WHAT IS MEANS BY COMMUNICATION?

WHAT IS MEANS BY COMMUNICATION?

Communication is the activity of conveying information through the exchange of ideas, feelings, intentions, attitudes, expectations, perceptions or commands, as by speech, non-verbal gestures, writings, behavior, etc.  

This whole phenomenon can be explained as under.

1. Sender’s thoughts:-

The very first step in the process of communication is generation of thought in the sender’s mind. These thoughts may be about a request, order, inquiry production or any other such activity.

2. Encoding / Message:-

The thought generated in the mind of sender is ambiguous and unable to be communicated

unless it is put into a receivable form. This step is known as encoding where the sender converts his

thought into a message by means of a language. For example, a sender thinks about having a job. Now,

he will put his thought on a paper. That is called job application. In his way, his thought becomes a

message.

3. Transmission through media:-

Once a thought is converted into message, it should be transmitted to the receiver through a

suitable medium. This media might be electronic media as T.V., E-mail, radio etc. or it may be print

media like newspaper, magazines, letters or merely sound that is transmitted through the medium of

air.

4. Noise and Barriers:-

While transmitting the information to the receiver, the sender faces lots of barriers. These

noise and barriers are explained as under:

(i) On sender’s side:-  Noise and barriers may take place during the process of encoding.

Some of them may be caused by distraction, lack of concentration, typing mistake, poor

language etc.

(ii) In the medium:- Some barriers are caused by medium such as poor transmission on

T.V. and radio misprinting in newspapers etc.

(iii) On receiver’s side:- The receiver can also create certain barriers to the receiving of

message such as poor reading ability, emotions, lack of concentration etc.

5. Decoding by Receiver:-

Having received the message form the sender, the receiver attempts to understand and

interpret the message. This process of converting the language of message into thoughts is known as

decoding. For instance, the receiver, having received job application, reads the application and

understands the message conveyed by the applicant.

6. Idea Received:-

As soon as the process of decoding is finished, the idea given by the sender is received by

the receiver. It means the thought that was generated in the mind of sender has been transmitted to the mind of receiver. In our example, the sender wanted to inform the receiver about his thought of having

a job. Now the sender has got this idea.

7. Feed back:-

Process of communication is incomplete until the receiver responds to the sender. This

response may be negative, positive, or for further enquiry. It means when the receiver of job

application welcomes or regrets the sender, the process of communication is deemed to be complete.

This whole process can be depicted through the following diagram.

MINUTES OF A MEETING

How to Record Useful Meeting Minutes

Do your hands cramp up at the thought of recording meeting minutes? Do you question what information you should record and what you should leave out? You’re not alone. Most of us have sat through a meeting madly scribbling what we thought were minutes only to find out later that we’ve missed essential information or that the notes were never used.

Why Meeting Minutes Matter

Don’t give up, meeting minutes are important. They capture the essential information of a meeting – decisions and assigned actions. They keep attendees on track by reminding them of their role in a project and clearly define what happened in a group session. How many times have your colleagues been confused or in disagreement about what happened in a meeting? With minutes to refer to, everyone is clear.

What most people don’t know is that meeting minutes shouldn’t be an exact recording of everything that happened during a session. Minutes are meant to record basic information such as the actions assigned and decisions made. Then, they can be saved and used for reference or background material for future meetings relating to the same topic.

The following instructions will help you take useful and concise meeting minutes.

Before the Meeting

If you are recording the minutes, make sure you aren’t a major participant in the meeting. You can’t perform both tasks well.

Create a template for recording your meeting minutes and make sure you leave some blank space to record your notes. Include the following information:

 Date and time of the meeting

 The purpose of the meeting

 The meeting lead or chair’s name

 Assigned action items

 Decisions made

Before the meeting, gather as much information from the host as you can. Ask for a list of attendees, as well as some information on the purpose of the meeting. This way you won’t need to scramble to understand what’s going on while you’re recording notes.

Decide how you want to record your notes. If you aren’t comfortable relying on your pen and notepad, try using a tape recorder or, if you’re a fast typist, take a laptop to the meeting.

During the Meeting

As people enter the room, check off their names on your attendee list. Ask the meeting lead to introduce you to meeting attendees you aren’t familiar with. This will be helpful later when you are recording assigned tasks or decisions.

Don’t try to record notes verbatim – it’s not necessary. Minutes are meant to give an outline of what happened in the meeting, not a record of who said what. Focus on understanding what’s being discussed and on recording what’s been assigned or decided on.

Record action items and decisions in your template as they happen – don’t wait until after the meeting to pull those out of your notes or you could make a mistake. If you don’t understand exactly what decision has been made or what action has been assigned, ask the meeting lead to clarify.

After the Meeting                                          

Review the notes and add additional comments, or clarify what you didn’t understand right after the meeting. Do this while the information is fresh in everyone’s mind. Type your notes out in the template you created before the meeting – this will make the notes easier for everyone to read and use.

When you’re writing out your notes, use some of the following tips from the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP).

 Number the pages as you go so you aren’t confused later. Remember, though, that the minute-taker is responsible for providing good flow. Don’t force yourself to write the minutes in the actual chronological order of the discussion - it may not work.

 Focus on action items, not discussion. The purpose of minutes is to define decisions made and to record what actions are to be taken, by whom and when.

 Be objective. Write in the same tense throughout and avoid using people’s names except for motions or seconds. This is a business document, not about who said what.

 Avoid inflammatory or personal observations. The fewer adjectives or adverbs you use, the better. Dull writing is the key to appropriate minutes.

 If you need to refer to other documents, attach them in an appendix or indicate where they may be found. Don’t rewrite their intent or try to summarize them.

When you finish typing the minutes, ask the meeting lead to review the document for errors. Send the final copy of the minutes to attendees right away. Keep a copy of the notes (and the template) for yourself in case someone wants to review them later.

Recording meeting minutes ensures that the decisions and actions resulting from a meeting aren’t lost or forgotten. By taking the time to record proper meeting notes you’ll make sure the time and effort that goes into a meeting isn’t wasted.

RESUME:

The resume is an organized summary of the applicant’s particulars. It is not a substitute for a

job letter, but a supplement to it. Its alternate titles are “Data Sheet”, “Bio-Data” etc.

The usual contents of a resume are:

Heading: Name, address and telephone number of the applicant. Job title and career

objectives may also be included.

Education: Academic qualifications mentioning degrees, certificates, scholarships, awards,

honors, and other academic recognition received by the applicant. It should begin

with the most recent information.

Experience: Listing of previous employers, job titles and period of service. Brief description of

job duties and names of superior may also be included. It should also begin with the

most recent information.

Personal Data: Age, height, health, marital status etc., of the applicant.

Reference: Names, titles, addresses and telephone numbers of people who will recommend the

applicant for the job. These people should know about applicant’s job skills,

aptitude and experience.

Miscellaneous: Co-curricular activities, interests and hobbies of the applicant. Driving license,

passport, domicile and national identity card number may also be mentioned if

material.

SAMPLE CV:

MOHAMMAD AMIR KHAN

B-117, Shadman Plaza,

14-B, North Karachi.

Telephone: 021-3*******

Email-Id: *******@gmail.com

JOB OBJECTIVE

To acquire experience in financial accounting and to advance into management position.

EDUCATION

B.Com. First Division, University of Karachi, 1991.

Intermediate: ‘B’ Grade, Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi, 1988.

(Commerce)

Matriculation: ‘A’ Grade, Board of Secondary Education, Karachi, 1986.

(Science)

EXPERIENCE

Accounts Clerk: Soofi Textile Mills Ltd. August 1991 – Jan. 1993. Maintained Cash

Receipts Journal, Cash Payments Journal, Petty Cash Book.

Book-Keeper: Rajpoot Fabrics, December 1990 – June 1991. Maintained Cash

Book, Prepared Daily Sales Report.

PERSONAL DATA

Date of birth: June 20, 1970

Marital Status: Single

CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Editor: College Magazine 1990-91

Member: College Literary Society 1990-91

REFERENCE

Prof. A. Rehman: Karachi College of Arts & Commerce, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi.

Dr. Ghulam Ali: B-40, ST-9, Sector 14-A, North Karachi.

MEMO

Why write memos?

Memos are useful in situations where e-mails or text messages are not suitable. For example, if you are sending an object, such as a book or a paper that needs to be signed, through internal office mail, you can use a memo as a covering note to explain what the receiver should do.

How to write a memo

Memos should have the following sections and content:

11)     A 'To' section containing the name of the receiver. For informal memos, the receiver's given name; e.g. 'To: Andy' is enough. For more formal memos, use the receiver's full name. If the receiver is in another department, use the full name and the department name.  It is usually not necessary to use Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms unless the memo is very formal.

22)     A 'From' section containing the name of the sender. For informal memos, the sender's other name; e.g. 'From: Bill' is enough. For more formal memos, use the sender's full name. If the receiver is in another department, use the full name and the department name. It is usually not necessary to use Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms unless the memo is very formal.

33)     A 'Date' section. To avoid confusion between the British and American date systems, write the month as a word or an abbreviation; e.g. 'January' or 'Jan'.

44)     A Subject Heading. (like Notification of My Resignation)

55)     The message.

Unless the memo is a brief note, a well-organised memo message should contain the following sections:

aa)      Situation - an Introduction or the purpose of the memo

bb)     Problem (optional) - for example: "Since the move to the new office in Kowloon Bay, staff have difficulty in finding a nearby place to buy lunch."

cc)      Solution (optional) - for example: "Providing a microwave oven in the pantry would enable staff to bring in their own lunchboxes and reheat their food."

dd)     Action - this may be the same as the solution, or be the part of the solution that the receiver needs to carry out; e.g. "we would appreciate it if you could authorise up to $3,000"

ee)      Politeness - to avoid the receiver refusing to take the action you want, it is important to end with a polite expression; e.g. "Once again, thank you for your support.", or more informally "Thanks".

6f)     Signature

This is optional.

STRUCTURE OF A MEMO

  

[Company Name]

Memo

To:	[Recipient Name]
From:	[Your Name]
Date:	[Click to select date]
Re:	[Subject]

[Type memo here]

SAMPLE MEMO

To:	Katherine Chu, Regional Manager
From:	Stephen Yu, Sales
Date:	16 January 2015
Subject:	Notification of My Resignation

I am writing to inform you of my intention to resign from G & S Holdings.

I have appreciated very much my four years working for the company. The training has been excellent and I have gained valuable experience working within an efficient and professional team environment. In particular, I have appreciated your personal guidance during these first years of my career.

I feel now that it is time to further develop my knowledge and skills base in a different environment.

I would like to leave, if possible, in a month's time on Saturday, 14 February. This will allow me to complete my current workload. I hope that this suggested arrangement is acceptable to the company.

Once again, thank you for your support.

Follow Up Letter

Follow-Up Letters

Follow-up letters are usually sent for two reasons: first, follow-up letters serve as an opportunity for additional contact after an initial meeting, career fair, or networking meeting; second, follow-up letters can effectively revive a job search by reconnecting a contact with whom you have not spoken in a while.

Follow-up letters can be sent by post or email. You should make your letter as formal or as informal as your relationship with the contact dictates. Use previous forms of communication with the employers as indicators.

An effective follow-up letter serves two purposes:

(1) It reminds the interviewer of your skills, knowledge and abilities; with the number of candidates they are interviewing, it can be easy to get lost in the crowd.

(2) It demonstrates that you remain interested in working for the company and that you were impressed by the organizational culture.

FOLLOW-UP LETTER GUIDE

A follow-up letter should let the reader know the following:

• That you appreciated your initial meeting
• Where you stand in your current job search
• Anything relevant that has occurred between the initial meeting and now (e.g., if you have graduated, if you have reached out to any specific contacts, etc.)
• What type of help you now need (e.g., additional contact names, job leads, etc.)

Formats Of Writing A Letter

LETTER FORMATS:

1. Full Block Form:

In a full block letter every line begins at the left margin. This is easier to type.

2. Modified Block Form:

Modified block form is used frequently in business. All parts except the date, complimentary close

and signature sections begin at the left margin. The date, complimentary close and signature area

may start at the horizontal center of the page or to the right of center.

3. Modified Block form with Paragraph Indentations:

It is like the modified block form except that its paragraphs are indented. The date complimentary

close and signature area begin at the horizontal center of the page.

4. ASM simplified form:

This form ASM been recommended by the Administrative Management Society of USA as an

important time saving step. Following are important features.

(i) Full block style and open punctuation's are used.

(ii) Salutation and complimentary close are omitted, but to personalize reader’s name is used at

least in the first sentence.

(iii) Subject line is typed in capital letters and the word “subject” is omitted.

(iv) Signer’s name and business title are typed in capital letters.

5. Hanging or Inverted Paragraph Form:

This form is commonly used in sales and advertising letters. The key words are “hanging” in the

left margin at the start of each paragraph with other lines indented. Sometimes the key words are

typed in capital letters for more emphasis.

TOP 10 Amazing Achievements Of Pakistan In The Field Of Science And Technology

TOP 10 Amazing Achievements Of Pakistan In The Field Of Science And Technology

Pakistan came into being on 14th August, 1947. Despite being a new nation and suffering many setbacks due to bad governance, it managed to have some wonderful achievements in the field of science, engineering and technology. Below I am describing some of the unique achievements of Pakistani scientists and engineers, some of them were individual but majority of them were the result of team work. 

1. World’s Biggest Earth Filled Dam:

Tarbela Dam is constructed on the Indus River, at Tarbela in Pakistan. The Dam is classified as the World’s largest earth filled dam. While it is termed as the 2^nd largest dam by its structural volume. The dam has an elevation of 9000 ft. from the sea level while it is 485 ft. high from the riverbed. The resulting water reservoir lake has a total surface area of 250 square kilometers. Since its inception, it has played a vital role in irrigation, hydroelectric power generation as well as flood control for Pakistan.

2. World’s Largest Irrigation network:

Pakistan boasts world’s largest irrigation network. The development of this irrigation system is one of the major achievement of Pakistani engineers. This irrigitaion network provides water to 90% of the agricultural land in Pakistan which amounts to an area of 14.4 million hectares.  This irrigation system consists of three major reservoirs:  Tarbela dam and Chashma dam are built on river Indus while Mangla Dam is built on River Jhelum. The system is composed of numerous barrages, head works and canals. The total length of all canals serving the agricultural land exceeds 58,500 km.

3. World’s Highest Paved International Road:

The Karakoram Highway has been classified as World’s highest paved international road that serves as a terrestrial link for the trade between Pakistan and China. The road has an overall height of 4,693 meters (15,397 ft.) above the sea level. The construction of this road posed numerous logistical and technological challenges to Pakistani and Chinese Engineers. Many lost their lives during the process. No doubt it is rightly referred to by many as the Eighth Wonder of the World.

4. World’s Highest Density Processor:

The research and development of microprocessors has played a vital role in the computers, smart devices and telecommunication revolution that we see today. In this context, a team of Pakistani engineers from the company Avaz Networks, under the supervision of Dr Shoaib A. Khan, designed the World’s highest density media processor for Voice Over Ip applications (VOIP). This single chip processor has the unique capability to handle to 2000 simultaneous VOIP calls.

5. World’s Biggest Deep Sea Port:

Gwadar port located in Baluchistan, on the shores of Arabian Sea, has been classified by experts as the world’s largest warm water deep sea port. Its location is strategic because the region surrounding it has world’s two-third oil. The port is also poised to give China, Afghanistan, as well as, the landlocked and mineral rich countries of central Asia the easiest and cheapest access to the Arabian Sea. The port is only 533 km away from the city of Karachi which is the economic capital of Pakistan.

6. World’s Youngest Microsoft Certified Professional:

The title of the world’s youngest Microsoft certified professional from 2004-2008 was also held by a Pakistani girl named Arfa Abdul Karim Randhawa. She was only nine years old when she acquired this title. She was personally invited by Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, to meet her. She also represented Pakistan at many tech and computer conferences. However, her story had a tragic end as she died of cardiac arrest aged just 16.

7. World’s Brightest A-Level Student:

Ali Moeen Nawazish is a Pakistani student from the city of Rawalpindi who made history by scoring record number of A’s in a single year while studying for A levels at Trinity Hall, Cambridge university. He got 21 A’s in 2011 which is indeed a world record. Currently, he is also working as a columnist to highlight the issues faced by youth in Pakistan.

8. World’s 3^rd biggest elance workforce:

Elance is termed as the world’s largest online platform where recruiters as well as freelancers from around the world interact with each other. The recruiters mostly post jobs related to the Web and mobile application development, Graphic designing, creative/technical writing, scientific problem solving, marketing and administration etc. There are free lancers from 158 countries that compete to win and execute those jobs. Hence, the market is highly competitive but Pakistanis accounts for one third of free lancers work force. Currently, Pakistani work force earns 500 million dollars a year in terms of revenues from Elance.

9. Pakistan Supplies 50% of World’s Footballs:

Pakistan is famous for the quality of its sports equipment, especially, the one that is made in Sialkot. The most notable product of Pakistani sports industry is the hand stitched football. Around 60 million such footballs were produced this year alone. Out of that 40 million were officially supplied for the Football world cup held in Brazil.

10. World’s First Muslim Nuclear State:

The design of the nuclear bomb is a complex challenge requiring expertise in multiple theoretical and experimental sciences. On top of that, this technology and related equipment’s are highly classified. That is why, only 7 nations in the world declare to have this technology. Pakistan on 28th May 1998 became the first and the only Muslim country to possess this technology by successfully exploding six nuclear devices.

This is not the end of the trail. There are countless other Pakistanis working either as individuals or in teams that are bringing a positive image of Pakistan into the lime light and are laying the framework for positive social chance.