Ans 1.

Writing letters of recommendation is a skill that will be of great importance throughout your teaching career, and perhaps should be viewed as an almost integral part of your teaching experience. Students in your sections or tutorials who have had a positive experience - in terms of what they have learned, or the work they have produced - are likely to come to you for a letter of recommendation. Indeed, an abundance of requests can be taken as an indication that you are a good teacher and have an ability to establish a rapport with your students. In our view, good letter writers deserve considerable recognition for the contribution that they make. (If you have written a large number of letters, you might even consider making a note of that when asked by a potential hiring department about your teaching skills and responsibilities.) THE CONTENTS OF A LETTER l. In simplest terms, a letter of recommendation is a letter that makes a statement of support for a candidate. If, after doing a careful review of a candidate's strengths and weaknesses, you cannot write a supportive letter, it is important to have a candid discussion with the student. 2. Beyond that simple definition, a letter of recommendation should also present a well-documented evaluation, providing sufficient evidence and information to help a selection committee in making its decision. 3. A letter of recommendation should also address the specific purpose for which it is written - although you will also receive requests from many students for a general letter for their House file, in anticipation of eventual applications. For most applications, a letter of recommendation will need to discuss both scholarly capabilities and personal character - although the balance between the two will vary, depending upon the nature of the application. For example, at one end of the scale, a letter for an applicant for graduate study in the arts and sciences should focus primarily on the scholarly, while at the other end, a letter for an applicant for a non-academic position should discuss a broader range of qualities and experiences - including extracurricular or work experience as well. As a further example of matching a letter with its purpose, a letter for an applicant for a fellowship with a specific project should discuss the validity and feasibility of the project, as well as the candidate's qualifications for fulfilling the project. The letter should pay close attention to the language of the fellowship announcement.

If you have any questions about the criteria for a specific application, consult the appropriate specialists - for example, those who do pre-law, medical, business or fellowship advising at the Office of Career Services or in the Harvard Houses. 4. A letter of recommendation can also be used to explain some weakness or ambiguity in a student's record. If appropriate - and probably after consulting the student - you might wish to mention a family illness, financial hardship, or other factor. 5. For the content of a well-documented letter, the following are further suggestions (see also the samples in the final section): a. You should promptly identify yourself and the basis of your knowledge of the student: Were you a Teaching Fellow in a tutorial or small seminar for department concentrators? How often did it meet, how many students? how many papers? Do you also know the student through exposure as a House Tutor, or some other capacity? Has your acquaintance been sustained over a number of years? Writing the letter on department letterhead is a further form of identification. b. In evaluating a student's intellectual capabilities, try to describe the student in terms that reflect that student's distinctive or individual strengths. Whatever strengths strike you as particularly salient, be prepared to back up your judgement with concrete examples - papers, exams, class presentations, or performance in a laboratory. Above all, avoid the misconception that the more superlatives that you use, the stronger the letter. Heavy use of stock phrases or cliches in general is unhelpful. Your letter can only be effective if it contains substantive information about the student's qualifications. c. Ranking the student may be requested or desired by selection committees. Having concentrated on the student's individual or unique strengths, you might find it difficult to do so. Ranking is of course less of a problem if a student is unambiguously among the top five or ten percent that you have taught, or so outstanding that he or she would safely rank high in any group. Many of the students who come to you for a letter, however, will not fall

within that small unambiguous group. If you wish to offer some comparative perspective, you might be more readily able to do so in more specific areas: Is the student one of the most articulate? original? clear-thinking? motivated? intellectually curious? Some schools or fellowships have forms which ask for rankings broken down into specific areas. If you lack sufficient information to answer some questions posed or suggested in an application, it is best to maintain the integrity and credibility of your letter, and say only what you are in a position to say. d. In discussing a student's character, proceed in a similar fashion to the intellectual evaluation, highlighting individual traits and providing concrete illustrations. e. After discussing each of the above points, your letter should have some brief summation, giving the main thrust of your recommendation for the candidate.

HOW TO ACQUIRE SUFFICIENT INFORMATION TO WRITE AN EFFECTIVE LETTER Meeting with the Student Even if you know a student very well, the process of writing an effective letter can be greatly facilitated if you arrange to have an interview with the student, using this as an opportunity to discuss the student's goals - shortterm and long - and to acquire more precise information in any area where it is needed. Obtaining Written Materials As you arrange a meeting with a student, you should also ask the student to bring the following items: 1) a resume or curriculum vitae,

2) a paper or an exam written for your course, 3) a copy of the application essay or fellowship statement of purpose 4) a transcript 5) any literature that describes the fellowship or program for which the student is applying; specific recommendation forms or questionnaires if they are provided for the letter writer to complete 6) the date on which the recommendation is due, as well as the address - preferably an addressed envelope to which it must be sent 7) a waiver form (obtained by the student from the House Senior Tutor), indicating whether or not the student waives his or her right to see the letter of recommendation. If the student has any questions about this decision, you might point out that there are important benefits in maintaining the confidentiality of letters. Selection committees, for example, tend to view confidential letters as having greater credibility and assign them greater weight; also, some letter writers actually feel less inhibited in their praise of students in confidential letters. While making these points, be sure to make it clear that it is up to the student to decide. One other factor that greatly facilitates letter writing is if you can write a letter as soon as possible after you have taught a student, while your impressions are still vivid and fresh. You might consider encouraging students to make their requests early, rather than waiting until senior year or beyond. These early letters can be placed in the students' House files, as well as maintained in your own files for future reference. SAMPLE: "I first knew X in the spring of l986 when she was a member of my Freshman Seminar, '. . . .` In such small groups teacher and students come to know one another in a way that is seldom, if ever, possible in large lecture courses. In either forum something can be learned about a student's academic ability, but only in the former can one get a

reliable measure of the student as a person. . . . Having kept in touch with X in the intervening years, I am confident in my knowledge of her. To begin with, she is an excellent student, with a lively curiosity that makes her dissatisfied with superficial explanations. That curiosity frequently led our seminar down avenues and into areas that, otherwise, would have remained unexplored. . . . One has only to speak to her to recognize her openness and eagerness. It is easy to mistake this for naivete, an error I made when she first told me she had signed up to be an apprentice teacher in one of Boston's more notorious inner city high schools. . . . Throughout the term, often at great cost to her own peace of mind, and sometimes in explicit conflict with the regular teacher, she continued to insist on a high level of performance from her students. She not only survived the term but won the admiration and respect of students accustomed to being patronized by teachers content to believe that nothing much can be expected. I would expect X to bring these same qualities of character to . . . . That is, an openness to new places, peoples, cultures and customs; a keen intelligence, with which to analyze and order her experience; irrepressible curiosity; and an unusual ability for dealing with people of all ages and conditions. Those qualities, combined with her toughness of character. . ., will enable her to understand and empathize with others while never losing touch with who she is." Ans 7. Professional arena today demands people with good communication skills. In addition to these skills one must be well acquainted with the facts and figures. interviews and group discussions plays a vital role in the recruitment of any individual to company in the present scenario. Most of the people keep aloof from these group discussions, debates, elocution since childhood due to crowd fear or stage fear. This ultimately makes them weak in communication skills and hampers further. One must fully participate in such activities because they enhance one's communication, vocabulary, fluency in English and keeps one abreast with the current scenario. It also instills confidence in an individual to speak on any topic.

Group discussions makes us to participate in group and put forth our views. there is a lot of difference in a debate and a group discussion. In a debate there are two sides one in favour of the topic and other in opposition. They have to stick to their view. Instead in a group discussion there are no such groups. there is a healthy discussion to get a positive and a constructive conclusion. One can agree or disagree on the views of other fellow participants. Following are the few essentials which have to be kept in mind while participating in a group discussion: 1. Clarity of Topic: When the topic of the group discussion is announced. One must move the vehicles of his/her own memory to gather all the points one can recollect. If one is totally unaware about the topic, one must not step ahead and initiate. He must first listen to the views of other, then understand the topic and then put forth his/her views. 2. Start where Left: Start the discussion from where the other person has left the topic. Do not just start giving your views. Try to synchronise your views with the views of other. Try to show agreement with others if you are satisfied with the points else you can put forth your views on disagreement. 3. Active Participation: One must actively participate in the group discussion to have a good impression on the jury as well as the fellow members. but this active participation should be emulsified with relevant views. Unnecessary and irrelevant points can put you in trouble and deduct the points. So be careful with your views. 4. Healthy Tone: Try to put forward your views in healthy and impressive tone. Do not get aggressive when anybody opposes you or is against your point. It also reduces the points. Remain calm and cool. Ans 8. News releases can play an important role in your companys marketing and branding efforts News releases are an important part of marketing/communications. They are a fundamental tool of public relations and marketing. News releases provide the latest news about your company and its products and services to the

media and to the individuals the media reach. News releases on new product developments or applications are important to journalists, customers, prospects and even potential partners or investors for a variety of reasons. The type of information news releases provide can be a leading indicator of company performance or market status. This document describes the uses and value of news releases, the difference between news releases and paid ads, and the steps you can take to write a successful news release. Although there are no guarantees that every news release you write will be noticed, we hope this document will improve your chances. Why and how your company should use news releases Traditionally, news releases have been used to communicate information to journalists: a new product or service a new application or design awards or certifications opening of a new plant new hirings, and other important milestones News releases are distributed to the editors of newspapers, magazines and websites with the hope of catching their attention and being included in an article. The Internet and online media have changed this dynamic, which will be discussed later on in this section. News releases are short articles about your company, written in journalistic style. Ideally, journalists may include portions of the releases in their own articles or news summaries, or publish what you send verbatim or with minimal changes. News releases should be written as news stories with eye-catching headlines and body text with the pertinent

facts. In the first 1-2 paragraphs of your news release (also known as the lead), you should answer these questions: Who is this news release about? What has happened that is newsworthy? Where did the newsworthy event take place? When did this happen? How is this newsworthy? and Why should readers care? By answering these questions in your news release, youre making it easy for reporters and your target audience to quickly grasp the message and theyll be more likely to notice and publish your news. Plan to write your news release [ #1 ] It is important to create a plan for what you want your news release to accomplish. Take a look at the Who?... What?... etc. list on page 2, then think about answering some of these questions: What is it that you want to communicate? What is your news and why is it important to a journalist? What makes this product or service interesting to the market? What problem does it solve and/or what solution does it provide? What features of the new product or service will have an impact on the market? What improvements are significant to the industry you serve? Who is your preferred audience? What do you want readers to take away from your release? What are the descriptive words or key phrases used by your customers when searching for your type of product or service? What do you want to accomplish with your release: increase business, disseminate information, or both? Does the release's lead (opening) address or answer the basic tenets of journalism (previously reviewed on page 2):

 Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Once you have a plan, it is time to write the news release. Write Your News Release [ #2] The important key to writing a news release is keeping it concise and to the point. Keep in mind that editors and journalists constantly receive releases. A tight, well-written release will help an editor understand quickly why your news is important to their readers. Make sure your release does not read like a sales pitch. This will often send up a red flag in an editors mind to be skeptical of the release. 1. Start with a headline The first item on a news release that a reader will see is the headline. It is important to write a headline that will grab the attention of the reader. The headline should sum up the entire story. It should be concise and descriptive so the reader wants to read more. If the release is on a new feature, or an update to an existing product, state that information in the headline or sub-headline. 2. Summarize with a sub-headline The sub-headline completes the thought started by the headline. Use the important keywords that your customers and prospects would use to describe this product or service and briefly summarize your news. 3. Write a good lead paragraph

After the headline, the first paragraph of the news release is the most important. Following Journalism 101 principles (stated on page 2), the first one or two paragraphs should answer the following questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? In some cases, it may take two paragraphs to accomplish this, but never more. 4. Continue your news release with important information and details After the lead, the rest of the news release should support the first paragraph(s).Keep in mind, a journalist wants to be informed, not sold. Be factual and honest with your statements about the product or service. Your news release should provide supporting information to substantiate any claim made. You should avoid any marketing hype. This can be put in the boilerplate paragraph(s) at the end of the release. Avoid unsubstantiated claims in your release. A journalist judges the credibility of a release based on the back-up information provided with each claim. It is also important that a release supply the answers to potential questions about your product. Keep the writing style dynamic and to the point. It is important to immediately engage the busy reader of the news release, even if the release is about an industrial staple. If you are not excited about your product, you cannot expect a journalist or reader to be excited. Your news release should be one or two pages. Most stories about new products tend to be one or two paragraphs

in most trade magazines. A release longer than two pages will most likely not be read to the end. Again, we cant stress enough that your news release needs to be concise and to the point. Avoid the temptation to use industry terminology and jargon. Write in a conversational style. You will find a large number of journalists do not have the same technical background as you might have, even if they write for a trade magazine. Still, be sure to use keywords and key phrases commonly used by your customers in the news release. If appropriate, include them in the headline and first paragraph of your release. By optimizing your releases with these keywords, youll make it easier for qualified prospects to find your news through the major search engines, and through industrial sites like ThomasNet.com. Describe your product, remembering: Feature - Function - Benefit. What it is, what it does and the benefit to the user. This will help the journalist communicate to their readers why they should consider your products. It is important that you provide specific and detailed information. When appropriate, add quotes from early adopters of your products showing how they have benefited from them already. This will help substantiate the importance of your announcement. Conclude your news release with important contact information and a boilerplate paragraph(s). The contact information should be specifically related to the product or service youre announcing. The company information -or boilerplate paragraph(s) -- should describe your business and the industries you serve. In addition, you need to provide the name of an individual that the journalist can contact for more information. This person should be familiar with all the news in the release, and should be ready to answer questions (and accessible on the day that you distribute the release). Include the contact phone number, fax, Email address, Web address and mail address. You can also issue your release on company letterhead to give it a professional appearance.

5. Provide supporting documentation The following items should be included in the news release packet, whenever available: Pictures and images all pictures and images that can help the journalists and readers visualize your product. A standard specification for electronic images is 300 dots per inch. Specifications sheets / product brochures any specification sheets or promotional information that supports the information presented in your news release.

Ans 12. The role of a Communications Manager A communications manager may carry out a number of different roles, and naturally these will vary on the organisation in which they are working. To highlight a few: Design of communications structure Define communications objectives Monitor and manage all communication Organise crisis communications if/when necessary Organise relevant staff training

There is a very straightforward and popular communications method called the weekly reporting method: this involves every employee and requires them to compose an e-mail report, once a week, including information on their activities in the preceding week, their plans for the following week, and any other information deemed relevant to the larger group. The reports are sent to managers to summarise. This will eventually lead to an overall summary led by the CEO, which is then sent to the board of directors. The CEO then sends the board's summary back down the ladder, where each manager can append an additional summary or note before referring it to their employees.

Eventually, each employee will receive a long e-mail, containing many or all of the above-mentioned summaries, from every level of management. Ans 13. Writing a professional business letter will give the recipient a good impression of your company, and knowing how to write a business letter is a good skill to have. There are a number of components that make up a business letter, including a return address, the greeting, and a professional signature. Heading

The heading is the return address of the sender. Many companies use letterhead paper which displays their address and the logo; if you do not use letterhead paper, write the sender's address just below the date. Include the date that you have written or sent the letter just below the letterhead, or above the sender's address if you do not have letterhead paper.

Date

Inside Address

This is the address that you are sending your letter to; make sure it is written as completely as possible, and includes titles and names if these are known. This is displayed on the left hand margin of the page, and positioned so that it shows through the window in an envelope. Begin the letter with a formal greeting, beginning with the word "Dear" and including the recipient's surname. Always use a title for a business letter, unless you are close friends with the recipient. Using Mr. or Ms. along with a last name is a very professional salutation. A business letter is rarely hand written, and depending on the style of letter you choose, paragraphs may be indented. Leave a blank line between paragraphs, as well as between the body of the letter and the salutation.

Salutation

Body

A line should also be left between the body of the letter and the close. Write in professional language, avoiding slang, swearing and colloquialism. Keep a friendly tone, even if you are delivering bad news. It is good practice to use the final paragraph to detail any actions that you require the recipients to undertake. Signature

Conclude the letter by writing "Yours Faithfully" if you have begun the letter with 'Dear Sir', and "Yours Sincerely" if the salutation addresses the recipient by name. Below the space for your signature, write your full name and title. You may wish to include direct contact information, such as a telephone number or email address. Never use a postscript - write everything you need to in the body of the letter.

Ans 14. SPEAKING AND LISTENING INTRODUCTION Every English course you will ever take is really about how to communicate effectively. Communication is a multi-step process that requires at least two people who have something to say to each other. In order to be successful, each communication requires (1) someone to send the message; (2) the message itself; and (3) someone to receive it. When people want to exchange ideas, they have only three ways to do it. All communication is incomplete until someone has received and correctly understood the senders ideas. Would you accomplish anything if you wrote a complaint letter and never mailed it, or talked into a disconnected telephone? English courses focus most on building writing and reading skills. The two other ways of communicating are also important, yet they are seldom taught. This module focuses on the information you need to make oral communications (speaking and listening) useful tools in your everyday life, at home, at work, and in the community.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SPEAKING AND LISTENING Speaking and listening make up 69% of our total communicating time each day. One study showed that college students spent about 53% of their time listening and 16% speaking, but only 14% writing and 17% reading . Its not just college students who spend large portions of their time listening either. Another study showed that most employees in North America spend about 60% of their day listening to each other.

Since most of our time is spent speaking and listening, it is not surprising that these two areas are often the source of misunderstandings between people. Marriage counsellors report that many clients say that their partner doesnt listen to them; however, some misunderstandings may come from the fact that speakers often dont say what they mean clearly enough. It is a myth that speaking and listening are natural activities (like breathing) that we all do well without any training. It is true, however, that most people can become better at both. Surprisingly, little time is given to teaching these very important skills despite the large part they play in everyday learning and communication. The following table shows just how important it is to take this opportunity to improve your oral communications skills.

SPEAKING SKILL Human beings use their voices from the moment they are born to communicate with the world around them. Babies cry to tell their parents they are hungry, cold, or frightened, and they make happy noises when they are content. No matter how vocal babies are however, they cannot tell the care giver exactly what they want. At about 12 months of age, toddlers begin to develop spoken language skills that make their needs and moods clearer. Slowly they begin to speak by imitating the language they hear around them every day. By age five, they usually speak in clear, mostly correct grammatical sentences. After that, they continue to build theirvocabulary and learn how to use words to (1) share information or (2) persuade those around them. Ans 15. Written vs. Oral Communication Most people intuitively understand that there are differences between oral and written language. It is important to realize that speech is genuinely different from written prose, and one should not use the logic of oral languagein formal academic writing. In more formal writing, choosing the right words depends partly on whether they are appropriate for the writing situation, and whether they express an exact meaning. As a rule of thumb, the audience will remember about one-half of what was said. Written language is saved for posterity with the assumption that 100% of it will be read, understood, and remembered. EFFECTIVE WRITTEN LANGUAGE is Precise and direct. Chosen with greater deliberation and thought.. More sophisticated, and developed. Less personal. Driven by logic, organization, and explicitness Achieved through sentence length, complex ORAL LANGUAGE is A dynamic transfer of information. Everyday spoken language, including some cultural expressions, such as go crazy. Able to engage the audience psychologically and to use complex forms of non-verbal communication.

language style. Validated by authors credibility. Objective. Non-retractable (its forever and so are mistakes and flaws). Planned and deliberate.

Retractable (one can apologize for a mistake or offer clarification) Highly subjective Spontaneous Dependent upon orientation signals (for example, Well, in the first place), and projection terms (for example, It seems to me) to soften the tone Conversational and indirect