THE WRITTEN MESSAGE

THE WRITTEN MESSAGE

Understanding business data means comprehending written material and / or visual presentations. Those who are more directly involved in business need to be able to interpret data presented to them in whatever form and to express the ideas that emerge from their analysis.

The need in business is not simply to understand, but to do so with speed (as time is expensive in terms of pay for workers, rent for buildings and interest on bank loans) and accuracy (as inaccuracy leads to mistakes, miscalculations and losses) if it is to survive.

Very often in business, businesspeople find themselves reading documents and letters that need some effort before they can be understood. Getting a clear idea of the message supposes either reading it in a special way and/or using the questioning approach in addition or as an alternative to the reading.

Why are written messages so important? Let us have a look at the following situation: you have to report a certain situation to your manager, so you may choose to say it on the phone or in a meeting or to write it down on paper.

Why would you choose to write it down on paper? Here are a few good reasons why you would like to do so:

The material needs to be kept for future reference.

You are too shy to speak to your manager.

You need proof that you have taken action.

You want to give an 'official' impression.

You want to give the impression that you don't really know what has happened.

You want to make it more formal.

Before using letters in business, man used them to communicate with other people (relatives, friends, etc). (After Joseph Chilver, English for Business: A Functional Approach

& Glossary

L Language Practice

1. Answer the following.

What does 'understanding business data' mean?

Can you give examples of written materials?

Can you give examples of visual presentations?

What is the need in business?

Why are speed and accuracy so important in understanding business data?

How can a businessman or a businesswoman get a clear idea of a message?

2. Match the following nouns with their definitions.

3. Fill in a, an, or the, where needed.

I work as secretary to . director of . export company. My boss is Mr. Wood. We're doing . lot of business at . moment, so I'm always up to my eyes in . work. You see, my job isn't just sorting out . mail, typing . letters and filing . documents. I have many other duties. For example, our office receives . lot of routine correspondence, which I usually deal with. I also draft . important letters and memoranda for Mr. Wood, as well as organize his diary and . work schedule. We've got . large number of overseas customers, so I'm continually sending . telexes and cables abroad. In addition to that, I have to take telephone calls, handle travel and hotel bookings, and entertain . visitors. Oh yes, I forgot to mention, I'm responsible for buying . office supplies too. My boss is interested in . business machines. He's got . dictating machine and intercom on his desk. In . corner of . office, there's his new toy - . micro-computer. Now he's keen to buy . word processor. I suppose I'll have to learn how to use that soon.

4. Read the text above, and then answer the following question.

Which of the business machines described in the text are no longer in use and which of the modern ones are absent?

5. Group the following according to the model. Use a dictionary.

6. Give synonyms for the words below, and then use them in sentences of your own.

7. Give antonyms for the words below, and then use them in sentences of your own.

Doing Business: Reading Written Messages

1. Read and translate the following Private Letters between Prince George (when still a boy) and his grandmother, Queen Victoria.

2. Same exercise for the following Business Letter.

3. Read the letters above then answer the questions.

In what ways can you begin and end a formal letter?

In what ways can you begin and end an informal letter?

Where is the sender's address written?

Where is the address of the company he/she is writing to?

In what other way can you write the date?

Where does the sender sign his/her name?

Where does he/she print his/her name?

What is the aim of each of the three paragraphs in the letter?

4. Write a Private Letter to a friend, a relative, or a mate of yours to whom you tell about one of your trips last summer.

5. Write an Official Letter to the director of a public library to thank him for the kindness of his employees.

6. Write a Business Letter to the manager of a firm dealing fat burners, vitamins, etc.

I Social Skills: Expressing Likes

You are a manager and you like the measures taken by your employees after an incident reported by your right hand. Use the following to say it.

. was a marvellous way to .

AII l wanted was .

I like people who .

I liked N .

I liked + V-ing .

I'd like to .

I'm looking forward to .

There is nothing I would like more than .

What I particularly liked about . is .

J Supplementary Reading: U.S. Economy

The United States entered the 21^st century with an economy that was bigger, and by many measures more successful, than ever. Not only had it endured two world wars and a global depression in the first half of the 20^th century, but it had surmounted challenges ranging from a 40-year Cold War with the Soviet Union to extend bouts of sharp inflation, high unemployment, and enormous government budget deficits in the second half of the century. The nation finally enjoyed a period of economic calm in the 1990s: prices were stable, unemployment dropped to its lowest level in almost 30 years, the government posted a budget surplus, and the stock market experienced an unprecedented boom. (After Christopher Conte & Albert R. Karr, Outline of the U.S. Economy)