstudynotes.com/others/business-

communication/communication-strategy-types-of-communication-strategies/

Hovland, I. (2005, January) Planning tools: how to write a communications strategy.

https://www.odi.org/publications/5186-planning-tools-how-write-communications-strategy

National Council for Voluntary Organizations. (n.d.) Developing a communication strategy.

https://knowhow.ncvo.org.uk/campaigns/communications/communications-strategy

Module No. 5: Communication for Various Purposes

Introduction
All through out our life, we continually change how we communicate and what we communicate
about. Each situation we find ourselves in demands different methods of communication. There
were times that we effectively communicated our thoughts but there were also times that
communication faltered which led to misunderstanding. In those instances, we learn to reflect and
adapt through the help of others or through information we get from different sources. Over time
we develop differing degrees of awareness on how to respond appropriately in different. The
question now is what are the things we need to remember in communicating in different
situations? What makes communication for academic purposes different from others? How are we
going to communicate our ideas and opinions in different situation?

This module will guide you in understanding communication for various purposes. This includes
understanding factors, principles, knowledge and skills needed in communicating for various
purposes.

Learning Objectives
After studying this module, you should be able to:
 Create clear, coherent, and effective communication materials
 Understand Moral and Ethical Standards in Workplace communication
 Write and present academic papers using appropriate tone, style, conventions and
reference styles

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5.1 Public Speaking
According to Spencer (2018), public speaking refers to a presentation that's given live before an audience.
Public speeches can cover a wide variety of different topics. The goal of the speech may be to educate,
entertain, or influence the listeners. Often, visual aids in the form of an electronic slideshow are used to
supplement the speech and make it more interesting to the listeners. Because public speaking is done
before a live audience, there are some special factors the speaker needs to take into consideration. We'll
touch on those shortly, but first let's take a quick look at the history of public speaking.

Over the past years, public speaking played a major role in different fields and sectors such as education,
government, business, etc. This is because words has the power to inform, persuade, educate, and
entertain. Spoken word can even be more powerful than written word in the hands of the right speaker.

Some benefits of public speaking include:

 Improves confidence
 Better research skills
 Stronger deductive skills
 Ability to advocate

Spencer (2018) gave the following areas to help you become better at public speaking. They are as
follows:

 Write an Effective Speech

The first thing you will want to do is work on writing a well-organized, engaging speech. Because
even if you have got a great speaking voice or a great deal of charisma, you won't give a good
speech if your material isn't any good.
 Overcome the Fear of Speaking
Fear of public speaking is very real and can hold you back if you let it. If you do not feel confident
when giving your speech, your listeners may pick up on that, making your presentation less
effective. Fortunately, there are some techniques that will help most people manage their fear of
public speaking and become more confident.
 Practice the Speech
Even if you are not afraid of public speaking, practicing your speech is still an important step to
having an effective speech. If you are in a rush, you may be tempted to skip practicing your speech
to save time. While skipping practice may seem like a good idea, it is really not. By practicing your
speech not only do you improve your public speaking skills, but you also increase your familiarity
with the presentation—making it more likely that your speech will go smoothly.
 Give the Speech
Now that you have written a good speech, feel more confident about public speaking, and have
practiced—you are ready to actually give the speech. There are some tips and tricks you can use on
the day of your speech to make it go more smoothly, though. Remember, you are giving a
presentation before a live audience at a specific place and time. So, you have got some concerns
about the speaking venue that those who give online presentations don't have to worry about.

 Some common concerns for public speakers include:

o Will the audience be able the hear me?
o Does the venue have the equipment I need?
o Are there enough seats for all of my listeners?

According to Creative Commons (n.d.), there are four primary types of speech delivery. They are
presented below:
1. Manuscript or Read speech
This involves reading your speech word-for-word from its written form. The advantage to delivering
a speech this way is that you can perfectly plan and control the wording of your speech. This
sounds like it is ideal, but really it is not.
However, there are costs involved in manuscript speaking. First, it is typically an uninteresting way
to present. Unless the speaker has rehearsed the reading as a complete performance animated
with vocal expression and gestures (as poets do in a poetry slam and actors do in a reader’s
theater), the presentation tends to be dull. Keeping one’s eyes glued to the script precludes eye

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 contact with the audience. For this kind of “straight” manuscript speech to hold audience attention,
the audience must be already interested in the message before the delivery begins.

2. Memorized Speech
Memorized speaking is the rote recitation of a written message that the speaker has committed to
memory. Actors, of course, recite from memory whenever they perform from a script in a stage
play, television program, or movie scene. When it comes to speeches, memorization can be useful
when the message needs to be exact and the speaker doesn’t want to be confined by notes.
The advantage to memorization is that it enables the speaker to maintain eye contact with the
audience throughout the speech. Being free of notes means that you can move freely around the
stage and use your hands to make gestures. If your speech uses visual aids, this freedom is even
more of an advantage. However, there are some real and potential costs. First, unless you also plan
and memorize every vocal cue (the subtle but meaningful variations in speech delivery, which can
include the use of pitch, tone, volume, and pace), gesture, and facial expression, your presentation
will be flat and uninteresting, and even the most fascinating topic will suffer. You might end up
speaking in a monotone or a sing-song repetitive delivery pattern. You might also present your
speech in a rapid “machine-gun” style that fails to emphasize the most important points. Second, if
you lose your place and start trying to ad lib, the contrast in your style of delivery will alert your
audience that something is wrong. More frighteningly, if you go completely blank during the
presentation, it will be extremely difficult to find your place and keep going.

3. Extemporaneous Speech
Extemporaneous speaking is the presentation of a carefully planned and rehearsed speech, spoken
in a conversational manner using brief notes. By using notes rather than a full manuscript, the
extemporaneous speaker can establish and maintain eye contact with the audience and assess how
well they are understanding the speech as it progresses. The opportunity to assess is also an
opportunity to restate more clearly any idea or concept that the audience seems to have trouble
grasping.
Speaking extemporaneously has some advantages. It promotes the likelihood that you, the
speaker, will be perceived as knowledgeable and credible. In addition, your audience is likely to pay
better attention to the message because it is engaging both verbally and nonverbally. The
disadvantage of extemporaneous speaking is that it requires a great deal of preparation for both
the verbal and the nonverbal components of the speech. Adequate preparation cannot be achieved
the day before you’re scheduled to speak.

4. Impromptu Speech
Impromptu speaking is the presentation of a short message without advance preparation.
Impromptu speeches often occur when someone is asked to “say a few words” or give a toast on a
special occasion. You have probably done impromptu speaking many times in informal,
conversational settings. Self-introductions in group settings are examples of impromptu speaking:
“Hi, my name is Steve, and I’m a volunteer with the Homes for the Brave program.” Another
example of impromptu speaking occurs when you answer a question such as, “What did you think
of the documentary?”
The advantage of this kind of speaking is that it’s spontaneous and responsive in an animated
group context. The disadvantage is that the speaker is given little or no time to contemplate the
central theme of his or her message. As a result, the message may be disorganized and difficult for
listeners to follow.

Speech Delivery
Peterson (2009) gave the following aspects in delivering a speech. They are as follows:

 Effective voice use involves several elements. Naturally, one of the most important aspects is
volume. As a speaker, you must be loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room, but not so loud
that you sound unnatural or bossy. Monitor the nonverbal feedback of audience members in the back
of the room, if they are leaning forward or concentrating abnormally hard, you may need to speak up.
It is also necessary to vary the pitch, rate, and tone of your voice to avoid sounding monotonous.
We’ve all experienced the agony of listening to a monotonous-voiced speaker. This does not mean
that you need to be extremely flamboyant or obnoxious. Overall, you should just strive for a casual,
conversational voice.
 Your audience gathers a lot of information from your facial expressions. If your facial expressions
and your spoken words conflict, the audience is likely to believe your face. So make sure that your
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 facial expressions mesh with the feelings and ideas being expressed. Basically, a good rule of thumb
for facial expressions (as well as gestures) is to do what comes naturally. There is no need to be
overly theatrical with your facial expressions in a speech. And remember, if it’s at all appropriate, you
can’t go wrong with a smile.
 The simple rule on eye contact is this: The more, the better. A good strategy for eye contact is to
make brief (a beat or two) eye contact with members of the audience in one section of the audience
and then move to another section. Ideally, you should be making eye contact with someone
whenever words are being spoken in your speech. Beware of this trap: People naturally tend to focus
their eye contact on the person that is giving them the best nonverbal feedback (smiling, nodding,
etc.). If you find yourself focusing too much on this person, work on moving to others.
 One of the most common questions that people have about public speaking is: What do I do with my
hands? The quick and easy answer is: Whatever comes naturally (unless clutching the podium is what
comes naturally). The key to good gesturing is variety, which most of us have in our everyday
gestures.
 The final aspect of physical delivery is movement. If you are positioned behind a podium, your
movements are obviously going to be restricted. But if you are not using a podium, feel free to walk
to different parts of the stage as you deliver your speech. This keeps different parts of the audience
involved and adds variety. Don’t just wander in place, though. If your feet move, go somewhere.

Learning Tasks and Activities

Video record yourself delivering the speech you wrote in the previous module. The video should be seven
(7) to ten (10) sentences. Apply the tips and strategies presented in this module.

5.2 Interview
Before working for a company or organization, an applicant will
undergo a hiring process. This process includes interviews,
training, onboarding, and others. Let us focus on the first step
first, the interview.
According to the Business Jargons website, interview refers to a
formal, in-depth conversation between two or more persons,
wherein the exchange of information takes place, with a view of
checking a candidate’s acceptability for the job. There are four
objectives in an interview they are:
To evaluate the applicant’s suitability.
To gain additional information from the candidate.
To provide general information about the company to the
applicant.
To create a good image of the company, among applicants. Business photo created by ijeab –www.freepik.com

It is an effective tool for selection. It is two-way communication between interviewer and interviewee,
wherein the former seeks information, by way of questions and the latter provides the same, through
his/her verbal responses. However, the information flows in both directions. In this way, the hirer learns
about the applicant and the applicant also get a chance to know about the employer.
In an article published by businessjargons.com, there are nine types of interview. Let us check the table
below
Type Definition
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 Structured The interview in which preset standardized questions are used by the interviewer,
Interview which are asked to all the candidates. It is also known as a patterned or guided
interview.
Unstructure The unstructured interview is one that does not follow any formal rules and procedures.
d Interview The discussion is free-flowing, and questions are made up during the interview.
Mixed It is a combination of structured and unstructured interview, wherein a blend of
Interview predetermined and spontaneous questions are asked by the interviewer to the job
seeker. It follows a realistic approach which allows the employer to make a comparison
between answers and get in-depth insights too.
Behavioral It is concerned with a problem or a hypothetical situation, given to the candidate with
Interview an expectation that he/she would solve. It aims at revealing the job seeker’s ability to
solve the problem presented.
Stress The employer commonly uses stress interview for those jobs which are more stress-
Interview prone. A number of harsh, rapid-fire questions are put to the interviewee with intent to
upset him. It seeks to know, how the applicant will respond to pressure.
One to one The most common interview type, in which there are only two participants – the
Interview interviewer (usually the representative of the company) and interviewee, taking part in
the face to face discussion, in order to transfer information.
Panel Panel interview is one, in which there is a panel of interviewers, i.e. two or more
Interview interviewers, but limited to 15. All the members of the panel are different
representatives of the company.
Telephonic Telephonic interview is one that is conducted over the telephone. It is the most
Interview economical and less time consuming, which focuses on asking and answering
questions.
Video An interview, in which a video conference is being employed, to judge or evaluate the
Interview candidate. Due to its flexibility, rapidity and inexpensiveness, it is used increasingly.
Both the interviewer and interviewee should take note of these guidelines given by Half (2015) in the
conduct of an interview:
Formally inform that you will be conducting or attending an interview.
Being punctual is key in making a good impression.
Dress to impress.
Always start with a strong handshake.
Color your words with kindness.
Avoid unnecessary stories.
Do not lose eye contact during the interview.
The magic word is thank you.
As a future applicant for a company or organization, the following are the tips in attending and conducting
a job interview.
Do: Don't:
 Dress to impress.  Turn up late to the interview.
 Make eye contact  Dress sloppily or inappropriately.
 Begin with a firm handshake.  Smoke before your interview.
 Remember your CV details  Volunteer your weaknesses.
 Make a note of your questions.  Criticize your current or previous employer

Star Technique in Talking about Yourself

One of the things that applicants fear the most is having to answer that about how they were able to deal
with a particular situation. The STAR technique discussed by Higher Education Language & Presentation
Support (HELPS) can help you answer that kind of question in an interview.
Tell me about a time when you solved a problem to a tight timescale
Situation set the We were due to deliver a presentation to a group of 30 industry members
context for on our new product and Stuart, the guy due to deliver it, got stuck in
your story traffic
Task what was We were due to deliver a presentation to a group of 30 industry members
required of on our new product and Stuart, the guy due to deliver it, got stuck in
you? traffic

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 Action what you I spoke to the event organizers to find out if they could change the
did? running order. They agreed, so we bought ourselves some time. I
contacted Susan, another member of the team, who could step in. She
agreed to drop what she was doing and head to the event
Result the outcome Stuart didn’t make the meeting on time, but we explained the problem to
the delegates and Susan’s presentation went well. Stuart managed to get
there for the last 15 minutes to answer questions. As a result, we gained
some good contacts; at least two of which became paying clients

You may visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojMt2ktJEyQ to help you in understanding more about

the STAR technique.

Learning Tasks and Activities

1. Use the STAR technique on how you were able to solve the following problems/situation.
 Tell me about a time when you solved a problem to a tight timescale
 Tell me about a situation where you had to use your leadership skills

2. Video record a mock interview. Record yourself answering the following questions. The recording
should not be more than ten minutes.
 Describe yourself.
 Can you tell me about a time where you encountered a business/organizational challenge? How
did you overcome it?
 What are the most important things you are looking for in your next role?
 Where do you see yourself in five years?

5.3 Workplace Communication

According to Faizal (2019) workplace communication refers to the exchanging information and ideas, both
verbal and non-verbal between one person/group and another person/group within an organization. It
includes e-mails, text messages, notes, calls, etc.

Effective workplace communication ensures that organizational objectives are achieved. For
communication to be effective, the message must be understood by the receiver and can be responded to.
This means that communication involves speaking, listening, writing, reading, and reasoning skills. As a
member of an organization, it is important that you become skilled in all the different methods of
communication that are appropriate.

Importance of Effective Workplace Communication

According to Ferrin (2016), effective workplace communication is important because it:

 Improves productivity  Heightens employee engagement
 Increases morale  Strengthens corporate culture
 Heightens employee job satisfaction
 Reduces turnover rates
 Heightens great trust in management
 Strengthens teamwork
 Increases business understanding
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According to Miller (2018), words are only a small portion of how we communicate with one another. Yet
the value of other forms of communication is often overlooked. The four types of workplace
communication discussed below was from an article she wrote entitled 4 Different Types of Workplace
Communication and How to Improve in Each Area.

Verbal Whenever possible, use face-to-face communication in the workplace to eliminate

(In-Person) many of the misunderstandings that can occur. Speaking directly with someone in
Communicati person allows both of you to see and hear the bigger picture. As you or your team
on member speak, you can see each other’s facial expressions and body language. The
emphasis on focusing on one another and the conversation promotes a feeling of value
and credibility. You may think it will take longer for you to leave your office and walk
to the other end of the building to speak face-to-face with someone. But having one
quick conversation rather than a multitude of emails can actually make it more
efficient in the end.

Body As mentioned above, your body language and facial expressions play a vital role in
Language & how effective or ineffective you are at communicating with staff members. Eye contact
Facial makes people feel acknowledged as they talk and listen. A relaxed stance with your
Expressions arms by your sides encourages employees to feel comfortable in a meeting. If you
rehearse what you’re going to say before a meeting, do so in front of a full-length
mirror so you can see if what your body language says matches up with your words.
Employees will receive your words more positively if your facial expressions and body
language don’t put them on edge or the defensive.

Phone Use of the phone is a common part of most every business day. Some people enjoy
Conversation talking to team members by phone. Others dislike it so much that they put it off until
s the last minute. If the staff you lead is remote and spread out throughout the state,
country or world, the phone will be a vital communication tool. You can positively
impact the effectiveness of your phone communication by doing three simple things.
Smile while you talk (in an appropriate conversation, of course); it sounds silly, but it
gives your voice a friendlier tone. Take notes before the conversation and use them to
ensure you cover all points. Finally, speak clearly and slowly so your words are
understood.

Written Emails, memos, and notes are common forms of written communication. Of all four
Communicati communication styles, this is the one that can lead to the most misunderstandings.
on People often read between the lines or feel that there are implied messages or
emotions in written forms of communication. In a workplace situation, this should and
can be avoided. Before you send an email to your employees, distribute a memo, or
post an important notice on the staff bulletin board, have an objective pair of eyes
read it first. A business coach or mentor can look over your written communication and
provide constructive criticism and helpful suggestions.

Since written communication is very technical. we are going to focus more on it. Let us first discuss the
three things you need to consider in written communication.

1. Goal
Having a clear goal in mind keeps your writing focused and clear. This goal might be to get the reader
to action, respond to your email, or to acquire important information.

2. Audience
Tailoring your communication to the person that will be reading it will be of great help to you. Be
careful with the choice of words and style of writing for different types of audience. To do that, you
have to consider the types of organizational communication
 Downward communication flows from superiors to subordinates. This typically takes the form of
orders, instructions and policy directives to people at lower levels in the company. Examples
include feedback on job performance and information about policy and procedures.

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  Upward communication flows from subordinates to superiors. This is the opposite of downward
communication; it originates from people at lower levels and is directed to those who are above
them. Examples include suggestion statements, reactions, reports and proposals.
 Upward communication flows from subordinates to superiors. This is the opposite of downward
communication; it originates from people at lower levels and is directed to those who are above
them. Examples include suggestion statements, reactions, reports and proposals.
 Outward communication flows from individuals/employees in an organization to clients of that
organization and other players that are interested in the organizational goals and activities.

3. Tone
Tone refers to the “voice” of your writing. In business writing, your tone should be one of
professionalism blended with varying degrees of formality and friendliness. Even while communicating
negative news, such as pointing out mistakes, avoid accusations or language that might make the
reader feel singled out. You also want to be specific. Rather than saying, “This report is wrong,” identify
exactly what you’re asking for.

Business Letters and Emails

In the professional world, you will often need to write business letter or send a professional email for
different purposes. These purposes may include letters or emails for application, an apology note, a
request, or resignation. There are many situations that will require an appropriately formatted and well
written letter or email.

According to Doyle (2020) A business letter is a formal document often sent from one company to another
or from a company to its clients, employees, and stakeholders, for example. Business letters are used for
professional correspondence between individuals, as well. And although email has taken over as the most
common form of correspondence, printed-out business letters are still used for many important, serious
types of correspondence, including reference letters, employment verification, job offers, and more.

The parts of a letter discussed below are taken from Northern Michigan University website.

1. The Heading
The heading contains the return address with the date on the last line. Sometimes it is necessary to
include a line before the date with a phone number, fax number, or e-mail address. Often there is a
line skipped between the address and the date. It is not necessary to type a return address if you
are using stationery with the return address already imprinted, but you should always use a date.
Make sure the heading is on the left margin.

2. Recipient’s Address
This is the address you are sending your letter to. Be sure to make it as complete as possible so it
gets to its destination. Always include title names (such as Dr.) if you know them. This is, like the
other address, on the left margin. If a standard 8 ½” x 11” paper is folded in thirds to fit in a
standard 9” business envelope, the inside address should appear through the window in the
envelope (if there is one). Be sure to skip a line after the heading and before the recipient’s
address, then skip another line after the inside address before the greeting. For an example, see
the end of this sheet for a sample letter.

3. The Salutation
The salutation (or greeting) in a business letter is always formal. It often begins with “Dear
{Person’s name}.” Once again, be sure to include the person’s title if you know it (such as Ms.,
Mrs., Mr., or Dr). If you’re unsure about the person’s title then just use their first name. For
example, you would use only the person’s first name if the person you are writing to is “Jordan” and
you’re not sure if he or she is male or female. The salutation always ends with a colon.

4. The Body
The body is the meat of your letter. For block and modified block letter formats, single space and
left justify each paragraph. Be sure to leave a blank line between each paragraph, however, no
matter the format. Be sure to also skip a line between the salutation and the body, as well as the
body and the close.
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 5. The Complimentary Close
The complimentary close is a short and polite remark that ends your letter. The close begins at the
same justification as your date and one line after the last body paragraph. Capitalize the first word
of your closing (Thank you) and leave four lines for a signature between the close and the sender’s
name. A comma should follow the closing.

6. The Signature Line

Skip at least four lines after the close for your signature, and then type out the name to be signed.
This often includes a middle initial, although it is not required. Women may put their title before
had to show how they wish to be addressed (Ms., Mrs., Miss). The signature should be in blue or
black ink.

There are three formats of a business letter according to Purdue University. They are:
Blo
This is the most common format of a business letter. Using this format, the entire letter
ck is left justified and single spaced except for a double space between paragraphs.
Fo
rm
Mo
at In this format, the body of the letter and the sender's and recipient's addresses are left
difi justified and single-spaced. However, for the date and closing, tab to the center point
ed and begin to type.
blo
Se
ck The is the least used format. It is much like the modified block style except that each
mi paragraph is indented instead of left justified
-
blo
ck

There are certain standards for formatting a business letter. Here are other basic guidelines:
 Use A4 or 8.5x11 inch paper or letterhead
 Use 2.5 cm or 1 inch margins on all four sides
 Use simple font (Times New Roman or ArialP)
 Use 10 to 12 point font
 Use a comma after the salutation
 Layout the letter so that it fits the paper appropriately
 Use single space within paragraphs and double space between paragraph
 Double space between last sentence and closing
 Leave three to five spaces for handwritten signature

According to LearnGrammar.Net, there are thirteen most common business letters. They are presented
below.

Type Definition
Acknowledgme This type of letters is otherwise known as Letter of Receipt and do not mean
nt Letters anything more than just a confirmation. They are usually written for and are a sign of
legal evidence, and do not necessarily mean that the action in question has been
started, but the recipient has “acknowledged” that they have an understanding of
the situation
Apology Letters of apology are written to simply say sorry for what has happened in the past,
Letters what measures are being taken to solve that issue or what the writer plans on about
the inconvenience occurred. Substantially, these letters say something negative, but
with a positive tone. Here the writer accepts their responsibility and shows sincerity
about the problem so that the recipient doesn’t feel demoralized or ignored.
Appreciation These letters are written by someone of the top management to the lower level to
Letters motivate or to express gratefulness. These are also called Thank-You Letters or
Letter of Thanks.
Circular Letters This letter is sent to a small group but has the intention to grab the attention of
larger groups. They are an important form of advertisement and promotion. They
usually inform about new improvements in a company, about new facilities, or to
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 show if any product or service is on sale.
Complaint These letters are seen as actual problems and are addressed immediately to rectify
Letters the mistakes. These shouldn’t sound like the writer is nagging, but also shouldn’t
lose its importance and professionalism if the writer wants to be taken seriously.
Cover Letters Cover letters usually accompany something more. They are used to describe what
comes with them, why, what should be done with it and so on. These types of letters
are generally very short. It might be attached with a resume explaining the
applicant’s credentials and how it relates to the vacancy in the company.
Follow-Up Follow-up letters are usually sent after some an initial communication has been
Letters made with the writer. This could be the thanking letter for an order requested by a
customer, a review of the decisions taken in a meeting or an applicant inquiring
about the status of his application.
Inquiry Letter This type of letters asks direct and detailed questions usually bullet-listed to
derive/request information from the recipient. So, they are brief but powerful. They
should be answered with accuracy.
Order Letters A business can write to another business requesting for an order or placing routine or
modified buy. An individual can also request a firm and place an order. The model
number, name, amount, size, date, location and other specifications are cleared out
in the utmost detail in this letter
Payment These are collection letters or letters requesting for payment. These act as a
Letters reminder to the customer whose payment date is approaching or is due.
Recommendati This is one of the requirements of the employer who ask for such kind of letters
on Letters before hiring an employee. They contain the relationship between the applicant and
the person whose recommendation is given.
Resignation This letter is written when an employer plans to leave his job, explaining why and
Letters when the employee is leaving. It is usually given to the immediate senior of a
worker.
Sales Letters These letters start with an interesting topic sentence to attract potential customers.
These include the benefit that the customer will have from the sale, and often induce
direct action by including a mode of communication with the seller, like a telephone
number, email address or website link.

Writing Emails
Electronic Mail or Emails is one of the most widely used forms of communication today because of its
speed and efficiency. A well-composed email provides the recipient with a friendly, clear, concise, and
actionable message.

Indeed Career Guide gave six steps for writing professional email. Let us look into those steps
1. Identify your goal – This will help you write a more focused email .
2. Consider your audience – the tones of the email should match your audience
3. Keep it concise – make it as brief as possible
4. Proofread your email – an error-free email demonstrates diligence and professionalism
5. Use proper etiquette – Include a courteous greeting and closing to sound friendly and polite. Be
considerate of the recipient and their time too.
6. Remember to follow up - Most people receive several emails per day, so they might miss or forget to
respond to your message. If the recipient hasn’t replied within two working days, consider reaching
back out with a friendly follow-up email.

Format
Check the picture below to see the contents, parts and format of an email.

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Memorandum
According to Nordquist (2020) memorandum, more commonly known as a memo, is a short message or
record used for internal communication in a business. Once the primary form of internal written
communication, memorandums have declined in use since the introduction of email and other forms of
electronic messaging; however, being able to write clear memos certainly can serve you well in writing
internal business emails, as they often serve the same purpose.

To whom the article is addressed/

Who the sender
The date the memo was written
Subject or what is it about

Body
/Message

Meeting Minutes
According to Mckay (2019) meeting minutes are the detailed notes that serve as an official written record
of a meeting or conference. This highlights the key issues that are discussed, motions proposed or voted
on, and activities to be undertaken.
A designated member of the group usually takes the minutes of a meeting. The task is to provide an
accurate record of what transpired during the meeting. According to Oliver (2020) the best meeting
minutes takers are careful listeners, quick typists, and are adequately familiar with the meeting topics and
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attendees. The note taker must have a firm enough grasp of the subject matter to be able to separate the
important points from the noise in what can be long, drawn-out discussions. Also, importantly, the note
taker should not simultaneously lead and take notes. (If you’re ever asked to do so, decline.)
The following should be included in the meeting minutes:
 Date and time the meeting happened
 Names of attendees, as well as absent participants
 Acceptance of, or amendments made to, the previous meeting’s minutes
 Decisions made regarding each item on the agenda, such as:
o Activities undertaken or agreed upon
o Next steps
o Outcomes of elections
o Motions accepted or rejected
o New business
o Date and time of the next meeting
Writing Meeting Minutes

Before the meeting

 Choose your recording tool. (pen and paper, laptop computer, tablet. Smartphones) and make
sure they are working properly. Prepare a back up
 Read and go over with the agenda. As much as possible, create or review it with the chairperson
so that the meeting will run smoothly. You can use the agenda to create an outline for your
minutes.
During the meeting
 Make sure everyone signs in on the attendance sheet. You will include the list in the official
meeting minutes.
 Make sure you know everyone. That way you will be able to identify who is speaking and
correctly record the information
 Note the time the meeting starts
 Do not write down everything. Write down the main ideas only and be objective about what you
are writing down.
 Write down all motions, who made them, and the results of votes.
 Make note of a votes on any motion or discussion are deferred until the next meeting.
 Record the ending time of the meeting
After the meeting
 Encode or type the minutes down as soon as possible after the meeting while everything is still
fresh in your mind
 On the final copy of the minutes, Include the name of the organization, title of the committee,
type of meeting (daily, weekly, monthly, annual, or special), and its purpose.
 Provide the list of attendees and a note about who ran the meeting. Include your name on the list
of participants and, in parentheses after your name, say that you took the minutes. Alternatively,
at the end of the document, you can sign off by writing "Respectively submitted by," followed by
your name.
 Proofread the minutes before you submit them. Ask someone else who attended to look them
over as well. They will be able to let you know if you accidentally left something out.
 Submit them to the person who ran the meeting unless instructed to do otherwise.

Sample Template

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Incident report
According to Clarke (2020), An incident report is a form to document all workplace illnesses, injuries, near
misses and accidents. An incident report should be completed at the time an incident occurs no matter
how minor an injury is.

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Employers, managers and safety officials should be aware of the different situations and events that
should be reported. There are four types of incident that should be reported according to Escano (2018)
regardless if they are major or minor. They are as follows:

Sentinel events – these are unexpected occurrences that resulted in serious physical or
psychological injury or death (e.g. slips, trips and falls, natural disasters, vehicle accidents,
disease outbreak, etc.).

Near misses – these are situations where the people involved had no injuries but could
have been potentially harmed by the risks detected

Adverse events – related to medicine, vaccines and medical devices. These events
occur when an act of commission or omission harmed a patient rather than from the
existing disease or condition.

No harm events – these are incidents that need to be communicated across an

organization to raise awareness of any harm that may happen.

Elements of a Good Incident Report

All data must be clear and specific. Most inaccuracies are due to typos and simple grammar
and spelling errors (e.g. incorrect details of names of people involved, date and time of the
Acc incident, contact numbers, etc.). Provide more specific details of what you are referring to
ura and avoid any vague statements that may cause confusion. Lastly, always proofread your
te report before submission to see errors that you might have overlooked.

An incident report should be objective and supported by facts. Avoid including emotional,
opinionated and biased statements in the incident report. It should provide both sides of the
Fac story and should not favor one side. However, if there’s a need to include statements from
tual witnesses or patients, make sure to quote them.

Ensure that all essential questions (what, where, when, why and how) are covered in the
incident report. Record not only the people who were injured and what caused the accident to
Co happen, but also include details such as people who witnessed and reported the incident or
mpl those who will conduct an investigation. Anticipate what other significant details will be
ete needed for any future study and investigation.

Photos, diagrams, and illustrations should be included as supporting evidence. Take many
Gra photos of the injury, damage and surrounding environment. This supplements the facts
phi stated and provides more clarity to be easily understood by the recipient.
c

Upon completion, those who are involved in the incident (e.g. victim, witnesses, manager,
reporter, etc.) should sign off to testify and validate all the information that was mentioned in
Vali the incident report. This confirms that the incident report is truthful and unquestionable.
d

Escano (2018) further discussed the layout of information in an incident report form may vary depending
on a number of factors. As a general rule, you should write incident reports in third person since its
purpose is to be objective; stating only facts and avoiding the inclusion of opinions and biases. Below is a
sample incident reporting format you can use for your operations. It contains all the essential information
you would need to include in order to complete an effective incident report:
1. Introduction
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 The first part of the incident report form covers
the who, what, when, and where of the incident:
 Include the names of all the people involved
in the incident. If names are not available,
you can instead cite the person’s role in
relation to the incident e.g. the customer,
the guest.
 Summarize the incident itself in no more
than three sentences e.g. a printer caught
fire causing minimal damage to a room
 Include the time and date of occurrence. An
estimate works if the exact time could not
be noted
 Note the location of the incident and be
exact if possible e.g. the Mercato Conference
Room, 19th floor Building A.
2. Body
This is your chance to lay out all of the
incident’s details in a comprehensive manner.
Talk about the incident from start to finish,
ensuring details are laid out in chronological
order to avoid confusion. Make sure to include
the who, what, when, and where mentioned in
the introduction when they are mentioned.
3. Conclusion
Was the incident resolved? How? If the incident
was not resolved, explain why and provide the
steps that need to be taken in order to resolve
it.
4. Sign off
Include the full name and signature of the
incident report writer for accountability and
record-keeping.

Learning Tasks and Activities:

1. Choose four types of business letter and write an example for each.
2. Write a report about an incident at school or community you have personally witnessed.

5.4 Communication for Academic Purposes

You are probably wondering why is communication for Academic Purposes is the last topic for this course
where in real life it is from academe to workplace and not the other way around. The reason for that is the
syllabus provided by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) wherein it is indicated there that this is
This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
the concluding topic for this course. The only possible reason I can come up is that research is important in
all field.

Let us begin with this part with a review of research since you already took this in your Senior High School
Courses.

Academic Research
Business Dictionary defines research as a Systematic investigative process employed to increase or revise
current knowledge by discovering new facts. It is divided into two general categories: (1) Basic research is
inquiry aimed at increasing scientific knowledge, and (2) Applied research is effort aimed at using basic
research for solving problems or developing new processes, products, or techniques.

Characteristics of Research
The characteristics of research below are based on an article written by Adi Bhat (VP – Sales and Marketing
at QuestionPro) from https://www.questionpro.com/blog/what-is-research/.

 A systematic approach must be followed for accurate data. Rules and procedures are an integral
part of the process that set the objective. Researchers need to practice ethics and a code of
conduct while making observations or drawing conclusions.
 Research is based on logical reasoning and involves both inductive and deductive methods.
 The data or knowledge that is derived is in real time from actual observations in natural settings.
 There is an in-depth analysis of all data collected so that there are no anomalies associated with it.
 Research creates a path for generating new questions. Existing data helps create more
opportunities for research.
 Research is analytical in nature. It makes use of all the available data so that there is no ambiguity
in inference.
 Accuracy is one of the most important aspects of research. The information that is obtained should
be accurate and true to its nature. For example, laboratories provide a controlled environment to
collect data. Accuracy is measured in the instruments used, the calibrations of instruments or tools,
and the final result of the experiment.

Standards of a Good Research

According to Brown (1989), there are several standards to meet for a research to be considered good.
They are as follows:
 Commitment to a Theoretical Attitude – aim is for objectivity, researcher puts aside personal beliefs
and judgments and records what is observed with the goal of learning the truth. Truth claim is only
true or valid if it is “objectively valid”
 Research should contribute important knowledge to the profession – research should have a purpose
that is meaningful, not just to get the degree or for personal status. Should not be trivial but instead
and important contribution.
 Reflects recognition of guiding interest – serves to provide value to the profession through
understanding. This knowledge helps to explain the purpose of the research and to determine how
the research should be performed.
 Researcher is knowledgeable about the subject area and other related research – ensures that the
researcher understands the subject area and has a deeper understanding of the topic which allows
for greater understanding and ability to interpret and critically analyze data.
 Needs clear understanding of symbol systems and open to questioning and revisions – symbols are
subjective and the researcher must understand the varying knowledge and interpretations of the
people they are researching. Additionally, good research is able to withstand questioning and
criticisms.
 Conclusions have rational logic and are supported by evidence – conclusions are drawn by the
research conducted and there is data to support the claims of the researcher
 Responds to challenge – good research stands up to questioning and criticisms of others. A
researcher should be able to defend their research and their conclusions

This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
  Researcher is socially responsible and observes ethical norms – researchers are expected to meet
ethical standards of the society as they pertain to their subjects, colleagues, employers and society
as a whole.

Types of Research Method

According to https://research-methodology.net, there are two general types of Research methods they are:
 Quantitative research describes, infers, and resolves problems using numbers. Emphasis is placed on
the collection of numerical data, the summary of those data and the drawing of inferences from the
data.
 Qualitative research, on the other hand, is based on words, feelings, emotions, sounds and other non-
numerical and unquantifiable elements. It has been noted that information is considered qualitative
in nature if it cannot be analyzed by means of mathematical techniques. This characteristic may also
mean that an incident does not take place often enough to allow reliable data to be collected.

However, in the same article, they discussed the other types presented below:
According to Nature of the Study
Descriptive research usually involves surveys and studies that aim to identify the
facts. In other words, descriptive research mainly deals with the description of the
descriptive
state of affairs as it is at present, and there is no control over variables in descriptive
research.
Analytical research, on the other hand, is fundamentally different in a way that the
analytical researcher has to use facts or information already available and analyze these in
order to make a critical evaluation of the material
According to the Purpose of the Study
applied  Also known as action research.
research  Tries to eliminate the theory by adding to the basics of a discipline
 Problems are analyzed from the point of one discipline
 Generalizations are preferred
 Forecasting approach is implemented
 Assumes that other variables do not change
 Reports are compiled in a language of technical language of discipline
fundamental  Sometimes called basic or pure research
research  Aims to solve a problem by adding to the field of application of a discipline
 Often several disciplines work together for solving the problem
 Often researches individual cases without the aim to generalize
 Aims to say how things can be changed
 Acknowledges that other variables are constant by changing
 Reports are compiled in a common language
According to Research Design
exploratory Exploratory studies only aim to explore the research area and they do not attempt to
offer final and conclusive answers to research questions.
conclusive Conclusive studies, on the contrary, aim to provide final and conclusive answers to
research questions.
Other Types of Researches
Historical Historical research involves studying, understanding, and interpreting past events.
research Research in history involves developing an understanding of the past through the
examination and interpretation of evidence. Evidence may exist in the form of texts,
physical remains of historic sites, recorded data, pictures, maps, artifacts, and so on.
The historian’s job is to find evidence, analyze its content and biases, corroborate it
with further evidence, and use that evidence to develop an interpretation of past
events that holds some significance for the present (Hacker, D. Fister, D. St. Martin, B.
– 2010)
Experimental Experimental research is a scientific approach to research, where one or more
Research independent variables are manipulated and applied to one or more dependent
variables to measure their effect on the latter. The effect of the independent variables
This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
 on the dependent variables is usually observed and recorded over some time, to aid
researchers in drawing a reasonable conclusion regarding the relationship between
these 2 variable types.
The experimental research method is widely used in physical and social sciences,
psychology, and education. It is based on the comparison between two or more
groups with a straightforward logic, which may, however, be difficult to execute.
(https://www.formpl.us/blog/experimental-research)
Business Business research is a process of acquiring detailed information of all the areas of
research business and using such information in maximizing the sales and profit of the
business. Such a study helps companies determine which product/service is most
profitable or in demand. In simple words, it can be stated as the acquisition of
information or knowledge for professional or commercial purpose to determine
opportunities and goals for a business.

Business research can be done for anything and everything. In general, when people
speak about business research it means asking research questions to know where the
money can be spent to increase sales, profits or market share. Such research is
critical to make wise and informed decisions. (Bhat, Adi – QuestionPro)

Research Proposal
According to Krathwohl 2005, The goal of a research proposal is twofold: to present and justify the need to
study a research problem and to present the practical ways in which the proposed study should be
conducted. Research proposals contain extensive literature reviews. They must provide persuasive
evidence that a need exists for the proposed study. In addition to providing a rationale, a proposal
describes detailed methodology for conducting the research consistent with requirements of the
professional or academic field and a statement on anticipated outcomes and/or benefits derived from the
study's completion.
According to Mohd Sidik, Sherina & Mmed, Sidik & Med, Fam. (2005) esearch proposal is intended to
convince others that you have a worthwhile research project and that you have the competence and the
work plan to complete it. Generally, a research proposal should contain all the key elements involved in
the research process and include sufficient information for the readers to evaluate the proposed study.

Regardless of your research area and the methodology you choose, all research proposals must address
the following questions:
 What do you plan to accomplish?
 Why do you want to do it?
 How are you going to do it?

The following are other questions to help you begin with your research.
 Why is the topic important?
 How is it significant within the subject areas covered in my class?
 What problems will it help solve?
 What exactly should I plan to do, and can I get it done in the time available?

This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
Check the sample research proposal below to help you in making your research proposal. This proposal
was adapted from https://www.uh.edu/~lsong5/documents/A%20sample%20proposal%20with
%20comment.pdf

Sample Proposal Text Comment

Title: A Conceptual Framework for Scheduling Constraint Provide a brief and
Management meaningful title to your
project
1. Introduction
Every construction project is unique and has its own operating Background or introduction
environment and sets of technical requirements. As a result, the section provides a description
execution of a construction project is subject to numerous constraints of the basic facts and
that limit the commencement or progression of field operations, which importance of the research
invariably have significant negative impact on overall project area - What is your research
performance. By definition, constraints refer to any condition, such as area, the motivation of
temporal/spatial limitations and safety/quality concerns, which may research, and how important
prevent a project to achieve its goals. Successful execution and control is it for the industry
of a construction project relies on effective identification and practice/knowledge
management of constraints through master planning and short-term advancement?
look-ahead scheduling. While the master schedule provides a global
view of a project and the overall execution strategy, a look-ahead
schedule offers a detail account of operational constraints and a
detailed plan showing work to be done within a relatively short time
window. Ideally, these detailed schedules should reflect actual field
conditions and provide field personnel with operation instructions free of
constraints and conflicts (Hinze 2008). This look-ahead scheduling and
constraint analysis procedure is also a critical component of the last-
planner methodology proposed by Ballard (2000). This research project
will provide an overview of state-of-art schedule constraint analysis
practice during look-ahead scheduling. In addition, it will propose a
conceptual framework for
managing constraints.

2. Problem Statement
The importance of developing a constraint-free and reliable work plan Problem statement provides a
has long been recognized by the industry. However, numerous clear and concise description
construction projects are still plagued by delays and cost overruns, of the issues that need to be
which can frequently be traced to ineffective identification and addressed - What is the
treatment of constraints. First, when a constraint is not properly specific problem in that
identified during scheduling, subsequent conflicts in the field are research area that you will
inevitable. Today’s projects are becoming more and more technically address (e.g. lack of
complex and logistically challenging, which exposes construction understanding of a subject,
operations to even more complex constraints. Second, the traditional low performance …)?
scheduling methods, bar charts and Critical Path Method (CPM) which
are widely used as a basis for constraint analysis, greatly limit our
capability in modeling and resolving constraints during look-ahead
scheduling. These methods have long been blamed for their limitations
in modeling and communicating constraints, including inability to cope
with non-time-related precedence constraints and difficulty to evaluate
and communicate inter-dependencies at the field operation level (e.g.
Sriprasert and Dawood 2002; Chua and Shen 2001). In summary, there
is a need for a better understanding of constraints in construction and a
structured approach in identifying and modeling constraints to ensure a
constraint-free work plan. More specifically, the following research
questions need to be addressed:
1. What are the typical constraints found in various construction
projects?
2. How to classify these constrains for easier identification and
modeling?
This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
 3. What are the current industry practice as well as research
advancements in modeling and resolving constraints?
How to unify the constraint classification knowledge and various
constraint
modeling efforts into a framework for total constraint management?

3. Objectives
The long term goal of the research is to develop a formalized constraint Objectives provide a list of
management system. Constraint management is defined herein as the goals that will be achieved
process of identifying, classifying, modeling, and resolving constraints. through the proposed
The objective of the current study is to provide a comprehensive review research – What are the
of literatures and industry practices in relation to constraint analysis and benefits/impact (e.g. better
outline a conceptual framework for constraint management. Particularly, understanding, improved
the study has the following sub-objectives: productivity
 To provide a comprehensive review of sources and …) that will be generated if
characteristics of constraints typically found in construction the
projects; research problem is
 To develop a constraint classification method for easier answered?
constraint identification and modeling;
 To review current industry practices and researches in regards to
constraint modeling;
 To outline a conceptual framework for total constraint
management.

The result of this study will be valuable to the industry practitioners as

well as related software providers in developing better practice and
tools for constraint management and look-ahead scheduling.

4. Preliminary Literature Review Preliminary literature review:

A preliminary literature review shows that past studies are primarily provide a summary of
focused on understanding and modeling a particular type of constraint, previous related research on
such as technological, contractual, resource, spatial, and information the research problem and
constraints. Limited progress has been made on classifying various their strength and weakness
constraints according to their characteristics in a comprehensive and a justification of your
manner. In terms of modeling and resolving constraints, various research – What is
approaches have been recommended. For example, many CPM-based known/what have been done
methods are applied to deal with time-related constraints; knowledge- by others? And, why your
based systems were used to automate work plan generation; network- research is still necessary?
based optimization algorithms were developed to resolve constraints;
and databases and visualization techniques, such as 3D, 4D, and Virtual
Reality (VR), are used to communicate and visualize constraints. What is
missing from the past studies is a comprehensive and structured
approach in managing constraints in construction projects.
5. Methodology
The primary research method for this study is literature review and Research methodology
conceptual modeling. Constraint identification and classification through defines the research methods
a structured approach is the very first step toward a “zero-constraint” and logic steps - What to do
environment. This study will first review various types of constraints in and how to solve the problem
construction and their characteristics. Based on this understanding, a and achieve proposed
classification method will be developed to categorize constraint factors objectives? Which research
for the purpose of constraint identification and modeling. In the second methods
stage of this study, existing constraint modeling methods will be (e.g. survey, modeling, case
identified based on a comprehensive review of current industry study …) will be used? Attach
practices and academic researches. Finally, once the constraint a project schedule table, if
classification and modeling techniques are identified, a conceptual necessary.
framework for total constraint management will be outlined. This study
will be conducted between September 2010 and May 2011.

References All factual material that is not

Ballard, G. (2000). “Last planner system of production control.” Ph.D. original with you must be
This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.
 Dissertation. Univ. of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. accompanied by a reference
Chua, D. and Shen, L. J. (2001). “Constraint modeling and buffer to its source. Please use ASCE
management with integrated production scheduler.” Proceedings guideline on reference and
of citation style.
International Conferences on Lean Construction 2001, Singapore.
Hinze, J. W. (2008). Construction planning and scheduling, 3rd ed.
Pearson, NJ.
Sriprasert, E. and Dawood, N (2002). “Requirements identification for 4D
constraint-based construction planning and control system.”
Proceedings of CIB W78 conference – distributing knowledge in
building, Aarhus, Danmark.

Learning Tasks
1. Write a research plan consisting of the proposed title, problem statement, and timeframe. Prepare
a list of reference you intend to use for your literature review. Write a research proposal consisting
of the parts discussed in this module.
2. Create a Power point presentation for the research plan you wrote using your phone or computer.

Reference
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%20with%20comment.pdf

Bhat, A. (n.d.) Business research: definition, methods, types and examples.

https://www.questionpro.com/blog/business-research/

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research.html

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This module is property of Gordon College and this is not for sale.