Formal and informal communication

Formal and informal communication
Throughout the day, people in an office communicate in different ways. The communication may be formal or informal. Formal communication Formal communication is when you communicate by a written letter, speak at a meeting or take part in a discussion. Sometimes an organisation might hold a teleconference (a meeting where people from different locations are connected by telephone).

With formal communication there are some rules you have to obey. For example, at a meeting you should speak only when you are asked to. If you want to say something, you should make a sign, such as putting your hand up, and wait until you are asked to speak. It is a good idea to be prepared so you know what you want to say.

When writing a letter, you should use formal language, for example ‘Dear Mr Smith’ rather than ‘Hi Toby’.

Informal communication
You use informal communication when someone asks you for information or you ask someone a question during your day-today tasks. This might be by phone, fax, email or face to face. Your language can be more casual. For example, it is acceptable to say ‘Thanks for calling’ rather than ‘Thank you for calling’.

Choosing the best method of communicating
Communicating successfully also means choosing the best method of communication for the task. Some methods of communication are more appropriate for certain tasks. Usually, you will be told what to do, but sometimes you may have to make up your own
mind. For example, should you send an email or go and see the person? Should you write a word processed letter or jot down a message on a notepad?

When you are deciding what method to use, think about the following aspects.
Do you need a response immediately? Talking to someone face to face or over the phone means that you are both communicating at the same time. This allows the person
you are communicating with to respond immediately to what you are saying.

Communicating verbally is often very quick and effective. On the other hand, using written communication can take longer to get a response. Do you need a permanent record? Written forms of communication provide a record of what has been said. This is a benefit if you need to refer back to what has been said.

There is usually no record of verbal communication. It might be difficult to remember the details of a conversation you had a few weeks ago, last month or six months ago! Who are you communicating with and why?

There are many different reasons for communicating in the workplace. You will need to communicate with a range of people both inside and outside the office. On some occasions you will need to use a formal method of communication. Other times, an informal method will be appropriate.

Using the telephone
The telephone is used daily in most organisations. In some organisations it is the most common way of communicating. Often the first contact people have with an organisation is by the telephone so it is very important to give the caller a good
impression by being polite and helpful. When you are using the telephone you need to:
■ speak clearly
■ greet the caller politely
■ provide help.

Speaking clearly
Use a friendly and cheerful voice at all times, even if you are tired. Although the other person can’t see you, the tone of your voice will tell them if you are happy, angry or bored. It is important to speak slowly and carefully so the caller understands what you are saying.

Greeting a caller
Organisations sometimes have a rule that says the phone must be answered within three rings. The reason for this rule is so that calls are answered promptly.
There may also be a standard greeting that is used every time the phone rings. For example, ‘Good morning (or afternoon). This is Kate. How may I help you?’ When you finish a call, say, ‘Thank you for calling. Goodbye.’

Providing help
People often call wanting routine information, such as ‘When is the office open?’, ‘What is your fax number?’ ‘What kind of service do you provide?’ To help you with these type of questions, you should have a list of the questions and their answers. They are often called ‘frequently asked questions’, or FAQs.

Remember that you should not give any caller the home telephone number or address of any staff member. This is confidential information.

Transferring calls
If you can’t help the caller with their question, you need to know who can. Keep a list of the staff, their job titles and extension numbers, so you can transfer the caller quickly. For example, you might say, ‘Our sales coordinator, Janet, will be able to give you that information. I will transfer you to her now’.

Taking messages
Taking telephone messages is a common task in an office. Sometimes, people are not available to take the call because they are in a meeting, out of the office, or they are too busy. You must write down:
■ the date and time of the call
■ the caller’s name and organisation
■ who the caller wants to speak to
■ the message
■ if the call is urgent
■ your name or signature.

Most organisations have a special message pad. In the following example, check that all these details have been taken down.

Drafting written information
There are lots of different ways that written information and correspondence are received and sent in an office. The most common ways are messages, memos, letters, faxes and emails. They are covered in this workbook in:
■ Topic 5—Writing messages and memos
■ Topic 6—Writing faxes
■ Topic 7—Writing letters
■ Topic 8—Writing email messages.

This topic discusses the importance of using the organisation’s standard forms, writing clearly, checking your work and presenting it for approval.

Preparing written communications
When you are given a writing task, you may be told what is needed. For example, your supervisor may tell you, ‘Send Mary an email and tell her I’m running late for the meeting’ or ‘Type this letter’. Sometimes, you may have to decide yourself what is the best way to send the information. Your supervisor may just say to you, ‘Tell
Mary I’m running late for the meeting’. How will you tell her? By email? By telephone? Go and see her?

Whenever you are writing anything, you need to think about a number of things before you start.

1 Who is the message for? Is it for people within the organisation or outside the organisation? Knowing this will help you decide what is the best way of communicating the information.

2 What method is the best for the task? If you are not told what method to use, you have to think about the type of message,who it is for and how urgent it is. There are lots of different ways you can choose, such as a formal letter, an email, a phone call, even a text message on your mobile phone.

3 What is the purpose of the information? What do you need to tell the reader?

4 Have you got all the information you need?

5 What is the best way to organise the material? In other words, what order will you put the information in? When you know the answers to all these questions, you can start writing. This is generally called ‘a draft’.

If you are unsure of the answer to any of these questions, you must ask your supervisor immediately. It is not a good idea to pretend you know.

Using the correct format
The way you present written information is referred to as its ‘format’. Most companies have standard ways of writing messages, memos, faxes, emails and letters. You need to know and use the right forms and templates. For example, your organisation may have a special form called a ‘fax cover sheet’ that you have to use whenever you are sending a fax. Most organisations have special letterhead paper
that staff must use for letters. Letterhead usually includes the organisation’s name, contact details and logo (the organisation’s symbol or picture).

Make sure you know the different forms you have to use and where you can find them. For example, they may be on your computer or there may be a hard copy in a file.

Writing clearly
Sometimes your supervisor will give you the information to type in the appropriate format. At other times, you may have to write the information yourself. Your task is to write the information as well as you can.

Here are three tips to help you.
1 Keep a copy of a letter that your supervisor has written so you can see the way it is set out and the words that are used.
2 Use words that are best for the type of information you are writing and the people you are writing it for. For example, for a letter to a customer you should use business language, such as ‘Thank you for your letter dated 16 April 2003’. However, a message about the office Christmas party would use informal language, such as ‘Thanks for the suggestions you sent me last week’.
3 After you have written something, read it aloud. If you do this, you may find that you have missed out a word. You might find that what you have written doesn’t make sense.

Your supervisor will check your work, but it is your responsibility to write it as clearly as possible. Spelling It is important that you check your written work to make sure there are no mistakes. Here are some good techniques to use if you need
help with spelling:
■ Use an address book to write in any words that you are likely to have difficulty with. The address book is organised alphabetically so all you need to do is write the word in the correct section. Include names of all staff members, days of the
week, months, and any words you use often. Add to it whenever you come across a word you find difficult to remember and that you might have to use again.
■ Once the words are in your spelling book, use the following method to remember them.

You can also use the Spell Check function on your computer to check the spelling of words. Be careful when using Spell Check. It will only tell you words that have been spelt wrongly. It will not tell you if you have used the wrong word by mistake. For example, you may have meant to type ‘It was a sad ending’, but instead you typed
‘It was a bad ending’. The computer will not tell you this is wrong, because ‘bad’ is spelt correctly.

Getting approval
After you have written and checked your material, you need to give it to your supervisor to approve. They will look at it and tell you if you can send it.
Make sure you know the procedures you have to follow when giving your supervisor work to check. For example, you might have to place the material in their in-tray or you might be asked to hand it to them in person. You may have to put the word ‘Draft’ on the work.

Writing messages and memos
Messages and memos are generally sent when the information needs to be delivered quickly to people within the organisation. They are usually brief. Drafting messages
Most organisations have message pads that staff use to record messages and pass them on to each other. The pad that Angie uses for her telephone messages is a typical example. Red Dress Clothing also has another format for simple messages.

When writing a message, make sure you include all the information you need. This includes:
■ the date and time you send the message
■ who the message is for
■ a brief, clear message
■ who the message is from.
Go back to Angie’s message and place a tick next to each one of the items she has included. Do you think she prepared the message well?

Always check that your spelling is correct. If you are unsure, use a dictionary, ask your supervisor or another staff member.

Drafting memos
Memo is short for ‘memorandum’. It is a brief message written on a special memo form. Most organisations have a standard memo form or template on their computer system. All you have to do is fill in the information.

Memos are a useful way to pass on information, give instructions, make requests and confirm arrangements. They may be written in a more formal style than a simple message.

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