Learn Business Writing Skills this May

Vocabulary for Effective Business Writing Skills

Uploaded by English Spoken Written Verbal Non-Verbal from Namrata Arora on WiZiQ Tutorials

Cultural Differences in Communication

In a famous book on Shogun Management, the author brings out the differences in the level of communication of the Americans and the Japanese at the work place.


He elaborates how the Americans believe in fully expressing their thoughts and that too verbally; any vacuum in speech disturbs them and is highly unwelcome. On the other hand, the Japanese pick up Non-Verbal cues and give importance to silent contemplation during discussions and meetings.

Exercise on Conversations (Basic)

We make Conversations every day.
Here is an interesting exercise on Conversations:

Match the Statements with the appropriate responses:

STATEMENTS
1. I hope the train arrives on time.
2. Why is everything in your report arranged in the wrong order?
3. I never liked the philosophy of your school.
4. You very well know how cold it is in our town.
5. I am extremely angry at and unhappy about what happened today.


RESPONSES
A) You have to rise above it and carry out your duty.
b) I wouldn’t bank on it, but let’s not loose hope.
C) I am so sorry. I dropped the file in the morning and picked it in a hurry; guess everything’s muddled up now.
D) The teachers used to cream off the best students and teach them separately.
E) Yes, I am carrying enough clothes to wrap myself up.


Post your answers as comments to this Post

Workplace Conversations

Making Preparations for a Meeting

Well, there are a few things that I want to bring up today for discussion. But, before we get on to those matters, I want to run through the schedule for next week’s sales conference. One of you asked me if we could talk about the new office, but I’d prefer to leave that aside for today and come back to it some other time. I’m sure I don’t need to spell out how important it is that we’re all thoroughly prepared for the upcoming conference, so maybe we can deal with that first. So, let’s have a quick run through of the schedule and discuss each event in detail.

IELTS LISTENING (SPELLING PRACTICE Online Test

The Listening Module is the same in Academic as well as General IELTS. It consists of four parts each having 10 questions. The first two sections are related to social needs, while the next relate to educational or training contexts. These are in the form of conversations and then a monologue. During the test, students first write the answers on the Question Paper as they listen to the tape. When the tape ends, ten minutes are allowed for candidates to transfer their answers onto an Answer Sheet. Surprisingly, most of the students make Spelling mistakes while writing and transferring the answers.

http://www.wiziq.com/online-tests/2061-ielts-listening-spelling-practice

THIS TEST AIMS TO PROVIDE THE TEST TAKERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE HOW SUCH ERRORS SHOULD BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS BECAUSE A WRONG SPELLING MAKES THE WHOLE ANSWER INCORRECT.

IELTS (ACADEMIC, GENERAL) WRITING Online Test

The General Writing Module of IELTS consists of two tasks. One is a letter and the other is an essay. The Academic Writing also has two tasks, the first one is writing a short report by analyzing the given charts and the other is an essay. This test contains a number of questions from both Academic as well as General Writing including letters, graphs and essays.

http://www.wiziq.com/online-tests/1957-ielts-academic-general-writing

IELTS TEST ACADEMIC, GENERAL ONLINE TEST

Both, the Academic as well as General IELTS contain questions, texts, Conversations, and other miscellaneous tasks that test the candidate’s knowledge Grammar (Tenses, Prepositions, etc.) and Vocabulary.
http://www.wiziq.com/online-tests/1956-ielts-test-academic-general

This test should be taken with the aim to assess one‘s Grammatical understanding.

IELTS TEST (ACADEMIC, GENERAL) PRONOUNS AND REFERENCES ONLINE PRACTICE TEST

Take this test on IELTS TEST (ACADEMIC, GENERAL) PRONOUNS AND REFERENCES ONLINE PRACTICE TEST
http://www.wiziq.com/online-tests/1740-ielts-test-academic-general-pronouns-and-references-practice

Knowledge of referents and Pronouns, helps in cracking questions put in the Reading and Listening Modules. If the student knows what the ‘it’, ‘its’, ‘whose’, ‘which’, ‘that’, ‘there’, or ‘their’ stands for in a sentence, it will would be a lot easier to solve all types of questions especially the Short Answer Type Questions. This test states 10 sentences on varied topics with questions on references.

IELTS (ACADEMIC, GENERAL) READING Online Test

The General Reading Module of IELTS consists of texts from notices, advertisements, timetables, publicity material, college prospectuses, course summaries, library rules, and other miscellaneous rules and regulations, newspapers, magazines or journal articles, fictional or non-fictional book extracts. The Academic Reading contains passages from magazines, journals, books and newspapers. They are designed to present the candidate with materials similar to those which they might need to read on a university course.
Take this test on IELTS Reading Module:
http://www.wiziq.com/online-tests/1694-ielts-academic-general-reading
The test contains a number of questions from both Academic as well as General and covers a number of question types including those based on facts and those presenting arguments.

IELTS (ACADEMIC, GENERAL) SPEAKING Online Test

The Speaking Module is the same in Academic as well as General IELTS. It consists of three parts. The first part lasts for 4-5 minutes and the Examiner asks the candidate to speak on familiar topics. The second part is of 3-4 minutes and the candidate speaks on a Task given on the card. The third part lasts for 4-5 minutes when both the Examiner and the Candidate discuss the topic in the second part in great depth.

Take this test on IELTS Speaking Test:
http://www.wiziq.com/online-tests/1693-ielts-academic-general-speaking

This test aims to provide the test takers an opportunity to see how sentences are actually framed while attempting the Speaking Module.

Kinesic Communication

The Non-Verbal form of Communication encompasses almost everything from facial expressions and gestures to body signals..

Ever guessed what a minor turn of your eye brow could imply... Try frowning or raising one of them to express surprise

seems funny but stand in front of the mirror and enjoy the scene

Business Memos

http://www.wiziq.com/online-tests/1568-business-memos

The test contains miscellaneous questions relating to framing Business Memorandums, both short and long format. Memorandums serve as record for decisions on policy matters made in an organization. Each memo has a specific objective and the text used, the Tenses, the Voice, the Speech, the Sentence Structure, Vocabulary all vary according to this objective. The test takers should observe how these sentences have been framed and then answer the questions.

Business Letters

Business Letters play an important role in record keeping in any business. Addressed to bank officials, Government officials, Suppliers, Clients, Customers, Advertisers and others; Business Letters are an indispensable form of Business Communication.

Here is a test on Writing Business Letters
http://www.wiziq.com/online-tests/1579-business-letters

The test contains miscellaneous questions relating to framing Business Letters on a number of issues ranging from Price Quotation, letters of Complaints to Letters to Bank. An attempt has been made to provide the test takers with an insight into the logical arrangement of sentences in a letter, the rules of Grammar and the specific Vocabulary used in Letters.

Business Letters, Cover Letters, Resumes, Business Reports

http://www.wiziq.com/online-tests/1580-business-letters-cover-letters-resumes-business-reports

The test contains miscellaneous questions relating to framing Business Letters on a number of issues including Communication with Bank and other miscellaneous issues. Few questions are on framing Cover Letters, Resumes and Business Reports.
While applying for jobs, students as well as working professionals tend to follow certain standardized formats with certain fixed sentences and Vocabulary. An attempt has been made to provide the test takers with an insight into some different kind of sentences and some specific yet distinct Vocabulary in the Cover Letters and Resumes.
The Business Reports are a part and parcel of Formal Business Communication and the questions surely give an understanding of the kind of language used in preparing them

Business Communication

The management in any organization has to make innumerable decisions on matters ranging from handling Supply Chain Management to making Competitive strategies. This involves constant communication from the management to other members in the organization and vice-verse.
No wonder, the role of effective Written Business Communication, holds great significance and thus, employers as well as employees must possess an exceptional talent to write down Policy Statements, Reports, Circulars, Notices, Memos, Letters and E-mails.

Take this test on Business Communication
http://www.wiziq.com/online-tests/1581-business-communication

The test contains miscellaneous questions relating to Business Communication from and to the Management, on a number of issues like Financial, Marketing, MIS, HR decisions.

Business E-mails

Earlier, the credibility of e-mails as a medium of business communication was underestimated but now the use of e-mails has become very popular and organizations treat print-outs of these e-mails as evidence of communication. Still considered quite informal in nature, e-mails actually speed-up the whole process and industries especially related to IT and Media make extensive use of this electronic communication. In this test, an attempt has been made to provide the test takers with an insight into how information relating to Procurement, Financing, HR, Marketing and IT can be exchanged via e-mails.

Check out these two tests on Writing Business E-mails
Business E-mails Online Test 1
http://www.wiziq.com/online-tests/1583-business-e-mails

Business E-mails Online Test 2
http://www.wiziq.com/online-tests/1582-business-e-mails

For any queries do post your comments here

Order of Introductions

When you are the host, you must follow this unsaid sequence in which introductions are made in a formal/ informal gathering:

1. The younger acquaintance is introduced to the older one
2. The non-official is introduced to the Official
3. The Junior-Executive is introduced to the Senior- Executive
4. The Colleague is introduced to the Customer/ Client

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