MCA - ELCS - NOTES - WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

Written communication
Written communication is a creative activity that requires a lot of imagination and efforts to arrive at the finished product. Writing is a mode of communicating a message for a purpose. Writing reveals one’s ability to think clearly and to use language effectively.
Written communication is transmitted by written words in the form of letters, memos, circulars, bulletins, reports, instruction cards, manuals, magazines, handbooks, etc.
Purpose of writing
The first task for writing effectively is to identify the purpose of the communication. There are mainly two purposes of communication in business situations.
1. To inform and 2. Persuade

Features of effective writing
Effective writing is achieved when it has certain features. Writing will be effective if it is organized as appropriate and is readable.
Clarity : A messenger works out some scheme, a scientist or an engineer does a job. As the ‘doer’ he/she is clear about what he/she has in his/her mind. But the moment he/she takes up a pen and starts writing to communicate his/her ideas, he/she overlooks that fact that the structure of his/her thoughts has to follow the structure of language, that is to say, the structure of sentences, paragraphs and the whole composition.
Clear writing is coherent and avoids muddy, incorrect, overly complex phrases and jargon.
Brevity : A major determinant of readability is conciseness. Avoid wordy phrases and long, complex words; opt instead for short, familiar words. You can also improve conciseness by eliminating redundancies.

Appropriate tone : One of the major characteristics of effective writing is appropriate tone.
Readers are egocentric. They like to read about themselves and to see references to themselves. Business writing shares with direct-mail advertising the technique of personalizing messages to audiences to obtain a desired response.
Words that stir up positive meanings in the reader’s mind usually are best for achieving the letter objectives. Negative words stir up resistance and hurt goodwill.
Writing in conversational language is not easy, for we tend to be stiff and formal. The results are letters that convey the impression of a cold and formal institution rather than being friendly.

MCA - ELCS - NOTES - INTERVIEWS

Formal and informal interviews

A brief list of interview types follow:
· Personal and informal interview
· Personal and formal interview
· Progressive interview
· Group interview
In definition, the types are explained below.

Personal and informal interview - These interviews can be held in a professional setting, on the worksite, at a restaurant or elsewhere. Personal in these definitions simply mean one-on-one with only one person. These are the most casual of interviews. One can expect to discuss job-related items, personal goals, discuss other personal issues and be more of a conversation than a one-way interview. This is the most relaxed interview type and will nearly always require a second meeting before any sort of firm decision is made by the hiring party. Bring your personable self and be prepared to chat more than you would expect from the formal interview.

Personal and formal interview - This one-on-one interview can be much different than the informal interview. This type is normally held in a closely monitored timeframe and this is the most common interview used when there are several candidates to be seen by the organization in a session. You may expect typical personal questions regarding your background and goals, but the interview will include standardized questions such as: What are your greatest weaknesses? Give me an example of your exercising decisiveness on the job without assistance from others? Dress for this interview is professional and/or can be whatever appropriate attire is needed to perform the job itself. You will be asked more questions and be giving more answers as the interviewer takes notes in most cases.

Progressive interview - In some cases, you can be expected to meet with two or more individuals in succession. This is a progressive interview. You may meet with someone from Human Resources, then with someone from the department, then with a manager.. etc.. Dress for a formal interview and bring several copies of your documents. You will want to present each participant with copies or at least offer to. Make it a point to remember the names of each person you meet with and refer to them as needed. You will indeed discuss points already covered in earlier conversations. Be prepared to refer to these conversations as needed. Make an attempt to relate to each person as an individual and not carry on the same exact conversation with each person. Try to appeal to each person as you meet them.

Group interview - Perhaps the most intimidating of all interview types, and sometimes referred to as a committee interview. Envision a board room, meeting room, break room or somewhere else that five or more people can meet at once. The point here is to have fun with the people while satisfying their individual curiosities about you. Relax and engage each person that addresses you directly. Remember that everyone is listening, so making eye contact with everyone is best even while you're really responding to someone in particular and focusing most of your attention on that person. Certain people may not say anything and in some cases the people will take turns asking you questions. In either case, pay attention to everyone and be courteous to all. The more relaxed you are the better.

Ambiance and polemics
Ambience:
The ambience in which the interview takes place can have a great deal of influence on the results. A setting with the minimum distractions is generally the best. Frequent interruptions mar the flow of conservation and prevent both the interviewer and the respondent from being alert to each other’s verbal and non-verbal cues. The seating arrangements also have an impact on the interview.
Any interview is much more than a question and answer session. For the candidate, it is actually the challenge of marketing oneself. The candidate makes the first impression on presentation of oneself. It is axiomatic that attire oft proclaims a man and a woman as well. Being well dressed for the interview gives the message that one is keen on creating the right impression. There is one more reason why a candidate should dress well for the interview. That is on account of the level of confidence it generates for the candidate. It is important to be self-confident. Feed your self-confidence.

Polemics:
Polemics in interview refer to the practice or skill of arguing strongly for or against. However during the interview it is important that one takes care one’s mannerisms and behaviour patterns. The conduct of some candidates is not positive during an interview. The interviewee must behave formally and try to impress the interviewers with good manners and a positive behaviour pattern.
Being polite, pleasant and courteous is the key to a successful job interview. The candidate should be flexible in approach, attitude and style. It is important to be very tactful and should avoid arguing with the interviewers. The interviewee must maintain eye contact to respond in a lively manner.

Performance appraisal
Performance appraisal is a universal phenomenon in which the organization is making judgment about one is working with and about oneself. It serves as a basic element of effective work performance. Performance appraisal is essential for the effective management and evaluation of staff. It aims to improve the organizational performance as well as individual development.
Annual performance appraisals evaluate the role of the employee in the organizational development and also monitoring the standard, expectations, objectives, efficiency in handling task and responsibilities in a period of time. Appraisal also helps to analyze the individual training needs of the employee and planning of future job allocation. It also help to adopt appropriate strategy based on organizational training needs. Performance appraisal analyzes employee’s performance and which utilize to review the grades and modify the annual pay. It generally reviews each individual performance against the objectives and standard of the organization. Performance management creating a work environment and it is enabling the employees to perform best of their abilities. Through performance management companies are hiring efficient people.

MCA - ELCS - NOTES - PARTICIPATION IN MEETINGS

MCA - ELCS - NOTES

Participation in meetings
When you attend a meeting you should:

Attend only if needed. Some use meetings as a weapon in their office politics arsenal. They attended to be seen and heard whether they need to be there or not. If you’re not going to contribute to the discussion or if the outcomes do not affect you, don’t attend. Too many non-essential participants can extend the length of the meeting.
Get There On time. I refuse to start a meeting late for the sake of the person who wanders in five-minutes past start time; mostly to prove they are too busy and important to get to a meeting on time. It is discourteous to the chair and to those who make the effort to be on time.
Be prepared with your contribution. If you’ve given up attending meetings where your contribution is not needed, it stands to reason all the meetings you attend require participation. Prepare whatever information you anticipate needing. Go overboard. Bring twice as much data as you think you’ll need. Just don’t spew the whole works. If you have information to hand out, get it to participants a day or two before the meeting.
Pay attention. There will always be those at a meeting so focused on their opinion that they are not really listening to what the others are saying. Listen actively to the discussion. You don’t want to merely parrot or repeat another participant’s contribution.
Get involved in the discussion. Review the agenda and clarify your thoughts prior to the meeting. Make some notes. Being prepared will make it more likely that you will have some energy behind your points of view and, therefore, be more likely to express them.
Be courteous. You’re not likely to agree with everything said at a meeting. Never interrupt anyone – even if you disagree strongly. Note what has been said and return to it later with the chair’s permission. The point of most meetings is to reach agreements. If the participants are combative, the meetings will drag on. Look for ways to build consensus.
If you are attending a meeting, ensure that you respect the time of other attendees by being well prepared, attentive, concise and respectful..

Chairing sessions

The following brief information for chairing sessions at meetings are provided to ensure a smooth running conference. An attentive, well-prepared Session Chair can help ensure that the speakers give high quality, trouble-free talks and that the audience appreciates the entire session.
In the unlikely event that one of your speakers cancels at the very last minute, you might have available a short talk of your own to help maintain the continuity of the session. Perhaps a talk you’ve previously delivered at another venue, or one you would like to “take out for a spin” to gauge audience reactions, or a short movie clip showing something about your company or installation……this can prove very helpful to the program. At issue here is maintaining the published schedule. When a speaker drops out after the schedule is published, and attendees have made plans as to which talks to attend, a disruption caused by an empty slot can snowball across different tracks and disappoint people who really wanted to see your second speaker. So, rearranging the order of presenters should not be done lightly without consideration for the effect on attendees
Recognize that you are the leader of the session. You are the one everyone will turn to if there are problems among your speakers or within your audience. Thank you for agreeing to assume high responsibility. Much of the success of the conference will rest on the efficient and consistent execution of our technical presentation sessions. As important as running the session well is the critical ear. If you pick up on something that causes a stir or is particularly controversial, jot it down and make a point of informing someone from the Program Committee, the Board of Directors, or the Chairs as appropriate. Feedback is an essential aspect.