ENGLISH FOR

PROFESSIONAL
COMMUNICATION
PBI 1072

Monaliza Sarbinii-Zin
szmonaliza@unimas.my
Office Tel. Number: 082-581737
Course Briefing &
Housekeeping Rules
Please refer to the course outline for course
content.

Morpheus will be used as the main platform to

disseminate and share information regarding the
course. Make sure you enroll in the group under
your instructor
 Attendance policy- if you missed your class twice
without valid reason, a warning letter will be issued
to you. If you missed class three times without any
valid reason, you will be barred from taking the
final examination.

The main text book is sold at RM38. The sales of

book will begin on the 5th September for 4 weeks in
the FLSCS main lobby.
Course Briefing &
Housekeeping Rules
Class Attendance-ONLY attend classes with the
group you are registered with. All students are
required to attend classes starting from Week 1.
Please sign the class attendance and DO NOT SIGN
IN FOR YOUR FRIEND(S)- ever!

Students who have appealed to join the course are

allowed to join any one of the EPC groups
temporarily. However, once your appeal is
approved, you must attend classes ONLY with the
group that has been assigned to you.
Course Briefing &
Housekeeping Rules
Make sure you MEMORIZE by heart your group
number and your instructors NAME correctly.

The add and drop week will start from the 30

August- 30 September 2016.
You can drop out of course starting from 4th October
28th October but you will have to pay RM100 for
it.
 ENGLISH FOR
PROFESSIONAL
COMMUNICATION
LEARNING UNIT 1
Introduction to Workplace
Communication
LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this unit, students should be able to

1. State the purpose of workplace communication
2. Define criteria for effective messages
3. Distinguish verbal and non-verbal communication
4. Recognize myths about workplace writing
5. Differentiate business and school writing
Basic Purposes of
Workplace Writing
Workplace writing can have one or more of these
basic purposes:

To inform

To request/persuade

To build goodwill
When you inform, you explain something
or tell readers something.

When you request or persuade, you want

the reader to act. The word request
suggests that the action will be easy or
routine; persuade suggests that you will
have to motivate and convince the reader
to act.
When you build goodwill, you create a good image of
yourself and of your organisationthe kind of image that
makes people want to do business with you.

Now, take a look at the next few examples of e-

mails. Can you determine the purpose of the
writer?
What does workplace
communication accomplish?

Communication whether it is oral, nonverbal, and written

goes to both internal and external audiences.
Analyse your internal and external audiences carefully
when composing your message.
What does workplace
communication accomplish?

Internal audiences- people who work in the same

organisation
External audiences- people outside the organisation
What makes a message
effective?
Is clear reader gets the meaning intended by the
writer
Is complete- readers questions are answered and
the reader has enough information to evaluate and
act on it
Is correct- information given is accurate and
message is free of errors in punctuation, grammar,
word order, and sentence structure.
What makes a message
effective?
Saves the readers time- document is organised
well and help reader to read, understand and act
on the document as quickly as possible.
Builds goodwill- presents a positive image of the
writer and the organization which builds positive
relationship between the reader and the writer.
Verbal and Nonverbal
Communication
Verbal Communication
Face-to-Face/Phone
Conversations/Meetings
E-mail/Voice-Mail Messages
Letters, Memos, and Reports
Nonverbal Communication
Pictures/Company Logos
Gestures/Body Language
Myths About Workplace
Writing
Myth 1- Secretaries will do all my writing.
Reality: Because of automation and restructuring,
secretaries and administrative assistants are likely
to handle complex tasks such as training, research,
and database management for several managers.
Managers are likely to take care of their own
writing, data entry, and phone calls.
Myths About Workplace
Writing
Myth 2- Ill use form letters or templates when I
need to write.
Reality: A form letter is a prewritten fill-in-the-
blank letter designed to fit standard situations.
Using a form letter is OK if its a good letter. But
form letters cover only routine situations. The
higher you rise, the more frequently youll face
situations that arent routine and that demand
creative solutions.
Myths About Workplace
Writing
Myth 3- Im being hired as an accountant, not a
writer.
Reality: Almost every entry-level professional or
managerial job requires you to write e-mail
messages, speak to small groups, and write paper
documents. People who do these things well are
more likely to be promoted beyond the entry level.
Myths About Workplace
Writing
Myth 4- Ill just pick up the phone.
Reality: Important phone calls require follow-up
letters, memos, or e-mail messages. People in
organizations put things in writing to make
themselves visible, to create a record, to convey
complex data, to make things convenient for the
reader, to save money, and to convey their own
messages more effectively. If it isnt in writing,
says a manager at one company, it didnt happen.
Writing is an essential way to make yourself visible,
to let your accomplishments be known.
Workplace Writing VS
Academic Writing
Workplace writing and academic writing differ based on
Purpose.
Audience.
Information.
Organisation.
Style.
Document design.
Visuals.
 While all good writing shares basic principles, workplace
writing is often different than school writing.
For instance, workplace writing prefers shorter sentences
and paragraphs, a more conversational tone, and more
dynamic document designs than a typical college essay.
While essays may be written primarily for instructors,
workplace writing often has multiple audiences.
To summarise;

Ensure that you know the purpose of your

workplace communication and the audience it is
intended for.
Writing is an essential component for workplace
communication and you must strive to write
effectively.
Workplace writing and academic writing serve
different purposes and what you write for your
lecturers may not be suitable for your audience at
the workplace.
Main Reference

Locker, K.O., & Kaczmarek, S.K. (2013). Business

Communication: Building Critical Skills. 6th. Ed.
McGraw Hill Int. Ed.