Anatomy of a Report

1. Cover Page
2. Title Page
3. Letter of Transmittal
4. Table of Contents
5. List of Illustrations
6. Executive Summary
7. Body of the Report

1. Introduction (purpose, scope, limitations, assumptions, methodology etc.)
2. Background (literature review, problem definition etc.)
3. Body (OCR - Observation, Conclusion, Recommendation)

8. References
9. Appendix

Report Writing - Getting Started

Lets take a look at the 5 steps, which will help you write that report of yours.

1. Define the problem
2. Data Collection
3. Data Analysis
4. Organization
5. Write the report

Email Etiquettes

Email communication is the most important form of communication these days. Hence, it is imperative that we familiarize ourselves with the common etiquettes to be followed by sending an email.

1. To - The 'To' should contain the email addresses of the people who are supposed to take an action on the email being sent.

2. cc - The 'cc' should contain the email addresses of people who need to be aware of the correspondence, or in other words, 'those who need to be kept in the loop'.

3. Bcc - The 'Bcc' should be used sparingly and judiciously and only in those cases where the mail has to be sent to a large number of recipients and we want to avoid a 'reply-all' situation. Even then, we must be careful to indicate that the Bcc use was intentional and should try to mention who the email recipients are. For instance - 'Bcc intentional to Readers of Mallika's blog to avoid reply-all'

4. Reply all - Unless absolutely necessary, please Do NOT 'reply-all'.

5. Subject - An email is no different from a letter, hence the rules are the same to subject in an email as is in the case of a letter. A subject should be small, to the point and should clearly indicate what the email pertains to. Avoid using 'Hi', 'Hello', 'Dear Sir' (or other salutations) as email subjects. A proper subject primarily helps in (a) understanding what the email pertains to and (b) helps in looking up the email later.

6. CAPSLOCK - Is considered RUDE. Is the equivalent to YELLING or SCREAMING. Hence, avoid CAPSLOCK in all circumstances.

7. Smileys - Avoid using smileys in business correspondence, especially during the initial correspondences. 

8. Attachments - It ofcourse goes without saying that attachments should be sent only when absolutely necessary. Mention the name of the attachments in the body of the email, to let the recipient know of the attachments sent (this helps them in knowing that the attachments are safe to open). Needless to say, if the attachments are large in size, we must zip it before sending.

9. Read Receipts - Read Receipts should be used sparingly and shouldn't be used unless absolutely necessary. It can annoy your receipients, giving them the impression that you don't trust them to read your emails.

10. KISS - As with all forms of communication, email communication should also follow the KISS principle. Hence, always keep it short and simple. 

Types of Communication

We have seen the Communication Process in the earlier post. Now, let us take a look at the different types of communication.

Based on the channels used for communication, communication can be divided into -
1. Verbal Communication
We can further subdivide it into oral communication and written communication. The important aspects of oral communication are - speed, pitch, tone, voice modulation, articulation, diction, clarity etc. In case of written communication, the important aspects are - grammar, structure, brevity, conciseness, clarity, choice of words etc.

2. Non-verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication or body language is also important for communication - such as, movement of hands, eye-contact, postures, facial expressions. More details on the specifics of body language can be read on my blog http://bodytalking.blogspot.com/ 

Based on Style and Purpose, Communication can be divided into -
1. Formal Communication
Most often used in the case of official, business or corporate scenarios, formal communication has structure, semantics and other rules to be obeyed - such as the timing, venue, agenda, duration etc.

2. Informal Communication
Used in informal settings between family, friends, loved ones etc. Informal communication does not have specific do's and dont's with respect to the communication.

The way we speak

Volume - We need to be aware about the volume at which we speak. Too soft and people may not hear what we've communicated or would be straining themselves to hear us, which could irritate them further. If too loud; that too could pose a problem. For people would be striving to get away from you. Furthermore, if we speak too loudly, it might be interpreted as aggressive and may antagonize the people from whom the message is intended. A raised voice suggests intimidation or bullying.

Pitch - We also need to ensure that we talk at the correct pitch. Too high and it can sound piercing and uninteresting; too low and it can become inaudible. We also need to guard against a tendency to lower our pitch at the end of a sentence.

Speed - We think faster than we speak and we speak faster than we can hear and comprehend. Hence, we have to ensure that we talk at an adequate speed so the intended recipient can hear and understand us completely. We further would need to speak at a lesser speed if there's note-taking involved.

Vocabulary - Use words to express, not to impress. Take due care to use simple words in order to get your message across. Exercise sound judgment when using acronyms and technical words and offer explanation. Also, be aware of words that mean different things in different cultures, countries and languages.

%age Breakup of Communication

We know communication has two elements - verbal and non-verbal. So, what's the %age breakup for the individual element? Well, here goes

Words used - 7%
Tone - 38%
Body Language - 55%

7 C's of Communication

The 7 C's of Communication are:-

1. CLEAR - For effective communication, messages need to be coded clearly so they can be decoded easily. A clear message reduces noise and thereby increasing the clarity of the message.

2. CONCISE - To make your messages concise, remember to follow the principle of KISS - "Keeping It Short & Simple". In today's fast-paced world, time is a depleting resource...hence, keep your messages short.

3. CONCRETE - There are times when you need to be vague. If that's the case, I'll not stop you. But for the others, here's a little tip - For proper communication, be concrete in your messages. For instance, don't tell your boss - "I'll submit the report ASAP". Instead use concrete words such as - "I'll submit the report by Monday 6 P.M.". This will reduce ambiguity and is sure to impress your bosses (ofc, keeping your word is of paramount importance)

4. CORRECT - Use correct words, spellings, details, punctuation and grammar. Needless to say, do not dupe and be sure on what's to be communicated and communicate only that.

5. COHERENT - Messages need to make sense. You cannot talk about mangoes, then jump onto the nuclear disaster, back to oranges and then to widowhood. Messages need to be structured and the transition from one message to the other needs to be smooth.

6. COMPLETE - This seems to be quite obvious. However, most of us forget to include the complete details only to realize later that we've missed the most important details. One of the classic examples is the episode from Friends in Season 10, when Ross chases after Racheal to the JFK only to realize that he had incomplete information (her flight actually left from the New York Airport). Ofcourse, thanks to Phoebe (and her death-defying driving) - everything turned out OK in the end.

7. COURTEOUS - Use politically-correct langauge, avoid biases and prejudices and always use appropriate salutations.

These simple rules, if followed religiously, will ensure your communication to be effective and efficient.

What is Communication?

Communication as a process can be understood from the given diagram. A sender encodes the message, and sends it using a channel to a receiver, who then decodes the message. The receiver, in turn, encodes his feedback on the message received, and sends it to the sender, which is then decoded by the sender. Different channels or media is used for this transmission of message. Noise, in the communication process, refers to any obstruction that hampers the transmission of the message from the sender to the receiver or the feedback from the receiver to the sender. Noise here can refer to both the verbal and non-verbal cues, oral and written communication etc. For instance, language barriers, misinterpretation of symbols used, incoherent diction and articulation, unintelligible handwriting etc.