CHAPTER THREE

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION IN ORGANIZATIONS

3.1. INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION

Each organization has its own approach to transmitting information, both within the
organization and to the outside world. Depending on where the business communication
occurred we can categorize communication into Internal and External.

Internal Communication
Internal communication involves transmission of information within the organization. Among
various ways of communicating with companies are memos, Reports, Meetings, face-to-face
discussions, teleconference, videoconference, notices, etc. Internal communication is a vital
means of attending to matters of company concern.
External Communication
External communication is communication with people outside an organization. It is the
organization’s means of establishing contact with the outside word. External communication
could include business letters, press releases, advertisements, leaflets, invitations, telegrams,
tele messages, proposals, etc. Messages to persons outside the organization can have a far-
reaching effect on its reputation & ultimate success. The right letter, proposal, or personal
conversation can win back a disgruntled customer, crate a desire for a firm’s product or
service, help negotiate a profitable sale, encourage collections, motivate performance, in
general create good will.
3.2. FORMAL AND INFORMAL FLOW OF COMMUNICATION

To maintain a healthy flow of information, effective managers use both formal and informal
communication channels.

FORMAL FLOW OF COMMUNICATION

The formal communication is communication that flows along the organization’s lines of
authority. Formal channels of communication are intentionally defined & designed by the
organization. They represent the flow of communication within the formal organizational
structure. Typically, communication flows in four separate directions: downward, upward,
horizontal, & diagonal.
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 A. Downward Communication
Communication that involves a message exchange between two or more levels of the
organizational hierarchy is called vertical communication. It can involve a manager & a
subordinate or can involve several layers of the hierarchy. It can flow in a downward or an
upward direction.
Formal messages that flow from managers & supervisors to subordinates are called downward
communication. Usually, this type of communication involves job directions, assignment of
tasks & responsibilities, performance feedback, certain information concerning the
organization’s strategies & goals. Speeches, policy & procedure manuals, employee
handbooks, company leaflets, briefings on the organization’s mission & strategies, staff
meetings, & job descriptions are all examples of downward communication.

Higher level management communicates with lower level employees through such means as
memorandums, conferences, telephone conversations, company news letters, policy manuals,
bulletin, board announcements and video tapes. One of the problems with written downward
communication is that management may assume that what is sent downward is received and
understood. Unfortunately that is not always the case.

Most downward communication involves information in one of five categories:

 Job instructions – directions about what to do or how to do it. “When you stock
the shelves, put the new merchandise behind the old stock.”
 Job rational-explanations of how one task relates to other tasks. Explaining the
relationship between a task & other organizational tasks. “We rotate the stock like
that so the customer won’t wind up with state merchandise.”
 Policy & procedures: practice of the organization or rules, regulations and benefits
of the organization. “Don’t try to argue with unhappy customers. If you can’t
handle them yourself, call the manager”
 Feedback-Information about how efficiently a person is performing. “You are
really catching on fast. If you keep up the good work, you’ll be an assistant
manager by the end of the year”.
 Indoctrination- Information aimed at motivating employees by impressing the
organizations mission upon them and specifying how they should related to it.
Efforts to encourage a sense of mission & dedication to the goals of the
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 organization. “If everyone will put in a little extra effort, we can become the
number one producer of X components.”

Downward communication across several levels is prone to considerable distortion. As much

as 80% of top management’s message may be lost by the time the message reaches five levels
below. There are usually three main reasons for the distortion. One reason is that faulty
message transmission may occur because of sender carelessness, poor communication skills,
& the difficulty of encoding a message that will be clearly understood by individuals at
multiple levels. Another is that managers tend to overuse one-way communication methods,
such as, memos, manuals, & newsletters, leaving little possibility for immediate feed back
regarding receiver understanding. Finally, some managers may intentionally or
unintentionally filter communications by withholding, screening, or manipulating
information. A major problem with managers & downward communication is their
assumption that employees don’t need or want to know much about what is going on.
Intentional filtering typically occurs when a manager seeks to enhance personal power over
subordinates by tightly controlling organizational information.

B. Upward Communication
Formal messages also flow upward from subordinates to supervisors and managers. Without
upward communication, management would never know how their downward messages were
received & interpreted by the employees & would miss out on valuable ideas; workers would
not get the chance to be part of the company. To solve problems & make intelligent decisions,
management must learn what’s going on in the organization. Because they can’t be
everywhere at once, executive depend on lower-level employees to furnish them with
accurate, timely reports on problems, emerging trends, opportunities or improvements, etc. It
is very important because it provides higher management with the information needed for
decision making. It also cultivates employee loyalty by giving employees an opportunity to be
heard, to air their grievances, and to offer suggestions. Finally up ward communication
provides the feedback necessary to let supervisors know whether subordinates received and
understood messages that were sent downward.

The following types of messages are valuable when communicated upward:

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  What subordinates are doing: highlights of their work, achievements, progress, &
future job plan. “We’ll have that job done by closing time today”.
 Outlines of unsolved work problems on which subordinates now need aid or may
require help in the future. “We are still having trouble with the air conditioner in
the accounting office”.
 Suggestions of ideas for improvements with in departments in the organization as
a whole. “I think I have figured a way to give people the vacation schedules they
want and still keep our staffing up”
 How subordinates think & feel about each other and their jobs, their associates &
their organization. “I am having a hard time working with Getachew. He seems to
think I am mad at him. Or “I am getting frustrated. I have been in the same job for
over a year now, and I am seeking for more responsibility”.

Forms of upward communication include one – to – one meeting with one’s immediate
supervisor, staff meetings with supervisors, suggestion systems, grievance procedures,
employee attitude survey, progress reports, inquiries, etc.

The distortion that characterizes downward communication also plagues upward

communication. First, individuals are likely to be extremely selective about the information
that they transmit upward. Information favourable to the sender is very likely to be sent
upward. In contrast, information that is unfavourable to the sender will probably be blocked,
even when it is important to the organization. Subordinates are more likely to filter
information when they do not trust their superiors, perceive that their superiors have
considerable influence over their careers, & have a strong desire to move up. Second,
managers do not expend sufficient effort in encouraging upward communication. Managers
often behave in manners that exacerbate the situation, usually through punishing the bearer of
bad news or allowing themselves to be isolated from subordinates at lower levels.

C. Horizontal Communication
Horizontal communication involves exchange of information among individuals on the same
organizational level, such as across or within departments. Thus, it generally involves
colleagues & peers. Horizontal information informs, supports, & coordinates activities both
interdepartmentally & interdepartmentally. Considerable horizontal communication in
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organizations stems from staff specialists, in areas such as engineering, accounting, & human
resources management, who provide advice to managers in various departments. Horizontal
communication is important to help coordinate work assignments, share information on plans
and activities, negotiate differences and develop inter personal support, there by creating a
more cohesive work unit. The more that, individuals or departments within an organization
must interact, with each other to accomplish their objectives the more frequent and intense
will be the horizontal communication. Horizontal communication is especially important in an
organization for the following purposes:
 To coordinate task when several employees or departments are each working on
part of an important project.
 To solve problems such as how to reduce waste or how to increase the number of
items assembled each hour.
 To share information such as an easier way to perform a task or the results of a
new survey.
 To solve conflicts such as jealousy or disagreements between co-workers.
 To build rapport: peer support.

Three major factors tend to impede necessary, work-related horizontal communication. First,
rivalry among individuals or work units can influence individuals to hide information that is
potentially damaging to themselves or that may aid others. Second, specialization may cause
individuals to be concerned mainly about the work of their own unit & to have little
appreciation for the work & communication needs of others. For example, scientists in
research and development unit that is focused on long-term projects may find it difficult to
interrupt their work to help with current customer problems identified by the sales
department. Third, motivation may be lacking when subordinate horizontal communication is
not encouraged or rewarded.

D. Diagonal Communication (cross channel communication)

Cross channel communication is the exchange of information among employees in different
work units who are neither subordinate nor superior to each other. Staff specialists use cross
channel communications frequently because their responsibilities typically involve many
departments within the organization. Because they lack line authority to direct those to whom
they communicate, they must often rely on their persuasive skills, as for instance when the
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human resource department encourages employees to complete a job satisfaction
questionnaire. Some organizational structures employ teams comprised of members from
different functional areas, even different levels of the hierarchy. With more & more firms
reducing the number of management layers & increasing the use of self managed work teams,
many workers are being required to communicate with others in different departments & on
different levels to solve problems & coordinate work. For instance, a team might be formed
from all functional areas (accounting, marketing, operations, & human resources) to work on
a specific product project to ensure that all points of view are considered.

Table 1: Types of formal communication in organization

Downward Upward Horizontal (lateral)
communication communication commn.

Definiti Superior to Subordinate to superior Between co workers

on subordinates with different areas
of responsibility

Types Job instructions rations What subordinates are Coordinated tasks

for job organizational doing unsolved work solve problems share
policy and procedures problems suggestions for information manage
feedback to improvement conflicts build
subordinates subordinates feelings rapport
indoctrination to about job and co-workers
organizational culture

Horiz
Downward Upward ontal
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 communication communi (latera
cation l)
comm
n.
Potential Insufficient or unclear Superiors may Rivalry may occur
problems messages, message over load, discourage, disregard , between employees
message distorted as it passes or down play importance from different areas
through one or more of subordinates of specialization
intermediaries messages supervisors makes understanding
may unfairly blame difficult information
subordinates for overload discourages
unpleasant news contacts physical
barriers discourage
contact lack of
motivation
Potential Prevention/correction of Prevention of new Increased cooperation
benefits employee errors grater job problems and solutions among employees
satisfaction improved moral of old ones increased with different duties
acceptance of greater understanding
management decisions of organizations
mission

INFORMAL COMMUNICATION (GRAPEVINE)

Formal organization charts illustrate how information is supposed to flow. In actual practice,
however, lines and boxes on a piece of paper cannot prevent people from talking with one
another. Every organization has an informal communication network –a grapevine-that
supplements official channels.
As the following examples, show not all informal messages are idle rumours. Informal
communication can serve several useful functions:
Confirming- some informal communication confirms formal messages. You
have probably heard this sort of confirmation yourself. The boss is really
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serious about cutting down on long-distance calls this time. I heard him yelling
about it when I walked past his office.”
Expanding- Information communication can fill in the gaps left by incomplete
formal messages. You might say to an experienced co worker “the invitation to
the office party says ‘casual dress ‘what mean –jeans and T- shirt or sport coat
and tie?”
Expediting- Informal networks can often deliver messages more quickly than
official channels can. Canny job hunters, for example, often use personal
contacts to learn about openings within an organization before the vacancies
are published.
Contradicting- sometimes informal networks contradict official massages.
You might learn from a friend in accounting that the deadline for purchases on
this year budget is not as firm as it sounded in the comptroller’s recent memo.
Circumventing- Informal contacts can sometimes help you bypass official
channels that are unnecessary cumbersome and time consuming. Your tennis
partner who works in duplicating might sneak in an occasional rush job for you
instead of putting it at the end of the line.
Supplementing-sometimes even management realizes that informal
communication can get the job done better than the more formal variety can.
Paradoxical a sit seems, many companies elevate informal communication to
an official policy by encouraging open, unstructured contacts between people
from various parts of the organization.

One classical study investigated four possible configurations for grapevine

chains. Single stand chain communication moves serially from person A to B
to C and so on (each tells one another). With the gossip chain person A seeks
out and tells others (one tells all).when following the probability chain,
person A spreads the message randomly; as do individuals F and D (each
randomly tells others). In the cluster chain, person A tells selected individuals
and one of these tells selected other (some selected others). The study found
that the cluster chain was the most predominant form, which suggests that
individuals who are part of grapevines are likely to be selective about the

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 persons to whom the relay information and that only some of these persons
will in turn pass the information further.

Despite the fact that grapevines sometimes create difficulties when they carry gossip and false
rumors, they are a fact of life in organizations and it is unrealistic for managers to think that
they can eliminate grapevine. The type of information the grapevine carries depend on the
“health” of the organization. If an organizations managers are fairly open with employees and
send all necessary information through formal channels, the grapevine usually caries only
personal interest items.

PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION
To compose effective messages you need to apply certain specific communication principles.
These principles tie in closely with the basic concepts of the communication process and are
important for both written and oral communications. They provide guidelines for choice of
content and style of presentation-adapted to the purpose and receiver of your message. Called
the “seven C’s,” they are completeness, conciseness, consideration, concreteness, clarity,
courtesy and correctness.
1. COMPLETENESS
Your business message is “complete” when it contains all facts the reader or listener needs for
the reaction you desire. Remember that communicators differ in their mental filters; they are
influenced by their backgrounds, viewpoints, needs, experiences, attitudes, status, and
emotions.
Completeness is necessary for several reasons: First, complete messages are more likely to
bring the desired results without the expense of additional messages. Second, they can do a
better job of building goodwill. Third, they can help avert costly lawsuits that may result if
important information is missing. Last, papers that seem inconsequential can be surprisingly
important if the information they contain is complete and effective. In high-level conferences,
in courtrooms, and in governmental hearings, the battle often centres on an ordinary-looking
message that becomes important because of the complete information it contains.

As you strive for completeness, keep the following guidelines-in mind:

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  Answer all questions asked. The first important guideline to make your
message complete is to answer all questions that are asked. When ever you
reply to an inquiry, try to answer all questions-stated and implied.
 Give something extra, when desirable.
 Check for the five W’s (who, what, where, when and why) and any other
essentials.
Answer All Questions Asked
The first important guideline to make your message complete is to answer all questions that
are asked. Whenever you reply to an inquiry, try to answer all questions-stated and implied. A
prospective customer’s reaction to an incomplete reply is likely to be unfavorable. The
customer may think the respondent is careless or is purposely trying to conceal a weak spot.
In general, “omissions cast suspicions, whether you are answering an inquiry about your
product or recommending a former employee for a new job. If you have no information on a
particular question, say so clearly. If you have unfavorable information in answering to
questions, handle your reply with both tact and honesty.

Give something extra, when desirable

This is the second commonly recommended guideline that makes your message complete.
The words “when desirable,” in the above heading, are essential. At times it might not be at
all important for you to give extra message for a question that is asked. Doing so might even
complicate the situation and the message may not be addressed in an effective way. But in
some instances you must do more than answer the question. For instance you might be
required to give additional information to a customer’s specific questions. The customer may
not know what she/he needs, or their questions may be inadequate.

Check for the five W’s and any other Essentials

The third way to help make your message complete is to answer, whenever desirable, the
“five W” questions who, what, where, when why-and any other essentials, such as how. The
five-question method is especially useful when you write requests announcements, or other
informative messages. For instance, to order (request) merchandise from a supplier, make
clear what you want, when you need it, to whom and where it is to be sent, and how payment
will be made. To reserve a hotel hall, specify the accommodations needed (what), location

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(where), sponsoring organization (who), date and time (when), event (why), and other
necessary details (how).
2. CONCISENESS
Conciseness is saying what you have to say in the fewest possible words without sacrificing
the other C qualities. A concise message saves time and expense for both sender and receiver.
Conciseness contributes to emphasis. By eliminating unnecessary words, you help make
important ideas stand out. To achieve conciseness it is recommended to observe the following
suggestions:
 Eliminate wordy expressions
 Include only relevant statements
 Avoid unnecessary repetition.

Eliminate Wordy Expressions

The elimination of unnecessary words from your statements is the first thing that helps your
message to be concise. This important guideline can be explained by emphasizing on five
points.

1. Use single – word substitutes instead of phrases whenever possible without

changing meanings. Have you ever realized that some messages
communicated could have been shorter and yet more meaningful? here below
are some examples

Wordy Concise
 Consensus of opinion Consensus
 Date of the policy Policy date
 During the year of During
 In accordance with your request As you requested
 In due course Soon
 In spite of the fact that Although
Have you noted how concise we can be by using the words in the second column
as replacements to the phrases in the first column?

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2. Omit trite, unnecessary expressions, such as “allow me to say,” in reply I wish
to state,” please be advised,” Also, instead of “please find attached” (or
“enclosed”), use concise statements like “attached are,” “enclosed is,” or “the
enclosed list includes.”

3. Omit “which” and “that” clauses whenever possible. As much as possible you
should avoid these two clauses in your statements as they making it more
understandable to the receiver of the message. Look at the simple example
below.
Wordy: She bought desks that are of the executive type.
Concise: She bought executive – type desks.

4. Avoid overusing “It is,” “It was,” “There is,” “There was,” “There are,”
There were” at sentence beginnings. The example below shows how a wordy
(long) sentence can be made concise.
Wordy: It was known by Ato Abebe that we must reduce the price by 12 birr
per unit.
Concise: Ato Abebe knew we must reduce the price by 12 birr per unit.
Wordy: There are four rules that should be observed.
Concise: Four rules should be observed.

5. Whenever possible, use a verb in the present tense and active voice using
present tenses and active voices will make your messages to be over simple
and understandable. Remember! The objective of communication is to make
the receiver of the message understand what is said perfectly, not to make your
message long and complicated.
Business people are not impressed by speakers who use difficult words and
expressions but are rather interested in the content of the message. They want
short and precise messages. Example:
Wordy: The total balance due will be found on page 2 of this report.
Concise: The balance due is on page 2 of this report.
6. Include only Relevant Statements

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 The effective, concise message should omit not only unnecessarily wordy
expressions but also irrelevant material. To be sure you include only relevant
facts. Observe the following suggestions:

 Stick to the purpose of the message.

 Prune irrelevant words and rambling sentences
 Omit information obvious to the receiver; do not repeat at length what
that person has already told you.
 Avoid long introductions, unnecessary explanation, excessive
adjectives and prepositions, pompous words, gushy politeness.
 Get to the important point tactfully and concisely.
Wordy: At this time I am writing to you to enclose the post paid appointment
card for the purpose of arranging a convenient time when we might get
together for a personal interview. (30 words; 5 prepositions)
Concise: Will you please return the enclosed card and name a convenient time
for an interview? (15 words; 1 preposition)

Avoid Unnecessary Repetition

Do you easily get fade up with somebody’s talk if she/he repeats the message over and over
again? Sometimes repetition is necessary for emphasis. But when the same thing is said two
or three times without reason, the message becomes wordy and boring. Here are three ways to
eliminate unnecessary repetition:

 Use a shorter name after you have mentioned the long one once: Instead of the
“Arba Minch Textile Factory”, “Arba Minch factory”,
 Use pronouns or initials rather than repeat long names: instead of “Ethiopian
Electric Power Corporation” “EEPCO”, Instead of “The Federal Inland Revenue
Authority” “FIRA”
 Cut out all needless repetition of phrases and sentences

3. CONSIDERATION
As discussed in chapter two, the interrelationship of the message sender and receiver
profoundly affects communication effectiveness. Consideration means that you prepare every
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message with the recipient in mind and try to put your self in his/her place. Try to visualize
your readers (or listeners)-with their desires, problems, circumstances, emotions, and probable
reactions to your request. Then handle the matter from their point of view. This thoughtful
consideration is also called “you-attitude,” empathy, the human touch, and understanding of
human nature. It does not mean, however, that you should overlook the needs of your
organization.

In a broad but true sense, consideration underlies the other six C’s of good business
communication. You adapt your language and message content to your receiver’s needs when
you make your message complete, concise, concrete, clear, courteous, and correct. However,
in all four specific ways you can indicate you are considerate:
 Focus on “you” instead of “I” and “we.”
 Show reader benefit or interest in reader.
 Emphasize on positive, pleasant facts.
 Apply integrity & ethics.

Focus on ‘you’ instead of ‘I’ & ‘we’

Your receivers are usually more concerned about themselves than about you or the company
you represent. They are more likely to read your message when they see their name and the
pronoun “you” rather than “I,” “we,” or “us.”
Usually it is very desirable to get the attention of your reader into the first paragraph or the
attention of the person hearing you in the first few minutes or even seconds. If
psychologically desirable, begin with “you” or “your,” and keep your reader in the message
(tactfully) until you finish. The opposite of you-attitude is we-attitude, in which the writer
views every matter from his or her own (or the organization’s) standpoint rather than from the
reader’s. Examples below contrasts the “we” attitude” and the “you – attitude”.
Show Reader Benefit or Interest in Reader
Whenever possible and true, show how your readers will benefit from whatever the message
asks or announces. They will be more likely to react favorably and do what you suggest if you
show that benefits are worth the effort and cost. In situations where actual direct reader
benefit is impossible or irrelevant to the subject matter, the message should at least show
interest in and concern for the reader’s needs or viewpoint.

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 Even a simple request gets better response when a reader-benefit plug accompanies it. For
example, an insurance company that wanted to update its address files sent to half of its
policyholders a double postcard with this message.
Emphasize the positive, pleasant Facts
A third way to show consideration for your reader (or listener) is to emphasize the positive.
This means:
 Stressing what can be done instead of what cannot be done. And
 Focusing on words your recipient can consider favorably.
The reader (or listener) wants to know what you can do for him/her. For most people negative
words like no, wont, cannot, never, impossible trigger unpleasant emotional reactions. By
making clear what you can or will do, you (by implication) often make clear what you cannot
do, without using a single negative word. Furthermore, whenever possible and helpful, tell
why or how.

Negative-Unpleasant Positive-
Pleasant
It is impossible to open an As soon as your
signature card
y. account for you. reaches us, we will
gladly open
an account for you.

Sometimes you will have to be very careful in your word choice. Some people may find some
words to be impolite when your intention was not to create such a perception. Be very careful
not to offend your customers (or any individual for that matter) by the words you have
chosen. Among the positive words to which people react favorably are: cordial, happy, help,
generous, loyal, pleasure, thanks, thoughtful. Words with negative connotations that often
arouse unfavorable reactions include blame, complaint, failed, fault, negligence, regret, reject,
trouble, unfair, and many others. For example, in the following opening of a letter the
negative words (underlined) focus on ideas you’d rather not have the reader think about. We
regret that, since you closed your account, your name will be missing from our long list of
satisfied customers. We sincerely hope that. Despite the best efforts of our fine staff, there
were no occasions on which you felt we failed to serve you properly.
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A better opening expresses appreciation for the customer’s patronage in the first paragraph, as
shown below. Then the second paragraph welcomes him/her to other services. Having you as
a member of XYZ Savings Bank was a pleasure. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to
serve you. We noticed recently that you closed your account with us. Perhaps you reached
that particular goal for which you were saving, or it may be that an emergency arose which
called for a large outlay of cash. Whatever the reason, we were happy to have some small part
in your financial program. You are cordially invited to use our other profitable, timesaving
services that can provide benefits for you in various ways.
Apply Integrity & Ethics
To be truly considerate, you need also to apply integrity – high moral standards, personal
honour, truthfulness, & sincerity – to your written & oral messages. Integrity is indispensable
in our jobs, in business transactions, in social & political activities, in everything we-do.
Without it business communications would prove worthless, & our confidence in people
would be shattered.

Ethics is concerned with what is right human conduct. Codes of ethics provide standards
enabling us to determine the fundamental distinction between right & wrong human behavior.

Because you are an agent of your company, you help build your company’s image. To make
this image one of integrity & ethical conduct required consistently fair standards & honesty in
communications with persons outside & inside your organization.

When you show consideration for your customers, you try to let them know you are aware of
& are doing something about their interest & needs. This does not mean that, however, you
yield to the temptation of showing favoritism, allowing deviation for one customer that you
would not allow for all other customers in similar circumstances, or arranging money
kickbacks & bribes to obtain government or commercial business. Studies have shown that
the behavior of superiors & pressures from top management to meet competition & increase
profits were the chief factors influencing executives to make unethical decisions. Typical
examples include misrepresenting contents of products, substituting materials without
customer knowledge after the job contract has been awarded, scheduling inaccurate delivery
dates to get a contract, so on. Therefore, an ethical boss can be an important influence for
ethical employee communications.
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4. CONCRETNESS
Communicating concretely means being specific, definite and vivid rather than vague and
general. The following guidelines should help you compose concrete, convincing messages

a) Use specific facts and figures

If possible, try to substitute an exact fact or figure for a general word to make your message
more concrete and convincing using specific facts and figures whenever possible adds up to
the content of your message. The receiver of your message would be very comfortable with
your speech when you can support some of your ideas with facts. For instance you will lend
your ears more to a person who tells you that currently around 10 million people in Ethiopia
are in need of food assistance than a person who tells you a lot of people in Ethiopia are
facing drought.
b) Put Action in your verbs
Strong verbs can activate other words and help make your sentences definite. Generally use
active rather than passive verbs, because active verbs help make your sentences more specific,
personal, concise and emphatic. Look at the following comparison between active and passive
verb.
C) Choose Vivid, Image- Building words
Among the devices you can use to make your messages forceful, vivid, and specific are
comparisons, figurative language, and concrete instead of abstract nouns. Sometimes adding a
comparison helps your recipient build a meaningful picture.

E.g. Vague: - There are a great many solder joints in the space craft, and each must
have just the right amount of solder.
Clear: - The spacecraft has 2.5 million solder joints. If an extra drop of solder had
been left on these joints, the excess weight would have been equivalent to the payload
of the vehicle.
Still another way that makes your message concrete is to use concrete nouns instead of
abstract nouns, especially as subjects of your sentences concrete nouns represent subjects your
recipient can touch, see, smell, feel, hear, or taste.

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Abstract nouns as subjects designate intangible concepts. They bring only vague “pictures,” if
any, to a persons mind.
Abstract – Consideration was given to the fact that…..
Concrete – The committee considered……..

5. CLARITY
Clarity means getting your messages across so that the receiver will understand what you are
trying to convey you want that person to interpret your words with the same meaning you
have in mind.
Accomplishing that goal is difficult because, as you know, individual experiences are never
identical and words may have different meanings to different persons. Some ways that help
you make your message clear include:
a) Choose short, familiar, conversational words
When you have a choice between a long word and a short one, use the short, familiar word
that your reader or listener will quickly understand. Also, use synonyms in stead of Latin
terms if they, though short, may be unfamiliar to your message receivers.
b) Construct effective sentences and paragraphs
Arranging your words in well constructed sentences and paragraphs is also an essential task
that requires adaptation to your reader. Important characteristics to consider are length, unity,
and coherence.
Short sentences are preferred. The suggested average sentence length should be about 17 to 20
words. Because of pleasing variety of length is desirable, you can have a range of from 3 to
30 or more words. But when a sentence exceeds 40 words, try to rewrite it in to more than one
sentence. Please also note that it is important that your sentences are not too short either.
In a sentence – Whether simple, compound, or complex unity means that you have one main
idea and any other ideas in the sentence must be closely related to it.
In a coherence sentence the words are correctly arranged so that the ideas clearly express the
intended meaning. Place the correct modifier as close as possible to the world it is supposed to
modify.
c) Include Examples, Illustrations, and other visual Aids, when desirable
When you have a complicated or lengthy explanation in a letter, speech, or report, you will
often find you can improve the clarity by giving your recipients an example, analogy, or
illustration. Furthermore, visual aids, such as headings, tabulations, itemizations, pictures,
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charts-are definite aids to clarity and easy understanding. Also, typographical aids can be
useful some important statements may be underlined, numbered, colored, or typed in all
CAPITALS or italics or on short lines with wider margins.

6. COURTESY
Courtesy messages help to strengthen present business friendships, as well as make new
friends. Courtesy stems from sincere you-attitude. It is not merely politeness with mechanical
insertion of “pleases” and “thank- yous.” To be courteous, considerate communicators should
follow a number of guidelines these guide lines are:
a) Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and appreciative
Tact instead of Bluntness
Though few people are intentionally abrupt or blunt, these traits are a common cause of
discourtesy. Some times they stem from mistaken idea of conciseness, some times from
negative personal attitudes. Avoid expressions like

Tactless /Blunt Tactful

Your letter is not clear at all: I can’t understand it. If I understood your
letter correctly it seems that it
needs some clarification.

Thoughtfulness and appreciation

Writers who send cordial, courteous messages of deserved congratulations and appreciations
(to person both inside and outside the firm) help build goodwill. The value of goodwill or
public esteem for the firm may be worth thousands or millions of birr.
Sometimes, silence can also be considered significantly discourteous. A thoughtful, courteous
businessperson –no matter how busy-should not ignore answering customers or colloquies
inquire. Even a short, courteous note written at the bottom of the request and returned
promptly, a tactful phone call by the secretary is usually better than no reply.

b) Omit expressions that irritate, hurt or belittle

The thoughtful business communicator should avoid expressions that might offend the reader
or listener. Such expressions are discussed here in two groups: irritating, and questionably
humorous.
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 Irritating expressions questionably
humorous
We don’t believe you should know
We are amazed you can’t you are delinquent
Why have you ignored you failed that

c) Grant and apologize good-naturedly

Whenever you grant a customer’s request, begin your letter with the best news first and inject
a courteous, ungrudging tone.

7. CORRECTNESS
The correctness principle comprises more than proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. A
message may be perfect grammatically and mechanically but still insult or lose a customer
and fail to achieve its purpose. The term correctness, as applied to a business message, means
the writer should:
Use the right level of language
As you may probably know, the English language is becoming a world language. It is very
important for you to have the right level of the language to communicate (oral or written)
correctly. The three levels of language- formal, informal and substandard overlap because of
our ever changing language. English with almost a million words has the richest largest
vocabulary on earth. Some words once considered substandard have moved into the informal
level, and some once-informal words are now acceptable on a formal level.
Maintain acceptable writing mechanics
Acceptable writing mechanics include correct punctuation, capitalization, syllabication, and
spelling-plus correct sentence and paragraph structure. The two common weaknesses in
writing mechanics that deserve special though brief, attention are incorrect spelling and
careless omissions.
Business executives and customers expect you to spell correctly and may begin to question
your overall ability if you misspell-especially the customers name and everyday words like
convenience, questionnaire, stationery, personnel and accommodation. Another way to
maintain correct writing mechanics is to double-check for any careless omissions of
punctuation marks or words needed for grammatical accuracy.
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Choose non-discriminatory expressions
Another important requirement for correctness is “equal treatment of the sexes” and
nonbiased toward people of different races, ethnic origins, and physical features.
Conscientious business communicators (as well as authors) should be continually alert to use
non-discriminatory expressions whenever possible. Try to choose non-discriminatory
language when you refer to occupational roles and achievements, personal characteristics,
physical and mental attributes humanity at large, names and various title designations.

Check accuracy of figures, facts and words

Absolute accuracy is essential for effective writing and oral messages. When figures, facts
and some words are incorrectly used, they can cause serious problems. To be sure of the
accuracy of facts, communicators should verify all statements before writing and again before
signing or approving, messages. One erroneous digit-creating for instance, Birr 100,000
instead of 10,000 makes a difference of birr 90,000 and may result in lawsuit. In addition a
wrong figure in account number muddles up records and leads to untold problems.

Apply all other pertinent C qualities

We need two use the other C’s in the communication process to keep the correctness of our
message to have the right response from the receiver.

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