What Is An Application Letter
What Is An Application Letter
An application letter is a written document that is sent with your resume when applying for a
job. It serves to further explain your qualifications and highlight your skills and experiences.
It provides employers with additional evidence of your suitability and is the focus of your
application. Application letters are generally more formal than cover letters, as they are used
to introduce yourself in a professional way.
There are many types of application letters, depending on the purpose for which it is written.
The most common types include:
Cover Letter: Used to apply for job positions, a cover letter introduces you and your
resume to a potential employer. It lists your qualifications and convinces them to read
your resume.
Letter of Intent: Used to indicate your interest in a certain position or indicate that
you will accept an offer of employment.
An application letter plays a vital role in communicating effectively with potential employers.
When applying for a job, it is important to craft a well-written, tailored application letter that
conveys your interest in the position and demonstrates why you are the best candidate for the
job. Furthermore, the application letter allows employers to get a more detailed understanding
of your background, qualifications, and achievements, enabling them to make a more
informed decision on whether you are the best candidate for the position.
An application letter, sometimes called a cover letter, is a special kind of business letter that
accompanies a resume for a job. A resume is a summary of your education, job experience,
and job-related skills that you send to potential employers. From it and the accompanying
application letter, potential employers learn about you and decide whether to interview you
for a job.
Remember that a potential employer's first impression of you will be based solely on this
initial application letter and resume. If the application letter and resume are sloppy, the
employer may conclude that you do not care, you do not look after details, and you are not
focused. Do your best to make sure your application letter and resume are free of errors and
present you in the best possible light.
Application Letters
Customize your letter for each job application. Such items as including the correct company
name and employer name, job title, and contact information are important and make a good
first impression. If possible, do not send an application letter to "To Whom It May Concern"
or "Dear Sir or Madam." Find out the employer's name and spell the name correctly. Also,
make sure you get the employer's gender correct if the name, such as "Chris," "Ashley," or
"Jamie," could be either for a male or female. Match the job requirements and desired
qualifications with your skills and credentials.
The letter should include an opening paragraph that explains which job you are applying for
and how you found out about the job. The body of the letter provides specific examples of
activities or courses you have been involved in that make you right for the job. One way to
match up your qualities with the mission of the organization is to find out what the company
does and some of its recent activities, and then write about how your specific experiences can
support that. Much of this information can be found on a company's website. If you are
applying for a job at a local company, you may be able to get information about the company
by asking people in your community. In addition, the application letter connects the content
of your resume to the facts of the specific company and job description. In the letter, do not
ask about salary and benefits. Those topics should be covered in the job interview, not in the
application letter.
The end of the application letter should include information on how the employer can contact
you, and you should request a job interview. Also, you can state that you will follow up after
a designated period of time (usually two to three weeks) if you have not heard from the
employer. This shows that you are interested in the job, and it provides a timeframe for the
employer to get back with you.
A general outline for an application letter is available at the end of this publication, as is a list
of application letter "dos" and "don'ts."
Resume
What Is a Resume?
A resume is a formal document that a job applicant creates to itemize their qualifications for a
position. A resume is usually accompanied by a customized cover letter in which the
applicant expresses an interest in a specific job or company and draws attention to the most
relevant specifics on the resume.
American job coaches insist that a resume should be only one or two pages in length. British
job applicants traditionally are expected to produce a somewhat more detailed document
called a CV (curriculum vitae).
False Information
Personal Data (Age, weight, health, race, religion, marital or family status)
A photograph of yourself
Any shortcoming, weak areas, or any difficulties you have experienced in certain job
References. Add the statement "Reference available upon request". Prepare a separate
sheet listing your references and bring it to your interview
PREPARATION OF RESUME
A resume is a document commonly used in the hiring process. It includes information about
your background and qualifications and should communicate the most important, relevant
information about you to employers in a clear, easy-to-read format. The goal is to quickly
communicate why you are uniquely qualified for the position based on your skills and
experiences. To create a resume that will get noticed by employers, you can follow a few
simple steps and best practices. The main goal to keep in mind is to make your resume
relevant and readable.
The following steps and examples will help you design a professional resume.
A “format” is the style and order in which you display information on your resume. There are
three commonly used resume formats you can choose from depending on which is right for
you: chronological (or reverse-chronological), functional or combination.A chronological
resume format places the professional history section first and is a good option if you have a
rich professional work history with no gaps in employment.The functional resume
format emphasises the skills section and is a good option if you are switching industries or
have some gaps in your work history.The combination resume format is a good option if
you have some professional experience where both skills and work history are equally
important.
Your resume should begin with your name and contact information including your email
address and phone number. You have a choice about whether to include your mailing address.
Your name should be highly visible at the top of your resume with a bolded or larger font
than the rest of the document but no more than a 14 point size. You might also include a link
to your online portfolio if you are applying to creative positions, for example.
After your contact information, you have the option to include either a resume summary or
objective statement. An objective statement quickly explains your career goals and is a good
choice for those with limited professional experience such as recent college or high school
graduates. A resume summary is a short statement that uses active language to describe your
relevant work experience and skills.
Take a moment to consider which skills make you a great fit for the job. Review the job
description and highlight keywords that you have had proven success with in the past.
Consider hard (technical) and soft (interpersonal) skills, as well as transferable skills you can
use when changing careers or industries.Create a skills section with the keywords that are
relevant to the employer. List any required skills like certifications or licenses first.
Write your professional history section in reverse-chronological order. Start with your most
recent job and provide a short description including the company name, time period in which
you were employed, your job title and a few key achievements during your time at the
company. You might also include relevant learnings or growth opportunities you experienced
while employed there.When listing your professional history, you should keep a few best
practices in mind.
Use numbers to measure your impact when possible. Including specific numerical
achievements can help employers understand your direct potential value to their
company. Example: “Developed new process for requesting supplies, reducing
fulfilment time by 10%.”
Use keywords from the job description. Similar to your skills section, you should
also include information from the job description in your job history bullets. For
example, if the job description mentions the importance of meeting sales quotas, you
could include information about how you’ve met or exceeded quotas in past roles.
Example: “Achieved goal of reaching 250% annual sales quota, winning sales MVP
two quarters in a row.”
Be brief. Employers have mere seconds to review your resume, so you should keep
your descriptions as concise and relevant as possible. Try removing filler words like
“and” and “the”. You should also only list key achievements instead of multiple lines
describing your role.
Use action verbs. Make a stronger impact by using action verbs to describe your
professional achievements. Some examples include “developed”, “saved”, “drove”
and “managed”.
Follow the same process for other work experiences. If you do not have extensive
professional history, you should also include internships and volunteer opportunities
following the same format
An education section will be especially valuable if you have limited work experience (such as
recent college or high school graduates) or if you are transferring to a new industry. You can
include information such as:
Relevant coursework
Percentage or rank
When writing your education section, you should include the names of the institutions, dates
of attendance and your degrees or areas of study. If you are applying to mid or higher-level
positions, you might remove all but the name of your school and dates of attendance to make
room for more relevant professional experience on your resume.If you have certifications or
licenses that are relevant to the job description, you can include them in this section as well.
To save space, you can leave off any credentials that are not directly related to the
requirements of this job.
If you have significant white space on your resume, consider adding an achievements or
interests section. This can help supplement a shorter resume, especially for those with limited
work and educational experience. Make sure that the achievements and interests you list
support your career goals and are relevant to potential employers.
While the layout of your resume is important, you should also take time to pay attention to
formatting details like font style, font size, margins and spacing. Formatting your resume can
make it look clean, professional and improve readability. This is important when attempting
to keep your employer’s attention. Here are a few key tips that can help make your resume
look polished.
Select a font that is clean and easy to read, like Arial or Helvetica; avoid stylised
fonts.
Make your name and section headers bold or slightly bigger in font size (no more than
14 points).
Use bullet points when listing several different pieces of information, like under your
education and professional history sections.
9. Proofread your resume
Carefully review your resume for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. Reading your
resume backwards can help you identify errors by presenting the words in a new order. You
should also ask trusted friends, colleagues, professors and family members if they can review
your resume. Third-party opinions can help reveal new information you might have
overlooked.If your resume is more than one page, review for ways to consolidate or shorten
each section by removing filler words or extraneous information. Two pages may be
acceptable if you are applying for high-level positions or industries like healthcare or
academia.
It’s important to revise your resume to tailor it to each position you apply for. For each job,
adjust the keywords in the skills section so that it’s a great fit for what the employer needs.
You should also change what you emphasise in the professional history and educational
experiences sections, depending on what’s listed in the job description.
Resumes can be written in various formats, but all resumes have certain elements in common.
Your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address should be displayed at the top of the
resume, usually in boldfaced text.
Be sure your e-mail address sounds somewhat professional. Avoid such e-mail addresses as
"2hot4u," "iluvcowboys," or other similar addresses.
You can never go wrong with a simple e-mail address made up of your full name or just your
last name. Try to keep your resume to one page. Place references on a second page.
Other common components to include are education, work experience, and a brief description
of honors and awards. In the "education" section, include your major academic interests.
Include your grade point average only if you believe it will increase your chances of getting
an interview. In the "work experience" section, list any work or major volunteer experience
you have done in chronological order, putting the most recent work first. Use verbs that
describe what you did. Do not use "worked" as a verb, if at all possible. For example, do not
say "worked as a waiter." Instead, say "waited tables." If you are currently working, the verbs
for your current job should be in the present tense. For any previous work, verbs should be
past tense. All resumes should be objective and factual. False information misrepresents you.
Components that are optional include a professional objective statement, which is usually
near the top of the resume.
Another optional section is "interests and activities." Only include interests and activities that
you know will enhance your resume. Do not include information that may hinder your
chances of getting an interview. In this section you may wish to include volunteer and school
activities.
You may want to list contact information (name, phone number, e-mail address) for
references on a second page. List three references who can discuss your work experience,
educational qualifications, and your character. Examples of references may include a former
employer or coworker, a teacher, or a member of the clergy. Do not list family members as
references.
Just like the application letter, the resume should be free of misspellings, typographical
errors, and grammatical errors. As for the look of the resume, do not use unusual typefaces;
use a traditional-looking type style. Also use basic white or off-white paper. Avoid bright or
unusual paper colors.
The common formats for resumes are the chronological resume and the functional resume.
The chronological resume is probably the more common format. A chronological resume is
written in reverse chronological order, with headings grouped by what a person has done,
such as "education," "employment experience," and "interests/activities."
The functional resume classifies the experiences that demonstrate your skills and capabilities
into categories, such as "professional," "technical," "communication," "leadership,"
"management," and "sales." A functional resume usually finishes with a reverse chronological
listing of your job experiences. Until you have a lot of experiences that you can group
together by skills and capabilities, you may not wish to use a functional resume.
1. Meaning of 'Interview'
2. Types Of Interviews
1. Structured Interviews
2. Unstructured Interviews
3. Situational Interviews
4. Behavioral Interviews
5. Stress Interviews
6. Technical Interviews
7. One-to-One Interviews
8. Video or Phone Interviews
What is an Interview?
Every job seeker knows the answer to this question since it is a crucial aspect of every job
seeker's life.
What is an Interview?
An interview is a formal conversation between two or more people, typically with one
person, the interviewer, asking questions to obtain information, assess qualifications, or
evaluate the suitability of a candidate for a job, admission, or other purposes.
While the objectives of an interview may vary depending on the company, the primary aim is
to hire the most suitable candidate for the open position. To achieve this goal, interviewers
often seek candidates who fulfil certain criteria that can help improve the workforce. Here are
some general objectives interviewers want to achieve during an interview to accomplish
organisational goals:
Verifying the facts provided by the candidate in their resume, cover letter and job
application
Providing the candidate with general facts and necessary descriptions about the job
and the company
Enquiring about the interviewee's career goals and considering how it aligns with the
role
Checking the candidate's suitability for the job in terms of their personality and
attitude
Verifying if a candidate is a right fit for the company culture and work ethic
Creating the scope for the candidate to ask questions regarding the position or the
company
Exchanging general information between the employer and the potential employee
Decreasing the distance between the company and its job candidates
There are several types of interviews, including structured interviews, which follow a
predetermined set of questions; unstructured interviews, which allow for a more
conversational approach; behavioral interviews, focusing on past experiences and actions;
panel interviews, involving multiple interviewers; and virtual interviews conducted remotely
via video conferencing tools.
Types Of Interviews
Since job interviews don't have a set format, job seekers must prepare for several types of
interviews. Here's a closer look at some of them.
Structured Interviews
Characteristics
Advantages
Fairness: Structured interviews are considered fairer as all candidates are assessed
using the same criteria.
Disadvantages:
Rigidity: The structured format may limit the interviewer's ability to explore unique
aspects of a candidate's background or personality.
Less Flexibility: It may not be as effective in assessing certain soft skills or qualities
that emerge in more spontaneous conversations.
How to Prepare?
Practice Responses: Practice answering these questions to ensure that your responses
are clear, concise, and can highlight your relevant skills and experiences.
Understand the Job Requirements: Familiarize yourself with the key requirements
of the job and align your responses with how your skills and experiences meet those
requirements
Unstructured Interviews
Characteristics
Advantages
Flexibility: The interviewer has the flexibility to adapt questions based on the
candidate's responses, allowing for a more personalized interaction.
Disadvantages
Bias: The subjective nature of evaluation can introduce biases based on the
interviewer's personal preferences.
How to Prepare?
Prepare Personal Stories: Be ready to share specific examples or stories from your
past experiences that demonstrate your skills and qualities. These can help provide a
more comprehensive understanding of who you are.
Stay Informed: Stay informed about industry trends and the organization's values.
This can help you tailor your responses to align with the company culture.
Situational Interviews
Characteristics
Advantages
Job Relevance: By presenting scenarios related to the job, situational interviews can
provide insights into how well a candidate is likely to perform in the role.
Disadvantages
How to Prepare?
Review Job Description: Carefully review the job description and identify the key
skills and competencies required. Situational interviews often focus on assessing how
well you can apply your skills in real-world scenarios.
Research the Company: Understand the challenges and situations commonly faced
in the industry and by the specific company. This knowledge can help you provide
more contextually relevant responses.
Behavioural Interviews
Characteristics
Often use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for responses.
Advantages
Provides insights into a candidate's actual behavior in various situations.
Disadvantages
Relies heavily on the candidate's ability to recall and articulate past experiences.
How to Prepare?
Stress Interviews
Characteristics
Advantages
Disadvantages
Can be intimidating and may not accurately reflect a candidate's true abilities.
How to Prepare?
Remember that the purpose is to observe your reaction, so stay calm and collected.
Technical Interviews
Technical interviews assess a candidate's specific knowledge, skills, and abilities related to
the technical requirements of the job.
Characteristics
Advantages
Helps ensure the candidate possesses the necessary technical knowledge for the role.
Disadvantages
Can be intimidating, especially for those with excellent skills but nervous
interviewers.
How to Prepare?
One-to-One Interviews
Characteristics
Advantages
Disadvantages
How to Prepare?
Video or phone interviews involve remote communication between the candidate and
interviewer.
Characteristics
Advantages
Disadvantages
Technical issues can disrupt communication.
How to Prepare?
Now that you know about the types of interviews, let us take a deep dive in interview
formats:
Individual Interviews
They are personal and focused on individual qualifications, allow for a detailed exploration of
the candidate's background, and are commonly used in the initial screening and final
selection stages.
Advantages
Disadvantages
How to Prepare?
Group Interviews:
Group interviews involve multiple candidates being assessed simultaneously by one or more
interviewers.
They observe how candidates interact with each other, and are common in assessing
teamwork and communication skills.
Advantages
Disadvantages
How to Prepare?
Panel Interviews
This involves multiple interviewers from different departments or levels, allows for diverse
perspectives and evaluations, and is very common in the final stages of selection.
Advantages
Disadvantages
How to Prepare?
Multiple-Round Interviews
Characteristics
Advantages
Disadvantages
How to Prepare?
Informational Interviews
It is Less formal than traditional job interviews and focuses on gathering information about a
specific industry or role. It is a great opportunity for networking and building professional
relationships.
Advantages
Disadvantages
How to Prepare?
It Utilizes software for screening and evaluating candidates and includes video responses to
pre-set questions. It is efficient for large-scale recruitment processes.
Advantages
Disadvantages
How to Prepare?
Companies look for a combination of skills, qualities, and attributes during an interview to
assess a candidate's suitability for a particular role and their overall fit within the
organization.
While specific criteria may vary based on the job and company, common aspects that
companies typically evaluate include:
Job-related Skills
Technical Competence: Assessing the candidate's proficiency in the specific skills
required for the job.
Soft Skills
Teamwork and Collaboration: Ability to work well with others and contribute to a
positive team dynamic.
Cultural Fit
Values Alignment: Shared values and alignment with the company's mission and
culture.
Team Compatibility: How well the candidate's personality and work style fit within
the existing team.
Passion for the Role: Genuine interest in the position and enthusiasm for the
company's mission.
Drive and Initiative: Willingness to take on challenges and go beyond basic job
requirements.
Problem-solving Abilities
Critical Thinking: Capacity to analyze situations, think critically, and make informed
decisions.
Leadership Potential
Cultural Awareness
Interpersonal Skills
Work Ethic
Emotional Intelligence
Professionalism
It's crucial for candidates to be well-prepared to articulate how their experiences and skills
align with these criteria during the interview process.
Conclusion
In this article, we explore structured, unstructured, situational, and many other interview
styles and formats.
While they all vary in many ways, the one thing that is common to all is intensive
preparation.
So, prepare with interview questions, check out the dress code for the interview, and research
the company before you set out for your next interview.
Researching different interview formats will help you better prepare for your forthcoming
interview. Here are some interview formats:
1. Individual
Individual interview types have only one interviewer and one candidate. During such
interviews, employers can ask situational or behavioural questions. Typically, with such
inquiries, an interviewer can pose the following:
2. Group
3. Panel
4. Multiple-Round
When hiring for a technical position, many employers undertake many interviews to assess
candidates' abilities and qualifications. In multiple-round interviews, the first two rounds may
include a technical phase.
The last stage may include discussions with a hiring manager about the candidate's
qualifications and wage expectations. Success in multiple-round interviews requires using
communication and interpersonal skills to respond to questions that highlight your abilities.
5. Informational
A specialist can help you comprehend the company's work culture and atmosphere. They
answer inquiries regarding various employment roles and opportunities for advancement
inside the firm. When attending an informational interview, prepare a list of questions about
the firm and its culture.
Interviews are considered necessary as they are an excellent way to whittle down a large
number of applicants and allow the best ones to be selected. Here are some points which
highlight the importance of interviews.
1. Interviews play a crucial role in the selection process of the favourable candidate.
They help the interviewer choose who is efficient and who is not.
5. Through the interviewing process, the employer and the interviewee get to know each
other, essential information flows, and all doubts are freed.
6. The employer gets to know about the interviewee's actual communicative skills and
checks their general skills of writing and speaking through the quality of their
responses.
7. Employers also learn about the candidate's individuality and personality. They analyze
their social behaviour and confidence in their body language.
If you are a fresher facing an interview for the first time, the first tip is always to be on
time—preferably earlier than the assigned time. Punctuality is the most desired trait for a job.
2. Prepare the open-ended interview questions like 'Introduce Yourself,' 'Why do you
think this company is the best fit for you,' where the candidate is expected to have
researched the company's achievements.
3. Establish strong communication skills, which is a vital part of any job role.
5. Dress formally. It is always best to wear a neutral-coloured dress such as white, black
or grey. These colours are considered modest. According to a survey, orange is
considered an unprofessional or too playful colour to wear to an interview.
Public Speaking
Public speaking is a talk given to a large gathering. It is given on various occasions. Its aim
is usually to encourage, appreciate, congratulate or entertain; it is usually followed by
applause from the audience.
The person in responsible positions must be good speakers as there are many occasions when
they are called for addressing the audience. Being able to speak well is an asset in any
profession. Speaking skill can be cultivated and developed with approximate knowledge of
the formal aspects of public speaking, and with practice.
The most significant requirement for public speaking is its preparation. Even persons who
have natural skill in speaking need preparation to convey a good speech.
Characteristics of Public Speaking
Some of the characteristics of good public speaking or good speech are mentioned below:
1. Clarity
6. Audience-oriented
Clarity
Clarity is the first main feature of a good speech. Your speech should be successful in
conveying to the audience the ideas, emotions, facts or arguments, you want to express.
Audience-oriented
A good speech is always audience-oriented. For delivering an audience-oriented speech, one
should study:
What are their social, religious, political and economic views as well as prejudices of
the listeners?
1. Clarity: A good speech is clear and easy to understand. The speaker articulates their
ideas and thoughts in a concise and coherent manner, avoiding excessive jargon or
complex language that may confuse the audience.
3. Engaging and captivating: A good speech captures the attention of the audience and
holds their interest throughout. It may include compelling stories, examples, or
anecdotes to make the speech more relatable and engaging. The speaker may also use
rhetorical devices, such as humor, emotion, or powerful language, to connect with the
audience on an emotional level.
4. Authenticity: A good speech reflects the speaker's genuine thoughts and feelings. It is
delivered in the speaker's own voice and style, conveying sincerity and authenticity.
When the audience senses that the speaker is being genuine, they are more likely to
connect with the message.
5. Confidence and delivery: A good speech is delivered with confidence and conviction.
The speaker demonstrates good posture, maintains eye contact with the audience, and
speaks clearly and audibly. A confident delivery helps to establish credibility and
enhances the impact of the speech.
6. Audience awareness: A good speech takes into consideration the needs, interests, and
expectations of the audience. The speaker adapts their content and language to
resonate with the specific audience they are addressing. Understanding the audience
helps the speaker to establish a connection and make the speech more relevant to their
listeners.
7. Structure and organization: A good speech follows a logical structure and is well-
organized. It typically includes an introduction to grab the audience's attention, a body
that presents the main points or arguments, and a conclusion that summarizes the key
ideas and leaves a lasting impression. A clear structure helps the audience to follow
the speech and understand its main points.
8. Persuasiveness: Depending on the purpose of the speech, a good speech may aim to
persuade or influence the audience. It may use persuasive techniques, such as logical
reasoning, evidence, and appeals to emotion, to convince the audience of a particular
viewpoint or inspire them to take action.
9. Memorable and impactful: A good speech leaves a lasting impact on the audience. It
may contain memorable phrases or quotable lines that resonate with the listeners even
after the speech is over. A powerful speech has the potential to inspire, motivate,
educate, or provoke thought among the audience.
10. Timing and length: A good speech is mindful of time constraints and is delivered
within a reasonable duration. It avoids unnecessary repetition or digressions, ensuring
that the message is effectively conveyed without losing the audience's attention.
These qualities, when combined effectively, can contribute to a memorable and impactful
speech that resonates with the audience and achieves its intended purpose.
Speeches are hard for most of us. The public speaking techniques can be adopted to improve
the public speaking.
Your first step in formal speechmaking is to decide the topic of your presentation.
In some cases, you will be allotted a topic, normally one within your area of specialization. In
fact, when you are asked to make a speech on a specified topic, it is probably to be because of
your knowledge of the topic.
In your search for a suitable topic, you should be guided by three basic factors.
The third basic factor is the occasion of the speech. Your selection should be justified
by all three factors.
After you have decided what to talk about, you collect the information you need for your
speech.
This step may require searching through your mind for experiences or ideas, final research in
a library or in company files, collecting information online, or consulting people in your own
company or other companies.
Although variations are sometimes appropriate, you should commonly follow the time-
honoured order of a speech: introduction, body and conclusion.
The introduction of a speech has much the same goal as the introduction of a written report,
to gear up the listeners (or readers) to pick up the message. But it usually has the additional
goal of arousing interest.
Unless you can arouse interest at the beginning, your presentation is probable to fail. The
techniques of arousing interest are limited only by the imagination.
One possibility is a human-interest story, for storytelling has a strong appeal. Humour,
another possibility, is probably the most widely used technique. In addition to arousing
interest, your opening should lead to the theme of your speech.
Organizing the body of your speech is much like organizing the body of a report. You take all
and divide it into comparable parts. Then you take those parts and divide them. You continue
to divide as far as it is practical to do so.
In speeches, nevertheless, you are more likely to use factors rather than time, place, or
quantity as the basis of division as in most speeches; your presentation is likely to build
around issues and questions that are subtopics of the subject. Even so, time, place, and
quantity subdivisions are possibilities.
You need to stress the transitions between the divisions because, unlike the reader who can
see them, the listeners may miss them if they are not emphasized adequately. Without clear
transitions, you may be talking about one point and your listener may be relating those ideas
to your former point.
Like most reports, the speech normally ends by drawing a conclusion. Here you bring all that
you have presented to a head and accomplish whatever goal the speech has. You should
consider together with these three elements in your close:
Adding the speech to a climactic close—that is, making the conclusion the high point of the
speech—is usually effective. Present the concluding message in strong language—in words
that gain attention and will be remembered. In addition to concluding with a summary, you
can give a suitable quote, use humour, and call for action.
Public Speaking Checklist
The ability to speak effectively depends on some trades and qualities. It is also dependent
upon communication situation.
The following is a checklist of features that are often associated with effective public
speaking skills.
Self-confidence
Proper articulation
Sincerity
Emotional control
Fluency
Friendliness
Reasoning
Sympathy
Open-mindedness
Humility
Responsiveness
Awareness
Humour
Forcefulness
Spontaneity
Tactfulness
Intelligence
Need of Public Speaking
The best presenters and speakers speak in a usual way that invites you to make some
modifications in your life, no matter how small.
Thus, there are three vital purposes of public speaking which are explained below:
1. Informative Speaking
2. Persuasive Speaking
3. Entertaining Speaking
Informative Speaking
Informative speaking is regarded as one of the most common types of public speaking. The
main purpose of informative presentations is to share one’s knowledge of a subject with an
audience. Reasons for making an informative speech differ broadly.
Example: Let’s say, you might be asked to teach a group of co-workers on how to use new
computer software or to report to a group of managers how your latest project is coming
along. It is incorporated into various different works.
Therefore, learning how to speak efficiently has become an important skill in today’s
scenario.
Persuasive Speaking
Another reason for speaking to an audience is to persuade others. In our everyday lives, we
are often called on to motivate, convince, or otherwise persuade others to take an action,
change their beliefs, or reconsider a decision.
Persuading customers to purchase your firm’s products, advocating for music education in
your local school district, or inspiring high school students to attend college all involve
affecting other people through public speaking.
Whether public speaking is something you do every day or just a few times a year,
convincing others is a challenging job. If you develop the skill to convince successfully, it
can be professional as well as personally rewarding.
Entertaining Speaking
As with informative and persuasive speaking, there are professionals, from religious leaders
to comedians, who make a living simply from delivering entertaining speeches.
TYPES OF REPORTS
There are many types of business reports out there: standard business reports, formal
business reports, etc.
Efficient reporting is critical in helping organizations shift through data and make major
business decisions.
The quality of the reports themselves is as fundamental as the ability of those tasked with
communicating what’s in them.
When a company decides to launch a new product, expand into new markets, reduce
expenses, improve customer service, or increase its social media presence, the decisions are
usually based on information submitted in reports.
There are seven types of business reports that cater to many communication needs,
from in-depth analyses to concise updates, using formats such as narratives, visuals,
and data-driven presentations.
Business reports are actually very useful for several reasons:
For managers, it is essential to have relevant, well-written activity reports to guide the
company’s operation and make important decisions.
1. Informational reports
Informational reports provide facts and data only and do not present any analysis or
recommendations.
For this type of business reporting, writers collect and organize information but do not
analyze the facts for readers.
Monthly sales reports, progress updates, and legal compliance reports are also
considered informational reports.
2. Analytical report
An analytical report is a corporate report that examines data, provides conclusions and makes
recommendations to enable stakeholders to determine the best course of action.
To help illustrate this more clearly, here are some examples of analytical reports:
If you are writing a criteria comparison report to evaluate multiple locations for a new
automotive manufacturing plant, you will compare the sites factoring in how they
stack up with one another using the same parameters and then make a
recommendation.
Other reports that provide recommendations are feasibility studies (e.g., for expansion
opportunities) and justification reports (e.g., for equipment purchases or procedural changes).
3. Research report
This document presents the findings and analysis of a research study conducted on a
particular topic. The report must follow a specific methodology to analyze the data.
For example, marketing teams can send surveys to customers to learn more about
their buying behavior before launching a new product.
Research that seeks to understand competitors in the industry, growth potential, and
market prospects would also be considered a research report. Make life easier with
this business report template.
4. Marketing report
The main objective of a marketing report is to evaluate the performance of the marketing
campaigns implemented by your team.
5. Annual report
This type of report is mainly used by listed companies or nonprofits and presented to show
shareholders the activity and financial health of the business or organization during the year.
The initial section of an annual report typically presents an overview of the company’s
operations throughout the year, including a detailed analysis of its financial performance and
strategic initiatives.
In addition, it may include short and medium-term forecasts outlining the company’s
anticipated goals and objectives for the coming year.
The second part focuses on the financial statement of the business. It comprises different
financial reports and graphs indicating the costs of operations, turnover, profit margin, etc.
6. Explanatory report
The main purpose of this type of report is to explain a complex subject in a way that everyone
can understand.
This type of report can take many forms, such as instructional manuals, user guides, or
informational brochures.
For example, medical companies need to make explanatory reports to allow the
largest number of people to understand how the drugs work step by step and their
effect on the body.
7. Progress report
A progress report is exactly what it sounds like — measuring progress (or the lack thereof).
This document explains how far you’ve gone toward completing a project.
You might write it on behalf of or by working with your teammates to produce a progress
report.
For example, you might need to produce a progress report once a week or monthly or as a
completed percentage of project milestones (25% done, 50% complete, etc.)