Exercises
ORGANIZATIONAL
COMMUNICATION
Jonna Mäyrä IB12
Language skills and communication skills for business
 Read document A and answer the following questions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Who is Ann Seppänen? Administrative assistant
Who is Jouko Miettinen? Ann’s employee
What is the connection between them? Ann is his assistant
Who is the recipient of the message? Frank Jones
What is the purpose of the message? Information and instructions, schedule
Use the information provided to write a programme of events for the recipient of the message.
7. On the basis of Document A, how do you rate Ann Seppänen’s language skills (1-5)? 3.
8. What about her interpersonal communication skills? 3.
 Read document B, and complete your answers to 1-6 above, if possible.
9. On the basis of document B, how do you rate Ann Seppänen’s language skills (1-5)? 4.
10. What about her interpersonal skills? 3.
 Read document C, and complete your answers to 1-6, if possible
11. On the basis of document C, how do you rate Ann Seppänen’s language skills (1-5)? 5.
12. What about her interpersonal skills? 5.
 What are the main methods of communication for business messages?
Letter, e-mail, fax, phone.
 Which option would you use for the message to Frank Jones? Why?
Option C. Polite, contains more information, more clear, formal.
Document A
12.8.2004
Hello!
My name is Ann Seppänen. You are coming to AVK Oy 15.-17.9.2004. You will stay at Hotelli
Fiikuna three nights.
Jouko Miettinen will bring you from the hotel to here on Wednesday at 9.00.
Check out from the hotel after breakfast on Friday. Bring your luggage with you to the office. You
will go by car to the airport after lunch.
You are welcome to Finland and AVK.
Regards,
Ann Seppänen
Document B
For information
Jouko Miettinen
Frank Jones
Riikka Suominen
Seppo Kankaanpää
Visit of Frank Jones to AVK, 15.-17.9 .2004: transport and accommodation
 Hotel: Fiikuna, Rautatientori 25. 14.-17.9.2004 (3 nights)
 15.9 JM to meet FJ at the hotel at 9 a.m. and bring him to AVK (negotiation room).
 17.9 a.m. FJ to check out from hotel on Friday morning. Company car to collect him and his
luggage from the hotel at 8.30 a.m.
 17.9 p.m. Company car to take FJ to airport directly from AVK after lunch (1.15 p.m.)
 Questions or enquiries to Ann Seppänen (ann.seppanen@avk.fi)
Document C
12 August 2004
Dear Mr Jones
I am Jouko Miettinen’s assistant here at AVK and I am helping him with the arrangements for your
visit to us on September 15th – 17th.
I have booked accommodation for you at the Fiikuna Hotel in the city centre. I enclose a map
which shows the location. I have informed them that you will arrive in the early hours of
Wednesday morning (15th September).
Mr Miettinen will come to pick you up at the hotel at about 9 a.m. on Wednesday, and bring you to
Head Office.
On Friday (17th September), we could arrange for a car to take you directly to the airport from here
after lunch. This would mean checking out of the hotel in the morning, and bringing your luggage
with you. Would this be too inconvenient, do you think?
If you have any questions or requests concerning these arrangements, please don’t hesitate to
contact me.
We look forward to seeing you at AVK.
Best regards
Ann Seppänen
Ann Seppänen
Administrative assistant
ann.seppanen@avk.fi
Different methods of business communication compared
In the table below, comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the four main methods of
communication according to the criteria given in the left-hand column.
Method
Style/tone of
language
Letter
Formal
and polite
Fax
Formal
E-mail
Less
formal
Aesthetic
considerations
Handwriti
ng or print
Form,
layout
Form,
layout
Speed
Semi-slow
Fast
Fast
Infrastructure
needed
Technical
capabilities/
Constraints
Cost
Ease of
comprehension
Fast
Public
Communic Communic Communic
sector?
ation &
ation &
ation &
Posting
ITC tech. ITC tech. ITC tech.
Doesn’t Machines – Computer
Phone –
need much maintenan
–
easily
technology ce needed maintenan available
ce, etc.
Not as
SemiCheap
Phone bills
cheap
cheap
- varies
Security/con- Not as safe Not as safe
fidentiality
Legal status
Phone
Less
formal
High
High
Quite safe
Safe and
confidentia
l
Lower
Lower
Depends Quite good Quite good
(handwritt
en or
printed)
The best –
ability to
ask and
answer
Showing degrees of formality
In the table below, arrange from most formal/least familiar to least formal/most familiar the different
options for addressing, opening, and closing business letters.
Address box
Most
formal/
least
familiar
Mrs Gillian Jones
Personnel Manager
James Brown & Sons
44-50 London Road
Brighton
BN5 9KL
UK
Gillian
Jones
Personnel Manager
James Brown & Sons
44-50 London Road
Brighton
BN5 9KL
UK Personnel Manager
The
James Brown & Sons
44-50 London Road
Brighton
BN5 9KL
UK
Least
formal/
most
familiar
Opening
Dear Mrs Jones
Closing
Yours sincerely
Best regards
Dear Sir/Madam
Yours faithfully
All the best
Dear Gillian Jones
Yours truly
Best wishes
Dear Gillian
Kind regards
Cheers
The order:
The personnel manager…
Dear Sir/Madam
Mrs Gillian Jones, Personnel…
Dear Mrs Jones
Gillian Jones, Personnel…
Dear Gillian Jones
Dear Gillian
Yours sincerely/ Best
regards
Yours faithfully/ All the
best
Yours truly /best wishes
Kind regards/ Cheers
Lay-out
Companies sometimes have quite strict codes of practice regarding the lay-out of letters which are
sent in their name. Look at the letter from CELSE on the next page. The lay-out follows an
“international” style common when business letters are written in English, in whichever country they
originate.
A) Find and number the following items in the letter. Notice their position on the page.
1. “Finishing-off” sentence
2. Date (Note its form)
3. Formulaic closing phrase
4. Information about material accompanying the letter
5. Opening / Salutation´
6. Printed letter heading
7. Receiver’s (name,) title, and address
8. References for identification purposes
9. Subject of letter
10. Writer’s title
B) If you are familiar with the standard Finnish style, comment on any differences in lay-out
which you notice.
Answers:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
We look forward to hearing from you by September 30th, 2004.
12th August 2004
Yours sincerely
Encs: Receipt for registration fee; schedule of events; map of Rushworth
Dear Mr Yli-Ahonen
CELSE Centre for English Language Studies in Education
CELSE Centre for English Language Studies in Education. School of Education, University of
Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
8. Our ref: BM/Ced/563
9. Conference on English language in global business (ELGB) 12th-13th November, 2004
10. Conference Co-ordinator
CELSE Centre for English Language Studies in Education
School of Education, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 161 275 3467
Fax: +44 (0) 161 275 3480 e-mail: CELSE@man.ac.uk
URL: http://man.ac.uk/CELSE
Our ref: BM/Ced/563
12th August 2004
Mr Elmer Yli-Ahonen
Project Manager
Suomen Suurin O,
Pitkätie 99
Helsinki
Finland
Conference on English language in global business (ELGB) 12th-13th November, 2004
Dear Mr Yli-Ahonen
Thank you for registering for the ELGB conference, and for your £50 registration fee. Your receipt is
enclosed. Registration is going well, and we are expecting more than 250 participants from fifteen European
countries. So you will certainly have plenty of opportunities for networking with colleagues who have
concerns similar to your own.
I enclose a preliminary schedule of events, together with a map of this area of Manchester. The most
conveniently located hotels are shown on the map, and you will find contact information on the back.
You will receive the final version of the programme in your conference pack when you arrive at CELSE on
November 12th, but we do not expect any major changes. Please note that there will be a formal dinner on
the Friday evening, which we hope as many ELGB participants as possible will attend. It will cost £25,
which includes table wine, but not after-dinner drinks. Could you please let us know by the end of
September whether you wish to attend the dinner. If you have any dietary restrictions, kindly mention this at
the same time.
By the way, don’t forget to check that your passport is in order. One participant was forced to drop out at
short notice last year because he didn’t notice that his passport had expired until he reached the airport!
We look forward to hearing from you by September 30th, 2004.
Yours sincerely
Betty Merrivale
Conference Co-ordinator. (e-mail: bmerrivaleCELSE@man.ac.uk)
Encs: Receipt for registration fee; schedule of events; map of Rushworth
The purchasing process
If you worked in the purchasing department of a company which was looking for a new
supplier, where might you start looking? Think of as many sources of information as you
can.

Ask colleagues in company/connections (personal), yellow pages (online), catalogues
(spam), EBR (European Business Register), Google, partner, previous contacts,
Chamber of Commerce (local/national), embassy trade office, fairs, review sites,
linked in…
Enquiries and Replies
Correspondence relating to purchasing is so common that it tends to follow a fixed formula.
We shall deal in class with establishing new customer contacts. Once established, customer
relations are naturally maintained in a manner which satisfies the parties concerned.
1. Look at the following sample letters. What information should be included in a
letter of enquiry which represents the first contact with a potential supplier?

Title, contact information, date, enclosures, formalities, recipient, sender, titles,
refs, layout, prices probably… everything that is asked, sales information, so on.
2. What is the minimum which should be covered in a reply?

Both parties with contacts, subject + information, asked enclosures, formal
beginning and ending.
Winnair Travel Group,
Prinses Irenelaan 2, 2273 Amsterdam, Nederland
Tel: +31 (2)0 70 386 2900 Fax: +31 (2)0 70 386 2910
Our ref: WTG/HQP/ND
12 August 2004
The Sales Manager
Chapel Communications
P.O. Box 1836
CHESTER
CH2 3RB
UK
Dear Sir
Hands-free telephone headsets
I saw your advertisement for hands-free telephone headsets in the November edition of
Communications Technology magazine. Could you kindly send us your latest catalogue, export
price list, and information about your terms of business.
As you probably know, Winnair Travel Group is a full-service travel company. In addition to the
Winnair airline, it owns the One-stop Travelshop chain of travel agencies, and the Fly-Inn hotel
chain.
We look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
Yours faithfully
Nelly Dixon
Nelly Dixon
Head of Purchasing
Your ref: WTG/HQP/ND
Our ref: CCS/En1784/GC
23rd August 2004
Ms Nelly Dixon
Head of Purchasing
Winnair Travel Group
Prinses Irenelaan 2
2273 Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Hands-free telephone headsets
Dear Ms Dixon
Thank you for your enquiry of August 12th, 2004. I am pleased to enclose our latest brochure for
the hands-free telephone headsets which you enquired about.
The prices which appear in the brochure are the ex works prices in euros. We can also quote FOB
or CIF terms, if you wish. Please note that ten pieces is the minimum order for any model. We
grant discount of 5% for payment within four weeks.
We can deliver to all parts of the EU within three weeks from receipt of order.
If you need any further information, please write again, or contact me by e-mail:
gchapel@chapelcom.uk
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
George Chapel
George Chapel
Export Sales Manager
Practice
Practice tasks will be provided each week. By doing these tasks you will improve your
communication skills in English. If you choose to do them, and submit them to me
within one week from the day they are set, I will correct them and give feedback. (I
will not mark the whole collection of tasks in the week before the exam!) This work
will not be graded, or contribute to your grade for the course.
Look at the table on the next page. An enquiry and the reply to it are mixed up together.
 Identify which bits belong to which letter.
 Re-form and re-order the sentences in order to rewrite two appropriate letters.
 On the computer, lay out and format the letters in the recommended manner in
order to create the best possible impression.
Magasins Schmidt, 102 Rue de Vosges,
Paris 6e, France.
and information about your terms of
business.
12th August 2004
Export Manager, Wilham Cotton
Company, 109 Widdlington Road,
Manchpool, Lancs, England
so that you can see for yourselves the
excellent quality and attractive colours
and designs.
Enc: Catalogue with export price list
We have pleasure in sending you our
latest catalogue and export price list for
Polyester cotton bedware
Please do not hesitate to write again if
there is any further information
Enquiry: Polyester cotton bedware
Our ref: 45/HB/2
Yours faithfully,
We have heard from Mr Peter Kingman,
Wilham Cotton Company, 109
Widdlington Road, Manchpool, Lancs,
England
Thank you for your enquiry of 12th
August.
We also grant quantity discounts on
orders of 500 items or more.
We would be grateful if you could send
us your latest illustrated catalogue,
export price list,
the polycotton bedware which you
enquired about.
who represented your company at the
recent Soft Furnishings Fair,
August 20, 2004
George Wilham Export Manager
gwilham@wilhamcottonco.com
We can normally deliver to our
customers in northern France within 14
days of receipt of order.
The prices listed are subject to a discount
of 5 % for payment within ten days.
Yours sincerely,
If you are interested, we could send you
fabric samples of our complete range of
bedware,
Dear Sir or Madam,
that you manufacture polyester cotton
bedware.
We are a leading chain of department
stores selling everything for the home,
We look forward to hearing from you in
the near future.
Anatole Schmidt , Buyer
Dear Monsieur Schmidt
Your ref: 45/HB/2 Our ref: JAJ/KDO
M A. Schmidt, Buyer, Magasins
Schmidt, 102 Rue de Vosges, Paris 6e,
France
with retail outlets in seven major cities in
France.
We hope to hear from you again soon.
which you need.
 MY VERSIONS OF THE LETTERS ARE SEPARATELY IN MY WEB PAGE
PORTFOLIO