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Business Communication

Definition of Communication

❖ Pitter little defines in his book "Communication in Business" - Communication is

the process by which information is transmitted between individuals and / or

organization so that an understanding response results.

❖ According to W.H. Newman and CF Summer “Communication is an exchange of

facts, ideas, opinions, or emotions by two or more persons”.

❖ Communication is the process by which a source sends a message to a receiver by

means of a channel to produce a response (effect), in accordance with the intention

of the source (feedback).

❖ Process by which information is exchanged and understood by two or more people,

usually with the intent to motivate or influence behavior

⚫ Manager = 80% every working day in direct communication with others – 48

min/hour

⚫ Manager = 20% every work day in communication in the form of reading and

writing -12 min/hour

Message

Channel

Receiver

Effect

Feedback

Sender

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Communication Process Model (Why communication is called double way or two communications?)

i)

ii)

iii)

Sender Channel Receiver

Input Message Output

Idea Letter, Fax Idea

Phone cell,

Internet

Online

E-mail etc.

Feed back

Feedback

SSoouurrccee EEnnccooddiinngg CChhaannnneell DDeeccooddiinngg RReecceeiivveerr

Noise

Sender

Encodes Message Channel

Feedback Loop (Return message decoded)

(Return message encoded)

Channel

Receiver Decodes Message

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Main Components of Communications

Listening and Speaking

❖ Listening takes. . .

➢ hearing is only physical , listening is intellectual

➢ concentration and energy

➢ curiosity and open-mindedness

➢ analysis and understanding

❖ Speaking requires. . .

➢ sharp focus

➢ logical thinking

➢ clear phrasing

➢ crisp delivery

➢ If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three

days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now. ~ Woodrow Wilson

Listening

❖ One of the most important tools of manager communication – both to employees and to

customers

❖ Listening = skill of receiving messages to accurately grasp facts and feelings to interpret

the genuine meaning

❖ 75% of effective communication is listening – most people spend only 30-40% listening

Keys to Effective Listening

❖ Listen actively

❖ Find areas of interest

❖ Resist distractions

❖ Capitalize on the fact that thought is faster than speech

❖ Be responsive

❖ Judge content, not delivery

❖ Hold one’s fire

❖ Listen for ideas

❖ Work at listening

❖ Exercise

Behaviors that support effective listening

❖ Maintaining relaxed body posture

❖ Leaning slightly forward if sitting

❖ Facing person squarely at eye level

❖ Maintaining an open posture

❖ Maintaining appropriate distance

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❖ Offering simple acknowledgments

❖ Reflecting meaning (paraphrase)

❖ Reflecting emotions

❖ Using eye contact

❖ Providing non-distracting environment

Behaviors that hinder effective listening

❖ Acting distracted

❖ Telling your own story without acknowledging theirs first

❖ No response

❖ Invalidating response, put downs

❖ Interrupting

❖ Criticizing

❖ Judging

❖ Diagnosing

❖ Giving advice/solutions

❖ Changing the subject

❖ Reassuring without acknowledgment

Barriers to Listening

❖ Hearing what you want to hear called selective listening

❖ Thinking of what you are going to say next

❖ Distractions such as co-workers, noise, side conversations etc.

❖ Thinking about the previous customer call

❖ Worrying about the next customer call or work in general

❖ Stress

❖ Getting involved emotionally (instead of logically)

❖ Holding preconceived ideas about the caller’s inquiry

❖ Thinking about personal issues

❖ Making assumptions rather than asking questions

Communication Elements

1. Source and his/her characteristics

❖ Knowledge

❖ Attitude

❖ Communication skills

❖ Social-cultural system

Attributes that affect credibility

❖ Competence

❖ Trustworthiness

❖ Dynamism

❖ Identity with the receiver

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2. Receiver ❖ Similar characteristics apply when receiver becomes the source during exchanged

roles

Two orientations that need to be understood:

❖ His/her psychology

❖ His/her socio-psychology

3. Message

Factors that determine the message:

❖ Code

❖ Content

❖ Treatment

Message style to be considered:

❖ One-sided vs Two-sided arguments

❖ Definite conclusion vs. Open conclusion

❖ Repetitive vs. “One-time” appeals

Message style to be considered:

❖ Emotional vs. Rational appeals

❖ Positive vs. Negative appeals

❖ Humorous vs. Serious appeals

4. Channel

❖ means by which the message travels between the source and the receiver;

❖ a mode of coding and decoding

❖ can be in the form of interpersonal or mass media

Criteria: Channel selection

❖ Availability

❖ Cost

❖ Users’ preference and receivers’ access

❖ Impact

Criteria: Channel selection

❖ Adaptability to the communication purpose

❖ Adaptability to the message content

❖ Type of recipient and their stage in the adoption process

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Communication Methods

1. Individual

❖ Home visit

❖ Official calls

❖ Personal letters

❖ Technical manuals

❖ Tutorials

❖ Self-learning

2. Group

❖ Meetings

❖ Study tours

❖ Group discussions

❖ Drama groups

❖ Demonstrations

❖ Slides presentation

3. Mass

❖ Television

❖ Radio

❖ Cinema

❖ Newspapers

❖ Billboards

❖ Stamps and stickers

Communication Approaches

❖ Informing

❖ Educating

❖ Persuading

❖ Entertaining

Effective Communication

❖ Classification if Ideas

❖ Determination of objective and goal

❖ Preciseness

❖ Correctness

❖ Easy understanding or easy perceptible of presentation

❖ Medias choice

❖ Language control

❖ Feed back

❖ Clarity of the statement

❖ Inducement

❖ Completeness

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Effective Modes of Communication

Visual communication

Visual communication is communication through visual aid. It is the conveyance of ideas

and information in forms that can be read or looked upon. Primarily associated with two

dimensional images, it includes: signs, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustration,

colour and electronic resources. It explores the idea that a visual message with text has a

greater power to inform, educate or persuade a person.

❖ Major parts in human face to face communication which are body language, voice

tonality, and words.

❖ According to the research:

➢ 55% of impact is determined by body language—postures, gestures, and eye

contact,

➢ 38% by the tone of voice, and

➢ 7% by the content or the words used in

Advantages of Effective Communications

Effective Communication

Improved stakeholder

response

Stronger decision making

Steadier work flow

Clearer promotional

materials

Enhanced professional

image

Quicker problem solving

Stronger business

relationships

Increased productivity

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Communication Channel Richness (Advantages and Disadvantages of Slow and Speedy Communications)

Communication Rights and Responsibilities

RIGHTS

a. You have the right to be treated with

respect.

b. You have the right to have and express

your own opinions.

c. You have the right to ask for what you

need and want in order to be effective.

d. You have the right to set reasonable

limits.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. You have the responsibility to treat others

with respect.

2. You have the responsibility to listen to

the opinions of others.

3. You have the responsibility to

acknowledge and address the needs of

others.

4. You have the responsibility to respect the

limits and boundaries of others.

Formal Channels of Communication

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Different Types of Communications

Types Based on the Area of Communication

❖ Internal Communication

➢ Internal communications includes all communication within an organization.

Communication may be oral or written, face to face or virtual, one-on-one or in

groups.

❖ External Communication

➢ Govt. agencies and department

➢ Distributors, Retailers, individual customers etc.

Types Based on Communication Channels

❖ Verbal Communication

Verbal communication is written and oral communication. The oral communication

refers to the spoken words in the communication process. It can either be face-to-face or

a conversation over the phone or on the voice chats over the Internet. Written

communication is also verbal communication which can be via snail mail, or email.

❖ Nonverbal Communication

Non-verbal communication includes the overall body language of the person who is

speaking, which will include the body posture, the hand gestures, and overall body

movements. On the other hand gestures like a handshake, a smile or a hug can

independently convey emotions. Non verbal communication can also be in the form of

pictorial representations, signboards, or even photographs, sketches and paintings.

Types Based on the Channel Richness

Downward Communication

Most familiar and obvious flow of formal communication

❖ Messages sent from top management down to subordinates...

➢ Implementation of goals and strategies

➢ Job instructions and rationale

➢ Procedures and practices

➢ Performance feedback

➢ Indoctrination

Downward Communications Problem

❖ Drop Off

➢ Distortion

➢ Loss of message content

❖ Dealing with Drop Off

➢ Use right communication channel

➢ Consistency between verbal and nonverbal messages

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➢ Active listening

Upward Communication

❖ Messages transmitted from the lower to the higher levels in the organization’s hierarchy

➢ Problems and exceptions

➢ Suggestions for improvement

➢ Performance reports

➢ Grievances and disputes

➢ Financial and accounting information

Upward Communication Problem

❖ Many organizations make a great effort to facilitate upward communication

❖ Despite these efforts, barriers to accurate upward communication exist

➢ Managers may resist hearing about employee problems

➢ Employees may not trust managers sufficiently to push information upward

Horizontal Communications

❖ Lateral or diagonal exchange of messages among peers or coworkers

❖ Horizontal communications categories

➢ Intradepartmental problem solving

➢ Interdepartmental coordination

➢ Change initiatives and improvement

Diagonal Communication

❖ According to Koonty and Weihrich Diagonal communication includes "Diagonal flow

of information with persons at different levels who have direct reporting relationship. As

for example, if there is any exchange" of information and data through communication

between the manager production with related affairs with the Asstt. Manager. Sales,

then it called Diagonal communication.

❖ In an emergency situation to maintain organizational / operational normalcy and speed

this sort of communication is necessary.

Team Communication Channels

Special type of horizontal communication

❖ Team communication characteristics to consider

➢ The extent to which team communication is centralized

➢ The nature of the team’s task

Team Communication Channels

❖ Organizational Implications

➢ With complex and difficult team activities, all members should share information in

a decentralized structure – all information with all members

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➢ With simple problems, centralized communication structure – communicating

through one individual to solve problems or make decisions

Personal Communication Channels

Coexist with formal communication channels

❖ Exist outside formal authorized channels

❖ Do not adhere to organization’s hierarchy of authority

❖ Primary way information spreads and work gets accomplished

Personal Communication Channels

❖ Three important types of channels

➢ Personal Networks

➢ Management By Wondering Around

➢ Grapevine

Developing Personal Communication Networks

❖ Build it before you need it

❖ Never eat lunch alone

❖ Make it win-win

❖ Focus on diversity

Two Grapevine Chains

Open Communication

❖ Sharing all types of information throughout the company, across functional and

hierarchical levels

❖ Recent trend - reflects manager’s increased emphasis on

➢ Empowering employees

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➢ Building trust and commitment

➢ Enhancing collaboration

Dialogue and Discussion: The Differences

Crisis Communication

❖ Primary Skills

➢ Maintain your focus

➢ Be visible

➢ Get the awful truth out

➢ Communicate a vision for the future

Feedback and Learning

Managers use evaluation & communication to help individuals

❖ Feedback ➢ Enables managers to determine whether they have been successful in

communicating with others

➢ Is often neglected

➢ Giving & receiving feedback is typically difficult –both for managers & employees

❖ Successful managers focus their feedback ➢ To help develop the capacities of subordinates

➢ To teach the organization how to better reach its goals

Barriers to Effective Communication

❖ Filtering

❖ Selective Perception

Conversation

Lack of understanding, disagreement,

divergent points of view Dialogue Discussion

Result Result

Reveal feelings Explore assumptions Suspend convictions Build common ground

Long-term, innovative solutions Unified group Shared meaning Transformed mind-sets

State positions Advocate convictions Convince others Build oppositions

Short-term resolution Agreement by logic Opposition beaten down Mind-sets held onto

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❖ Emotions

❖ Language

❖ Assumptions

❖ Fears

➢ Reluctance to confront

➢ Ridicule, rejection, fear of being wrong

❖ Authority relationships

❖ Unmanaged stress

❖ Corporate culture

Ways to Overcome Communication Barriers

Barriers How to Overcome

Individual Interpersonal dynamics Active listening

Channels and media Selection of appropriate channel

Channels and media Knowledge of other’s perspective

Inconsistent cues Management By Walking Around

Organizational Climate of Trust, dialogue

Status and power differences Development and use of formal channels

Departmental needs and goals Changing organization or group structure to

fit communication needs

Communication network unsuited Encouragement of multiple channels, formal

and informal

Lack of formal channels

Business Communication

Persuasive Message

In the 21st century, business depends more and more on persuasion and buy-in to get quality

work done. You can command people to make widgets. You can’t command people to be

creative. And even if you are making widgets, just going through the motions isn’t enough.

You want people to make high-quality widgets while reducing scarp and other costs.

Internal commitment is needed to make that happen.

External motivation does not last. Some people will buy a certain brand of pizza if they

have a “2 for the price of 1” coupon. But if the coupon expires, or if another company offers

the same deal, customer may leave. In contrast, if customers like your pizza better-in other

words if they are motivated internally ot choose it- then you may keep your customers even

if another company comes in with a lower price.

Persuasive message include

❖ Orders and requests;

❖ Proposals and recommendations;

❖ Sales and fund-raising letters;

❖ Job application letters;

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❖ Reports, if they recommend action;

❖ Efforts to change people’s behavior; such as collection letters, criticism or

performance appraisals where you want the subordinate to improve behavior, and

public-service ads designed or reduce drunken driving, drug use, and so on.

Purposes of persuasive messages

Primary Purposes:

❖ To have the reader act.

❖ To provide enough information so that the reader knows exactacly what to do

❖ To overcome any objections that might prevent or delay action.

Secondary Purposes

❖ To build a good image of the writer;

❖ To build a good image of the writers organization;

❖ To cement a good eliminate future correspondence on the same subject so the

message does not create more work for the writer.

What is the best persuasive strategy?

It depends on how much and what kinds of resistance you expect

Use the direct request pattern when

❖ The audience will do as you ask without any resistance;

❖ You need a response only from the people who are willing to act;

❖ The audienc is busy and may not read all the messages received;

❖ Your organizations culture prefers direct requests.

Use the problem-solving pattern when

❖ The audience is likely to object to doing as you ask;

❖ You need action from everyone;

❖ You trust the audience to read the entire message;

❖ You expect logic to be more important than emotion in the decision.

What is the best subject line for a persuasive message?

❖ For direct request, the topic, or a question

❖ For problem-solving messages, use a directed subject lime or a reader benefit

Writing Direct Requests

1. Consider asking immediately for the information or service you want

2. Give readers all the information and details they will need to act on your request

3. Ask for the action you want

i) Do you want a check?

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ii) A replacement?

iii) A catalogue?

iv) Answer your questions? If you need an answer by a certain time, say so. If

possible, show the reader why the time limit is necessary

Figure: How to Organize a Direct Request

Request for Action

Details

Request for Action

Organizing Problem-Solving Messages

Use an indirect approach and the problem-solving pattern of organization when you expect

resistance from your reader but can show that doing what you want will solve a problem

you and your reader share. This pattern allows you to disarm opposition by showing all the

reasons in favour of your position before you give your readers a chance to say no.

1. Describe the problem you both share (which request will solve);

2. Give the details of the problem;

3. Explain the solution to the problem

4. Show that any negative elements (cost, time, etc.) are outweighed by the advantages;

5. Summarize any additional benefits of the solution.

6. Ask for the action you want.

Figure: How to Organize a Problem-Solving Persuasive Message

Shared Problem

Details

Solution

Negatives

Reader Benefit

Request for Action

Modes of Communications

1. Report

Definition of Report

❖ According to C.A. Brown, "A report is a communication from someone who has some

information to someone who wants to use the information“

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❖ A report carries information from someone who has it to someone who needs it. A

report is a basic management tool used in decision making.

Types of Report

❖ Oral Report: An oral report can be derived at any time. An oral report tends to be

vague. It may be encumbered by the presence of irrelevant facts while some significant

ones may have been overlooked. In a written report the writer tries to be accurate and

precise.

❖ Written Report: But a written report is a permanent record. A written report can

change hands without any danger of distortion during transmission. A written report can

be referred to again as again. The reporter can not deny what he has reported once.

❖ Types On Forms of Report

➢ Informal Report: Person to person

➢ Formal Report: Prescribed form according to established procedure.

❖ Types On legality

➢ Statutory: According to procedure & law.

➢ Non-Statutory: To help management to formulate policies

❖ Types On Time Period

➢ Periodical Report: At regular intervals

➢ Special Report: Single occasion

❖ Types On Objectives of Report

➢ Informative: Pertinent to an issue or situation

➢ Interpretative or Investigative: Analyses, facts, draws conclusions, makes

recommendation.

Characteristic of the Good Report

❖ A good report may be under below

➢ Precise and brief

➢ Accurate (factually and grammatically)

➢ Relevant

➢ Reader -Oriented

➢ Objective

➢ Clear

➢ Unambiguous and simple

Branch Manager Report on general Inefficiency & Negligence of Duty

➢ Letter Head from the person the report is being submitted.

➢ Letter no.

➢ Date

➢ Person or authority to whom the report is being submitted

➢ Subject of the report

➢ Reference

➢ Introduction

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Branch Manager Report on general Inefficiency & Negligence of Duty

❖ - Complaints

❖ - Investigations

◼ 1.

◼ 2.

◼ 3.

◼ 4.

❖ - Findings ( affect, result and consequences)

◼ 1.

◼ 2.

◼ 3.

◼ 4.

❖ - Recommendations :

◼ 1.

◼ 2.

◼ 3.

2. Circular Letter

Define Circular Letter

❖ Message which communicate a large number of his customers and suppliers - that

circulate the same message. Written in an attractive style and appropriate tone, these

letters prove quite effective.

❖ Care must be taken to make a circular letter interesting. The reader does not

anticipate a circular letter and unless his attention is attracted and interest sustained,

he is likely to discard it. These are of the “You" attitude, catchy words and

sentences, and different types, colors, etc. are some ingredients of an effective

circular letter.

Objectives of Circular Letter

There are four objectives of writing a circular letters:

❖ The obtain publicity for a cause, a companies or merchandise

❖ To make the reader interested in their contents

❖ To impress the reader with facts and information about the firm, its policy and

events which may have necessitated the sending of the circular letter.

❖ To gain the confidence of the readers

Contents of Circular Letter

❖ The name and address of the new Branch is of course, given in the letterhead.

❖ Tell something about the development of the business and its popularity elsewhere.

❖ Give the date of the opening of the new Branch.

❖ Describe the goods and service offered.

❖ Invite the customer to the store or offer your personal attention to him for proving

your claims about goods and services.

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❖ Sometimes the name, qualifications and experience of the manager of the new

branch are also given.

3. Office Circular

Define Office Circular

❖ Circular for undesirable aspects late attendance early departure, poor customer’s

service poor office security, austerity, cleanliness etc.

❖ Circular communicating instruction to minimize the use of office cars, equipments

and others.

❖ Late report early departure.

❖ Attendance register not signed at the appropriate time, someone signs advance

❖ Absence from seat

❖ Office stationary for personal use.

❖ Office telephone is kept busy for personal call customers fail to contract, valuable

man- hours are lost.

4. Agenda (meeting)

❖ An agenda is a list of meeting activities in the order in which they are to be taken

up, by beginning with the call to order and ending with adjournment. It usually

includes one or more specific items of business to be discussed. It may, but is not

required to, include specific times for one or more activities. An agenda may also be

called a docket.

❖ In business meetings of deliberative bodies, the agenda may also be known as the

orders of the day. The agenda is usually distributed to a meeting's participants prior

to the meeting, so that they will be aware of the subjects to be discussed, and are

able to prepare for the meeting accordingly.

Form of agenda

❖ The agenda is usually headed with the date, time and location of the meeting,

followed by a series of points outlining the order of the meeting.

❖ Points on a typical agenda may include:

❖ Welcome/open meeting

❖ Apologies for absence

❖ Approve minutes of the previous meeting

❖ Matters arising from the previous meeting

❖ A list of specific points to be discussed — this section is where the bulk of the

discussion as well as decisions in the meeting usually takes place

❖ Any other business (AOB) — allowing a participant to raise another point for

discussion.

❖ Arrange/announce details of next meeting

❖ Close meeting

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5. Minutes

❖ Minutes, also known as protocols, are the instant written record of a meeting or

hearing. They typically describe the events of the meeting, starting with a list of

attendees, a statement of the issues considered by the participants, and related

responses or decisions for the issues.

❖ Minutes may be created during the meeting by a typist or court recorder, who may

use shorthand notation and then prepare the minutes and issue them to the

participants afterwards. Alternatively, the meeting can be audio-recorded or a

group's appointed or informally assigned Secretary may take notes, with minutes

prepared later.

❖ It is usually important for the minutes to be terse and only include a summary of

discussion and decisions. A verbatim report is typically not useful. The minutes of

certain groups, such as a corporate board of directors, must be kept on file and are

important legal documents.

Format of Minutes

❖ Generally, minutes begin with the name of the body (e.g. a committee) holding the

meeting, place, date, list of people present, and the time that the chair called the

meeting to order. The minutes then record what was actually said at the meeting,

either in the order that it was actually said or in a more coherent order, regardless of

whether the meeting follows any written agenda. A less-used format may record the

events in the order they occur on the written agenda, regardless of the actual

chronology.

❖ Since the primary function of minutes is to record the decisions made, all official

decisions must be included. If a formal motion is proposed, seconded, passed, or not,

then this is recorded.

❖ Minutes typically include whether a report was presented, a legal issue was

discussed (such as a potential conflict of interest), if a particular aspect of an issue

was considered, or that a person arrived late (or left early) at a particular time. The

minutes may end with a note of the time that the meeting was adjourned.

❖ Minutes are sometimes submitted by the person who is responsible for them (often

the Secretary - not the typist) at a subsequent meeting for review. The traditional

closing phrase is "Respectfully submitted," (though this is no longer common)

followed by the officer's signature, his or her typed (or printed) name, and his or her

title.

6. Memorandum (memo)

❖ A memorandum or memo is a document or other communication that helps the

memory by recording events or observations on a topic, such as may be used in a

business office. The plural form is either memoranda or memorandums, or memos

for the short form.

❖ A memorandum may have any format, or it may have a format specific to an office

or institution. In law specifically, a memorandum is a record of the terms of a

transaction or contract, such as a policy memo, memorandum of understanding,

memorandum of agreement, or memorandum of association. Alternative formats

include memos, briefing notes, reports, letters or binders. They could be one page

long or many.

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❖ Dean Acheson famously quipped that "A memorandum is not written to inform the

reader but to protect the writer". Charles Peters wrote that "bureaucrats write

memoranda both because they appear to be busy when they are writing and because

the memos, once written, immediately become proof that they were busy."[1]

7. Press Release

❖ Press release cover important events like appointments, new contracts, new products,

collaborations and mergers, conference, social welfare projects etc.

❖ Press release is often prepared by reporters on the basis of the press releases issued by

the companies.

❖ Any important organizational discussion, meetings, conference, workshops decisions

needs national circulation for general public awareness/advertisement then it is

published in national daily papers. For this the letter is issued addressing to the editor of

national dailies expressing salient portion of the aspect to be published is called press

release.

Characteristics of a Good Press Release

❖ News worthy

❖ Factually true

❖ Brief

❖ Simple language

❖ Suitable publication

❖ Answers as many as of five W's as important

❖ Have a catchy heading

❖ Be written in short paragraphs

❖ Be accompanied with a covering letter.

Five W's for Press Release

WHO : Name the people involved

Names are usually news work

WHAT : Say what happened that is news worthy

WHEN : Mention time, since old news is no news, the timing of the press release is

extremely important.

WHERE : Location is also important.

WHY : It may not always be possible to answer why, but if these details are

included, they impart depth to the release.

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Different Modes of Citation for Communication

1. Bibliography

❖ Bibliography (literally "book writing"), as a practice, is the academic study of

books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology. On

the whole, bibliography is not concerned with the literary content of books, but

rather the sources of books – how they were designed, edited, printed, circulated,

reprinted and collected.

❖ A bibliography, the product of the practice of bibliography, is a systematic list of

books and other works such as journal articles. Bibliographies range from "works

cited" lists at the end of books and articles to complete, independent publications.

❖ Bibliographic can be generally divided into two categories: enumerative

bibliography (also called compilative, reference or systematic), which results in an

overview of publications in a particular category, and analytical, or critical,

bibliography, which studies the production of books. In earlier times, bibliography

mostly focused on books. Now, both categories of bibliography cover works in other

formats including recordings, motion pictures and videos, graphic objects, databases,

CD-ROMs[5] and websites. Citation formats of Bibliography

Bibliography for a book usually contains the following information:

❖ author(s)

❖ title

❖ publisher

❖ date of publication

An entry for a journal or periodical article usually contains:

❖ author(s)

❖ article title

❖ journal title

❖ volume

❖ pages

❖ date of publication

2. Reference

❖ Reference is derived from Middle English reference, from Middle French referrer,

from Latin referee, "to carry back", formed from the prefix re- and ferre, "to

bear".[1] A large number of words derive from this root, including referee,

reference, referendum, all retaining the basic meaning of the original Latin as "a

point, place or source of origin" that something of comparable nature can be defined

in terms of. A referee is the provider of this source of origin, and a referent is the

possessor of the source of origin, whether it is knowledge, matter or energy.

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3. Foot Note (typography)

❖ A note is a string of text placed at the bottom of a page in a book or document or at

the end of a text. The note can provide an author's comments on the main text or

citations of a reference work in support of the text, or both. A footnote is normally

flagged by a superscripted number immediately following that portion of the text the

note is in reference to.

❖ The first idea1 for the first footnote on the page, the second idea2 for the second

footnote, and so on. Occasionally a number between brackets or parentheses is used

instead, thus: [1]. Typographical devices such as the asterisk (*) or dagger (†) may

also be used to point to footnotes; the traditional order of these symbols is *, †, ‡, §,

‖, ¶.[1] In documents like timetables, many different symbols, as well as letters and

numbers, may be used to refer the reader to particular notes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 Robert Bringhurst (2005). The Elements of Typographic Style (version 3.1). Point

Roberts, WA: Hartley and Marks. pp 68–69.

Different Channels to Communicate

1. E-Mail - Electronic Mail

❖ Send mail electronically via the Internet

❖ Requires an account on a mail server and supporting software on your PC

❖ The username and password will allow you to access your account

❖ All e-mail programs allow you to Send, Compose, Reply, and Forward mail

Obtaining an E-mail Account

❖ You will need an e-mail server (post office) in order to send and receive e-mail.

❖ You can obtain an account in school

❖ You can pay for an account through an ISP such as AOL

❖ You can get free accounts:

◼ www.hotmail.com

◼ www.yahoo.com

The Mail Folders

❖ Inbox – new messages as well as messages that have been read

❖ Outbox – messages not yet sent

❖ Sent items – messages that have been sent (moved here from outbox)

❖ Deleted items – messages deleted from any folder

❖ Custom folders – additional folders created by the user

An E-mail Address

❖ Every e-mail address is unique and consists of two parts, a user name and a host

computer

❖ The @ sign is required

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❖ The host computer can be omitted if you are logged onto the same network or host

computer

Additional E-mail Capabilities

❖ Address Book

➢ Contains the e-mail addresses of frequent contacts

➢ Enables you to enter an alias; e.g., “Bob” instead of the complete address

❖ Distribution List

➢ A set of e-mail addresses stored under one name

➢ Ideal for your professor to e-mail the class

E-mail Protocols

❖ POP Client – Post Office Protocol

➢ Lets you work without being connected to mail server

➢ Upload to send mail - Download to read mail

➢ Allows almost any e-mail program to access e-mail from server

❖ IMAP – Internet Message Access Protocol

➢ Permits a "client" email program to access remote message stores as if they were

local

➢ Enables user to access messages from more than one computer

2. Fax

Fax (short for facsimile - from Latin "fac simile", "make similar", i.e. "make a copy" - or

telefacsimile) is a telecommunications technology used to transfer copies (facsimiles) of

documents, especially using affordable devices operating over the telephone network. The

word telefax is also used as a synonym. Definition

History of Fax:

❖ History By the mid-1980s, fax machines were very popular around the world Digital fax

machines first became popular in Japan

❖ A fax machine is essentially an image scanner, a modem, and a computer printer

combined into a highly specialized package. The scanner converts the content of a

physical document into a digital image, the modem sends the image data over a phone

line, The printer at the other end makes a duplicate of the original document. Parts

Operational Process of Fax

❖ The traditional method requires a phone line, and only one fax can be sent or

received at a time.

❖ A fax machine scans an image, whether it be text or a photo, by reading a very small

area of the image at a time. The fax machine decides whether the area it is reading is

light or dark and assigns the area a number such as "0" for white and "1" for dark.

Then the fax transmits the number to a remote facsimile receiver (usually via

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telephone lines). The receiver makes a mark on paper corresponding to the area on

the original image Working

❖ Speed and time: Speed and time The data transferring speed of fax machines is

usually 36.6 kbps or in simple terms it can be said that they take almost 10 seconds

in sending one page of document. A speed of 33.6 kbps is the fastest you can send or

receive, however the average speed is around 14.4 Kbps, which is decent enough.

Advantages of Fax

❖ Provides an immediate hard copy of a document, often necessary in legal matters.

The most important characteristic of a hard copy is the printed record, which gives

far more flexibility of use than a telephone voice message Often considered more

personal and professional than e-mail. Lessens the likelihood that documents will be

altered by the destination source. Requires only a fax machine and a phone line,

which are sometimes much easier to use than e-mail programs. More common than

e-mail. ADVANTAGES

❖ Fax transmission is secure in that it goes only to phone number address. It is also

instantaneous and receipt is acknowledged. A copy can be filed, and thus serve as a

future source of reference if needed. Thus, dependence on human memory is

minimized. Responsibility for the message and its contents can be positively

identified by identifying the originator ADVANTAGES

Disadvantages of Fax

❖ Disadvantage Slow Speed: If the number of faxes received per day is more than 30,

then the slow speed could be annoying and so it is not advised in places where more

faxes are expected to come. As they tend to get mechanical problems in the long run,

they are not advised in heavy faxing and fax receiving areas.

3. SWIFT

What is SWIFT?

❖ Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication

➢ Type: Cooperative

➢ Industry: Telecommunications

➢ Founded:1973

➢ Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium

➢ Products: Financial Telecommunication

➢ Employees: 2000

➢ Website: SWIFT.com

❖ Community of +7,000 financial institutions in +200 countries:

➢ Payments (e.g. cross-border, domestic, corporate)

➢ Securities (e.g. equity, fixed income, funds)

➢ Treasury (e.g. foreign exchange, swaptions)

➢ Trade Services (e.g. letters of credit)

❖ Mission: “To enable interoperability between our members, their market infrastructures

and their end-user communities”

❖ Concrete activities:

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➢ Establish secure and reliable network application

➢ Standardize information flows (messages)

SWIFT Operation

The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication

("SWIFT") operates a worldwide financial messaging network which exchanges

messages between banks and other financial institutions. SWIFT also markets

software and services to financial institutions, much of it for use on the SWIFTNet

Network, and ISO 9362 bank identifier codes (BICs) are popularly known as

"SWIFT codes".

The majority of international interbank messages use the SWIFT network. As of

September 2010, SWIFT linked more than 9,000 financial institutions in 209

countries and territories, who were exchanging an average of over 15 million

messages per day.[1] SWIFT transports financial messages in a highly secure way,

but does not hold accounts for its members and does not perform any form of

clearing or settlement.

SWIFT does not facilitate funds transfer, rather, it sends payment orders, which

must be settled via correspondent accounts that the institutions have with each other.

Each financial institution, to exchange banking transactions, must have a banking

relationship by either being a bank or affiliating itself with one (or more) so as to

enjoy those particular business features.

SWIFT is a cooperative society under Belgian law and it is owned by its member

financial institutions. SWIFT has offices around the world. SWIFT headquarters,

designed by Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura are located in La Hulpe, Belgium,

near Brussels. An average of 2.4 million messages, with aggregate value of $2

trillion, were processed by SWIFT per day in 1995.

Operations centers

❖ The SWIFT secure messaging network is run out of two redundant data centers, one

in the United States and one in the Netherlands. These centers share information in

near real-time. In case of a failure in one of the data centers, the other is able to

handle the traffic of the complete network. Currently, SWIFT is building a third data

center in Switzerland, which is scheduled to start operating in the second half of

2009.

4. Web page

A web page or webpage is a document or information resource that is suitable for the World

Wide Web and can be accessed through a web browser and displayed on a monitor or

mobile device. This information is usually in HTML or XHTML format, and may provide

navigation to other web pages via hypertext links. Web pages frequently subsume other

resources such as style sheets, scripts and images into their final presentation.

Web pages may be retrieved from a local computer or from a remote web server. The web

server may restrict access only to a private network, e.g. a corporate intranet, or it may

publish pages on the World Wide Web. Web pages are requested and served from web

servers using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

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Web pages may consist of files of static text and other content stored within the web server's

file system (static web pages), or may be constructed by server-side software when they are

requested (dynamic web pages). Client-side scripting can make web pages more responsive

to user input once on the client browser.

Web Page Browsers

A web browser can have a Graphical User Interface, like Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox,

Chrome and Opera, or can be text-based, like Lynx or Links.

Web users with disabilities often use assistive technologies and adaptive strategies to access

web pages. Users may be color blind, may or may not want to use a mouse perhaps due to

repetitive stress injury or motor-neurone problems, may be deaf and require audio to be

captioned, may be blind and using a screen reader may need screen magnification, etc.

Disabled and able-bodied users may disable the download and viewing of images and other

media, to save time, network bandwidth or merely to simplify their browsing experience.

Users of mobile devices often have restricted displays and bandwidth. Anyone may prefer

not to use the fonts, font sizes, styles and color schemes selected by the web page designer

and may apply their own CSS styling to the page.

Web Page Elements

A web page, as an information set, can contain numerous types of information, which is

able to be seen, heard or interact by the:

Perceived (rendered) information:

Textual information: with diverse render variations.

Non-textual information:

• Static images may be raster graphics, typically GIF, JPEG or PNG; or vector formats

such as SVG or Flash.

• Animated images typically Animated GIF and SVG, but also may be Flash, Shockwave,

or Java applet.

• Audio, typically MP3, or various proprietary formats.

• Video, WMV (Windows), RM (Real Media), FLV (Flash Video), MPG, MOV

Books Recommended: 1. Business Communication (Building Critical Skills), Written by Kitty O. Locker

(the Ohi University) and Stephen Kyo Kaczmarek (Columbus State Community

College), Fourth Edition (2009),

2. Business Communication, by Lesiker Raymond V. Richard D. Irwin, 1989.

3. Business Communication, Phillips, Bonnie D., Delmar Publisher.

27

Business communication has specific objectives. They are:

1. Information related Communication: Information on a product, service or activity of an

organization to the people concerned and information about the product, service or activity

from the people concerned to the organization come under this category. They are outgoing

information and incoming information respectively. The people concerned may be those

within the organization or outside the organization. Transmission of information may be

through personal contacts, written documents, advertisements, etc. Information might be in

the nature of an advice, order, warning or counseling. Orders and warnings are different

from advice and counseling by their very nature.

2. Persuasion related communication: Persuasion is related to the promotional activity of a

company. It is employed to promote sales and service. Persuasion related communication

calls for tact and an understanding on the part of the communicator.

3. Motivation related communication: A company has to motivate its workforce to turnout

better work, its customers to buy its product and service. Motivation can be done only by

understanding the mindset of the receiver. Business organizations have to continuously

resort to motivation to succeed in their business aims.

The following are the main objectives of business communication:

1. Conveying the right message: The main object of communication is to convey the

right message to the right person, i.e., to the person for whom it is meant. The

message conveyed should be well understood and accepted by the receiver in the

right perspective. In other words, it should carry the same meaning which has been

conveyed so that it may be translated into action effectively.

2. Coordination of effort: Communication is an effective tool for coordinating the

activities of different persons engaged in running a business. Coordination without

communication is a remote possibility. The individuals or groups come to know

what others are doing and what is expected from them only through communication.

3. Good industrial relations: Communication develops good industrial relations as it

conveys the feelings, ideas, opinions, and viewpoints of one party to the other party.

The two parties - the management and the subordinates, come closer through

communication. They understand each other and dispel any misunderstanding. Thus,

it promotes cooperation and good industrial relations.

4. Development of managerial skills: Communication helps managers to understand

human behavior at work. Communication of facts, ideas, opinions, information,

feelings, etc., add value to the knowledge of managers about various happenings, in

the organization and behavior of people. Thus, communication is a process of

learning.

Basic Principles of Business Communication

Seven C’s of Effective Communication

To compose effective written or oral messages, you must apply certain communication

principles. These principles provide guidelines for choice of content and style of

presentation, adapted to the purpose and receiver of your message. These seven C’s are

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completeness, conciseness, consideration, concreteness, clarity, courtesy and correctness.

These are:

1. Completeness:

Your business message is complete when it contains all facts the reader or listener needs for

the reaction you desire. That is provide all necessary information answering the five W’s

like who, what, when, where and why.

2. Conciseness:

Conciseness is saying what you have to say in the fewest possible words without sacrificing

the other C qualities. A concise message is complete without being wordy. Messages should

be like:

o eliminate wordy expressions,

o include only relevant material,

o Avoid unnecessary repetition.

3. Consideration:

Consideration means preparing every message with the message receivers in mind, try to

put you in their place. There specific ways to indicate consideration are:

o Focus on “you” attitude instead of “I” and “we”-using you does help project a

you-attitude. But overuse can lead to a negative reaction.

o Show audience benefit or interest in the receiver

o Emphasize positive, pleasant facts-because of past connections with words,

readers will react positively or negatively to certain words.

4. Concreteness:

Communicating concretely means being specific, definite, and vivid rather than vague and

general. Often it means using denotative (direct, explicit, often dictionary-based) rather than

connotative words. The following guidelines should help you compose concrete, convincing

message:

o Use specific facts and figures

o Put action in your verbs

o Choose vivid, image-building words

5. Calarity:

Getting the meaning from your head into the head of your reader-accurately-is the purpose

of clarity

o Choose precise, concrete and familiar words

o Construct effective sentences and paragraphs

6. Courtesy:

Knowing your audience allows you to use statements of courtesy; be aware of your message

receiver. The following are the suggestions for generating a courteous tone:

o Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and appreciative

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o Use expressions that show respect-omit irritating expressions and questionable

humor

o Choose nondiscriminatory expressions

7. Correctness:

At the core of correctness is proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. However, a message

may be perfect grammatically and mechanically but still insult or lose a customer. The term

correctness means the following:

o Use the right level of language

o Check accuracy of figures, facts and world

o Maintain acceptable writing mechanics

Communication within an Islamic Context

Adab and Adab al-Ikhtilaf (“The Proper Manners of Expressing Differences of

Opinion”)

Actions are lifeless forms, but the presence of an inner reality of sincerity within them is

what endows them with life-giving Spirit.

—Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah

Proper manners and guidelines as put forth in the Al-Qur’an and Al-Hadith are the

foundations for Islamic approaches to dialogue. Honor, respect of participants, hospitality,

including sincerity of good intent and consideration of the “other,” are all priorities. Adab is

interwoven into the Muslim community starting at birth and is an essential guiding principle

for the community as a whole. Tetz Rook, in his paper, “The Influence of adab on the

Muslim Intellectuals of the Nahda as Reflected in the Memoirs of Muhammad Kurd ‘Ali

(1876–1953),” explains that “the socio-ethical side is primary and ‘active,’ where adab

designates a wide range of social and ethical virtues, like good manners, tact, grace,

indulgence towards friends, refined taste, courage, erudition and literary skill.”

Current events have threatened the very foundations of Islamic society, including adab. In

many conflicts, the very essence of dealing with the ethics of disagreement is gradually

being put aside for the purpose of aggressively pursuing positions, especially political

positions, rather than shared interests. This focus on positions rather than common interests

tends to create further divisions as opposed to encouraging a respect for differences.

Certainly there are acceptable differences within Allah’s creation, as is seen in the Al-

Qur’an:

In truth thy Lord destroyed not the townships tyrannously while their folk were doing right.

And if thy Lord had willed, He verily would have made mankind one nation, yet they cease

not differing, save him on whom thy Lord hath mercy; and for that He did create them. And

the Word of thy Lord hath been fulfilled: Verily I shall fill hell with the jinn and mankind

together. (11:118–120)

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Thus our purpose is to accept individual differences and to strive for peaceful coexistence,

with respect and tolerance, based the same common interest: our love and servitude to

Allah, and care for his creation. The Al-Qur’an warned against divisions, shiqaq or

dissension, in Islam, commanding one religion and unity while respecting an individual’s

personal spiritual relationship with Allah within the five pillars of Islam:

He hath ordained for you that religion which He commended unto Noah, and that which We

inspire in thee (Muhammad), and that which We commended unto Abraham and Moses and

Jesus, saying: Establish the religion, and be not divided therein. Dreadful for the idolaters is

that unto which thou callest them. Allah chooseth for Himself whom He will, and guideth

unto Himself him who turneth (toward Him). (42:13).

And they were not divided until after the knowledge came unto them, through rivalry

among themselves; and had it not been for a Word that had already gone forth from thy

Lord for an appointed term, it surely had been judged between them. And those who were

made to inherit the Scripture after them are verily in hopeless doubt concerning it. (42:14)

Unto this, then, summon (O Muhammad). And be thou upright as thou art commanded, and

follow not their lusts, but say: I believe in whatever scripture Allah hath sent down, and I

am commanded to be just among you. Allah is our Lord and your Lord. Unto us our works

and unto you your works; no argument between us and you. Allah will bring us together,

and unto Him is the journeying. (42:15).

With the teachings of Islam, based on our unique perceptions and experience, we must

guard against egotistical desires, whether personal or socio-political, and seek constructive

insight, knowledge, and solutions. Taha jabir al-‘Alwani discusses the benefit of acceptable

differences in this light: “If intentions are sincere, differences of opinion could bring about a

greater awareness of the various possible aspects and interpretation of evidence in a given

case . . . If these limitations and norms are not observed, differences could easily degenerate

into disputes and schisms and become a negative and evil force producing more rifts in the

Muslim ummah, which already has more than enough of such fragmentation.”

One part of the resolution to engage in dialogue takes place by reincorporating adab in our

lives. Khalid Musud, a renowned scholar, currently the Chairman of the Council of Islamic

Ideology in Pakistan, explains the use of adab within a dialogical context. He writes that “an

essential element in the adab dialogue is to recognize the sincerity of the other party and to

appreciate the value of dissent believing that only by recognizing differences can we come

to an effective consensus . . . By not listening sincerely to the dissenting voices, you never

know the weaknesses of your own thought, or you miss the opportunity of alternative

thinking. The fear that dissent will divide us has been so strong that our ethics of dialogue

became very authoritarian and conservative. Ironically, it has not prevented schism, but has

rather fostered a kind of mutual mistrust which is more dangerous than even anarchy.

Muslims have lost their sense of adab as well as the urge and ability to speak to others.”

Rediscovery of adab, an important cornerstone of Islam, is a crucial and most-needed

element in dialogue and communication between Muslims today. This leads us to the basic

elements of adab, good behavior and manners, including the qualities of honesty, respect,

kindness, mercy, compassion, humility, patience and justice. One of the simplest instances

of adab is gratefulness, giving thanks to Allah, and this was taught by Prophet Muhammad

(saws) by saying:

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Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim

In the Name of God, the Infinitely Compassionate and Merciful

We can also see how these qualities of good adab are expressed in Al-Qur’an and Al-

Hadith:

Honesty:

And cover not Truth with falsehood, nor conceal the Truth when ye know (what it is). (Al-

Qur’an, 2:42) Allah’s Apostle said to us, “Honesty descended from the Heavens and

settled in the roots of the hearts of men (faithful believers), and then the Quran was revealed

and the people read the Quran, (and learnt it from it) and also learnt it from the Sunna.”

Both Quran and

Sunna strengthened their (the faithful believers’) honesty.

Respect:

That is (the Bounty) whereof Allah gives Glad Tidings to His Servants who believe and do

righteous deeds. Say: “No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of

kin.” And if any one earns any good, We shall give him an increase of good in respect

thereof: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate (service). (Al-Qur’an, 42:23)

Abd Shuraib al-Adawi reported: My ear listened and my eye saw when Allah’s Messenger

(may peace be upon him) spoke and said: He who believes in Allah and the hereafter should

show respect to the guest even with utmost kindness and courtesy. They said: Messenger of

Allah, what is this utmost kindness and courtesy? He replied: It is for a day and a night.

Hospitality extends for three days, and what is beyond that is a Sadaqa for him; and he who

believes in Allah and the Hereafter should say something good or keep quiet.

Kindness:

Allah forbiddeth you not those who warred not against you on account of religion and drove

you not out from your homes, that ye should show them kindness and deal justly with them.

Lo! Allah loveth the just dealers. (Al-Qur’an, 60:08). Salman reported that Allah's

Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Verily, Allah created, on the same very day when

He created the heavens and the earth, one hundred parts of mercy. Every part of mercy is

coextensive with the space between the heavens and the earth and He out of this mercy

endowed one part to the earth and it is because of this that the mother shows affection to her

child and even the beasts and birds show kindness to one another and when there would be

the Day of Resurrection, Allah would make full (use of Mercy).

Mercy:

The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your

two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah, that ye may receive Mercy. (Al-Qur’an, 49:10).

Jundub reported that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) stated that a person said:

Allah would not forgive such and such (person). Thereupon Allah the Exalted and Glorious,

said: Who is he who adjures about Me that I would not grant pardon to so and so; I have

32

granted pardon to so and so and blotted out his deeds (who took an oath that I would not

grant pardon to him).

Compassion:

And of mankind is he who would sell himself, seeking the pleasure of Allah; and Allah hath

compassion on (His) bondsmen. (Al-Qur’an, 2:207). Usama b. Zaid reported: While we

were with the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him), one of his daughters sent to him

(the Messenger) to call him and inform him that her child or her son was dying. The

Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) told the messenger to go back and tell her that

what Allah had taken belonged to Him, and to him belonged what He granted; and He has

an appointed time for everything. So you (the messenger) order her to show endurance and

seek reward from Allah. The messenger came back and said: She adjures him to come to

her. He got up to go accompanied by Sa'd b. 'Ubada, Mu'adh b. Jabal, and I also went along

with them. The child was lifted to him and his soul was feeling as restless as if it was in an

old (waterskin). His (Prophet’s) eyes welled up with tears. Sa'd said: What is this,

Messenger of Allah? He replied: This is compassion which Allah has placed in the hearts of

His servants, and God shows compassion only to those of His servants who are

compassionate.

Humility:

And when it was said unto them: Dwell in this township and eat therefrom whence ye will,

and say “Repentance,” and enter the gate prostrate; We shall forgive you your sins; We

shall increase (reward) for the right-doers (Al-Qur’an, 7:161).

I heard the Prophet saying, “Shall I tell you of the people of Paradise? They comprise every

poor humble person, and if he swears by Allah to do something, Allah will fulfill it; while

the people of the fire comprise every violent, cruel arrogant person.”

Patience:

Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in

the better way. Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is

Best Aware of those who go aright. If ye punish, then punish with the like of that wherewith

ye were afflicted. Endure thou patiently (O Muhammad). Thine endurance is only by (the

help of) Allah. Grieve not for them, and be not in distress because of that which they devise.

Lo! Allah is with those who keep their duty unto Him and those who are doers of good. (Al-

Qur’an, 16:125–128)

Malik related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Ata ibn Yazid al-Laythi from Abu

Said al-Khudri that some people of the Ansar asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah

bless him and grant him peace, and he gave to them. Then they asked him again, and he

gave to them until he used up what he had. Then he said, “What wealth I have, I will not

hoard from you. Whoever has forbearance, Allah will help him. Whoever tries to be

independent, Allah will enrich him. Whoever tries to be patient, Allah will give him

patience, and no one is given a better or vaster gift than patience.”

33

Justice:

Give full measure when ye measure, and weigh with a balance that is straight: that is the

most fitting and the most advantageous in the final determination. (Al-Qur’an, 17:035).

Allah’s Apostle said, “Allah’s Hand is full, and (its fullness) is not affected by the

continuous spending, day and night.” He also said, “Do you see what He has spent since He

created the Heavens and the Earth? Yet all that has not decreased what is in His Hand.” He

also said, “His Throne is over the water and in His other Hand is the balance (of Justice) and

He raises and lowers (whomever He will).”

The first step towards dialogue of any kind with another person is recognizing the above

attributes and striving to manifest them in our lives through thought, word, and action. It is

not an easy task. We are all human, thus less than perfect, but the conscious and sincere

intent to ingrain these traits on a daily basis is a reflection of genuine spiritual aspiration.

Self-awareness of our thoughts through reflection, dua, and through salat helps us with the

Greater Jihad, the inner jihad of the heart, the jihad an-nafs. One of the first steps is to

recognize clearly that we are not the boss, and we do this by first uttering in complete

surrender:

la ilaha illa-Llah, Muhammadan rasulu-Llah “there is no god except God” and

“Muhammad is the messenger of God”

By submitting totally to Allah, only then can we begin to rediscover attributes which allows

for peace within us: (Triumphant) are those who turn repentant (to Allah), those who serve

(Him), those who praise (Him), those who fast, those who bow down, those who fall

prostrate (in worship), those who enjoin the right and who forbid the wrong and those who

keep the limits (ordained) of Allah—And give glad tidings to believers! (Al-Qur’an, 9:112)

From this comes, first, repentance and gratitude, giving thanks to Allah for our very

existence and each breath. In gratitude we come to the realization of Allah and his creation,

surrendering to this love and respect through servitude. To love Allah is to obey Him; and to

obey Him is to truly love Him, thus surrendering to His Will.41 Understanding this, we are

to love and serve Him in prayer and worship and with our relationship with His Creation in

patience, for each creature received His sacred breath of life:

It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he

who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the prophets;

and giveth wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the

wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observeth proper worship and

payeth the poor-due. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and the patient

in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are they who are sincere. Such are the

Allah-fearing. (Al-Qur’an, 2:177)

From there we can ask for honesty, respect, kindness, mercy, compassion, humility,

patience and justice, including balance in our lives and in our hearts. We seek God’s will,

the true meaning of “inshallah,” by not allowing emotion or intellect to be lopsided to either

side, but to be in balance with clear thinking and a pure heart. This balance allows us the

ability to listen to others deeply, with compassion and respect.

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Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda, who has written extensively on Islamic manners,

advises that “if a colleague did not understand an issue and asked a scholar or an elder to

explain, you should listen to what is being said. The repeated explanation may give you

additional insights to what you already know. Never utter any word belittling your

colleague, nor allow your face to betray such an attitude.” In this we find real-life

application of adab to a dialogical encounter:

Never interrupt a speaker. Never rush to answer if you are not very confident of your

answer. Never argue about something you do not know. Never argue for the sake of

argument. Never show arrogance with your counterparts, especially if they hold a different

opinion. Do not switch the argument to belittle your opponent’s views. If their

misunderstanding becomes evident, do not rebuke or scold them. Be modest and kind.”

We implement these attributes in our thoughts, our words, and communication to others and

through our deeds on a daily basis, vigilant of deviation and strife that may take us away

from Allah. Thus it is with development of adab we become closer to Allah and to our

fellow man— and this can be seen through dialogue.

Thank You

Allah Hafez