Press Release, Press Report., Telegram, Lost and Found Notices, Auction Notice, Obituary Notice

Press Release

A press release is a document use d for external communication. It is used to communicate to the press (newspapers) any information that an organisation wants to bring to the notice of the public by getting it published in a newspaper. The purpose is to improve the image of the organisation among the people. The job of preparing a press release and sending it to the press is entrusted to the public relations department of the organisation. Whenever an important event which has the potential of enhancing the reputation of an organisation takes place, the Public Relations department prepares a press release and sends it either directly tp the editor or to a correspondent. There are a whole lot of things happening in a business organisation which the management wants to bring to the notice of the people and thus get some mileage out of it. It may be the merger of two organisations, a taking over of one organisation by another, a plan for expansion, the launching of a new product or plant, a visit by a VIP, bagging of a big order, getting an important contract, organising a conference or seminar, organising a social welfare event, or sponsorship of some cultural or sports event.

The effort always is to paint the organisation in the brightest of colours. However, a press release has to be based on facts. Attempts at glossing things over are there sometimes but the best thing is to stick to the facts. Giving wrong information is considered unethical.

It is not binding on the press to publish the information so provided. The newspaper people apply their own standards to decide whether the information provided to them is newsworthy or not. They may or may not publish it. If they find it newsworthy, they may publish it as it is provided or edit it before publishing it.

A good press release should be newsworthy, factually true, brief and to the point, written in simple, conversational language, and not offensive to the public taste. It should be suitable to be published in the newspaper or journal to which it is sent and be comprehensive in the sense that it should not leave out any piece of important information. It should be given a catchy heading. The first one or two paragraphs should give the gist of the information in an interesting language without going in great detail. The details should be given in the subsequent paragraphs.

Press Report

A press report is a document similar in purpose to but different in origin from a press release. The press release is a document prepared by the PR people of an organisation and sent to the press for publication. A press note, on the other hand, is prepared by a representative of the press – a correspondent of a newspaper or a news agency. Sometimes, representatives personally cover an event on being given the assignment by their employer or on their own or on the invitation of the organisation concerned and prepare a report on the basis of their observation. More often, they write it on the basis of the press release made available to them by the organisation. It makes their job easier. They have readymade material to use. They have just to give some finishing touches, refine the language, or edit the language to reduce the length so as to make it suit fit in the space that can be made available.        

Telegram

A telegram is used to transmit a message quickly in an emergent situation where delay can be disastrous or can at least cause inconvenience. It is a wireless message transmitted by using a code based on difference combinations of dots and dashes.

It is a costly means of communication and is therefore resorted to only ion an emergency. Every word and punctuation sign that is transmitted has to be paid for. Not only the words in the message, but also those in the address, are counted for the purpose of calculating the charges. The name of the addressee, even if it contains more words than one, is counted as one word. Therefore, while drafting a telegram, an effort is made to minimise the number of words without sacrificing the intelligibility of the message. Instead of the punctuation signs, their names are used. From example, the word stop is written in place of the dot normally used in writing as the full stop.

A telegram generally consists of the following four parts:

1.       Address – The address of the receiver is written here.

2.       Classification – We have to indicate here whether the telegram is ordinary or express or belongs to some other kind given higher priority. The greater the priority, the higher are the charges. An express telegram is charged at a higher rate than an ordinary one as it is given priority in transmission as well as in delivery over an ordinary one.

3.       Message – Here, the information to be communicated is written in as few words as possible. Care has to be taken, however, that the attempt at economising by reducing the number of words should not result in misunderstanding or miscommunication. Brevity must not be at the cost of clarity.

For the sake of brevity, the rules of grammar are disregarded. Only the important words necessary to make the intention clear are written. Sometimes, abbreviations like the ones used these days on the social media like sms are also used to keep the message brief and reduce the cost. For example, by writing asap instead of as soon as possible, we can reduce the number of words from four to one.

4.       Sender’s Address (not to be transmitted) – Here, the sender of the message gives his or her own address. This address is only for the purpose of record. It is not transmitted. Therefore, the sender does not have to pay for the words in the address given here. But the name of the sender has to be written in the message if we want it to be transmitted.

A telegram may also be sent with the help of a telephone. In that case, it is called a phonogram.

In India, a telegraphic message is called a telegram if it is to be sent within the country. But if it is to be sent abroad, it is called a cable.

Notices Published in Newspapers

Lost and Found Notices

LOST

Sometimes, when people happen to lose some article, they publish a notice in one or more newspapers commonly read in the area where the article is lost as a means of finding the lost article. The newspaper charges money for publishing the notice. Therefore, such a notice has to be kept as brief as possible. But unlike in a telegram, grammatical rules are not given a go by in this case. A LOST NOTICE must contain the following information:

1.       The name of the lost article.

2.       The place where it was lost.

3.       The time of losing it.

4.       A complete description of the article clear enough to assure the finder that it belongs to you.

5.       The name and address of the person giving the notice so that the finder may be able to return the article.

6.       A promise to reimburse the cost that the finder may incur in returning the article.

7.       An offer of a reward. This is, however, voluntary. One may or may not offer a reward. But people often do so.

Found

Some honest and conscientious people who care for the feelings of those who happen to lose an important or valuable article also take the trouble and expense of publishing a notice in a newspaper in an attempt to locate the owner of the article of the article they have found and return it them. This is generally done when the article found is an important document or something of high monetary or sentimental value.

In this case too, the notice has to be kept brief as the charges for its publication depend on the space that the notice may occupy in the newspaper. But as clarity is important, grammatical rules are not ignored and the language is kept simple. A FOUND NOTICE must contain the following information:

1.       The name of the article

2.       A clear description of the article so that the loser may be able to decide whether the article found is the one that he has lost. But the description must not be so comprehensive as to enable a cheat to claim it.

3.       The place where it was found

4.       The time of finding

5.       His name and the address where he can be contacted by the loser

6.       The conditions for satisfying him that the article really belongs to the person who is claiming it.

7.       The condition, if any, for returning it to the owner.

Auction Notice

Sometimes, people who want to sell something through public auction in order to get the best possible price also publish a notice in the newspapers informing the intending buyers and inviting them to participate in the bidding process.

An auction notice must contain the following information:

1.       The name and description of the good/goods to be auctioned

2.       The quantity / number of the good/goods to be auctioned

3.       The condition of the good/goods to be auctioned in some cases like machinery (whether it is in running condition or not.

4.       In some cases, the age of the goods indicating how old it is.

5.       The date place and time of auction.

6.       The clarification that the goods will be sold on as is where is basis

7.       The amount of earnest money if any This is necessary to ensure that only genuine bidders take part in the bidding process

8.       The mode of payment of earnest money (Whether by DD or crossed cheque or in cash

9.       The place where the goods can be examined and the timings for the purpose

10.    How the earnest money will be adjusted or refunded after the auction

Obituary Notice

The purpose of an obituary notice is to inform the people of the recent death of a person. Such a notice is generally published by the close relatives of the deceased. Besides the information about the day and date of the death, it may also mention briefly the circumstances that led to the death – whether the death came after a long illness, a brief illness, as a result of a heart attack or as a result of an accident. A brief account of the life and achievements of the deceased person is also sometimes included. The date and time of cremation/burial etc. is also given so that the people who have been close to the person may be able to attend it. If the funeral rites have already been performed, it gives the day and date fixed for the final prayer for the departed soul.

The obituary notice is published as a classified advertisement. The newspaper charges depend on basis of the space (the number of column lines) taken by it. Normally, to keep the charges low, an effort is made to keep it as brief as possible by including in it only the necessary information regarding the fact of death and the date and time of the last rites like the cremation or burial.

There is another kind of notice related to the death of a person often seen in the newspapers. It is called the Death Notice or the Notice of Death. It should not be confused with the obituary notice. Its purpose is to satisfy a legal formality for purposes like inheritance. The important difference between it and the obituary notice is that while the obituary notice is generally published immediately after the death to give information about the death, the cremation/ burial or the day and date of the final prayer for the dead (like the bhog ceremony) so that people may attend it as a mark of respect for the deceased, the purpose of the Death Notice is only to fulfil a legal requirement and is published long after the death to invite possible objections to a matter like inheritance. So, no mention is made in it of the day fixed for the last rites or the final prayer as these have already become a thing of the past.   

Report Writing an Drafting - Qualities of a Good Report, Types, Elements, Office Memo, Notice - Lost, Found, Obituary ,Circular, Telegrams, Press Releases, Writing a Short Report

Qualities of a Good Report:

A report must have the following qualities to be useful to any business:

1.     It should be based on verified factual information and valid proofs.

2.     It should be clear and easy to understand. The language used should be simple and unambiguous.

3.     It should be unbiased and impartial. A report which deliberately tries to distort the facts this way or that is of no value.

4.     There should be no linguistic or factual errors in it

5.     No duplication of information.

6.     It should be concise and to the point and should not contain any irrelevant information which does not have a bearing on the issue.

7.     It should have adequate information to enable the decision makers to take decisions that can benefit their organisation.

8.     It should not lose focus and be oriented towards producing the best results. There should be no beating about the bush. No irrelevant information should be included in it.

9.     It should be well organised and structured so that it is possible to locate the required information without much effort and any delay.

10.                        It should conform to the ethical standards of report writing.

11.                        It should be written in a language which is reader oriented. A report which the targeted audience is unable to understand has no value at all.

Types of Reports:

Reports may be

                                                                                                              i.      Oral – Face to face, ephemeral, Save reporter’s time, Take more time of the receiver                            

ii. Written – Permanent, Record, Skimming possible. Time saving. Only relevant parts may be read.

Written reports may further be divided into two categories:

i.                    Formal                     ii. Informal – Brief, written like a memorandum

Formal reports can further be divided into three categories:

i.                    Informational         ii. Interpretive          iii. Routine – Progress Report, Lab Report, Inspection Report, Inventory Report, ACR,

1.     Informational – Reports which only provide the required information and do not include analysis of the collected data and any conclusions drawn from it are known as informational reports.

2.     Interpretive – Interpretive reports are reports which include not only the information collected but also an analysis of the data so collected and the conclusions arrived at after the analysis. They may also include recommendations.

3.     Routine – There are some reports which have to be submitted regularly and periodically as a part of the conduct of business of an organisation. Generally, these are submitted on printed forms available for the purpose and are periodical in nature.

Elements of a Report

A long formal report normally consists of the following elements:

Front Matter

Cover, Frontispiece, Title, Copyright, Forwarding Letter, Preface, Foreword, Acknowledgements, Table of Contents, List of Illustrations, Abstract and Summary

Main Body – Introduction, Discussion/Description, Conclusions, Recommendations

Back Matter – Appendices, List of references, Bibliography, Glossary, Index, Addenda, Corrigenda

A.    Front Matter:

1.     Cover – The cover protects the report from damage. The outside page of the front part of the cover carries the following information:

i. Title of the report                           ii. Its number if any         iii.  Date           iv. Classification

Sometimes, the name of the author and the authority for whom the report has been written is also given on the cover.

2.     Frontispiece – It is generally found in bound reports meant for wide circulation. It is like a display window meant to arouse the curiosity of the reader. It is generally a map, photograph, drawing etc.

3.     Title page – It is generally the first right hand page of the report. It carries all the information given on the cover. In addition to it, the following information is found on the title page:

i.                    Sub-title if any

ii.                  Name of the author

iii.                Name of the authority for whom the report has been written

iv.               Contract, project or job number

v.                 The name and designation of the approving authority if approval is required.

vi.               Distribution list if copies of the report are sent to any other persons than the primary recipient of the report

4.     Copyright Notice:- This is a notice given generally at the back of the title page informing the people that the rights regarding the reproduction of the material in the report are reserved by the author or the publisher or both and nobody else can reproduce any part of the matter contained in the report in any form without the prior written permission of the holder of these rights. Any infringement of these rights is punishable by law and the person or agency that does so can be sued in a court of law and damages can be claimed for this kind of infringement.

5.     Forwarding letter: The forwarding letter may be of one of the following two types:

i.                    Covering letter – If the forwarding letter is a simple covering letter, it only serves as a record of the fact that the report is being submitted by the author to the receiving authority. A forwarding letter of this type is not included in the report and remains with the receiving authority.

ii.                  Introductory – If the forwarding letter is of the introductory type, it contains all the information given in the introduction in addition to the fact of submitting the report. When the forwarding letter is of the introductory type, there is no need for a separate introduction as it contains all the information to be given in the introduction. An introductory letter of submission is printed in beginning of the report.

6.     Preface – The preface is written by the author. In it, he introduces the report and offers it to the reader. But it does not give any judgement about the subject matter of the report. However, the author may express in it the hope that it will be useful to the reader/s and serve the purpose for which it has been written.

7.     Foreword – The foreword is a kind of introduction to the report written by someone other than the author, who is an expert in the field which the report is related to. It may be called an assessment of the value of the report by a person who is regarded as an authority on the subject.

8.     Acknowledgements – It is that part of the report in which the author expresses his sense of gratitude to all the people who have helped him in any way in preparing the report. The people who have provided the information required, the authors whose works he has referred to or cited in the report, the people who have assisted him in collecting the information, in typing its contents, in printing it or in any other way are thanked in this section.

9.     Table of Contents – The table of contents gives the names of the chapters of the report and their page numbers. Sometimes, only the first page is given and sometimes, the first and the last page both are given.

10.            List of Illustrations – A separate list of illustrations (tables, charts, graphs, maps etc.) is given if there is a large number of them. It gives the number, the title and the page reference of the illustrations.

11.            Abstract and Summary – Most reports contain a brief account of the contents of the report in the form of a summary or abstract.

The summary gives the substance of the report without the illustrations. It contains in a nutshell the important findings, the method of analysis, the important conclusions and the major recommendations. 

The abstract is a condensed summary of the contents of the report. It is shorter than the summary. It is approximately two to five percent of the original or five to ten percent of the summary.

Some reports contain only the summary and some only the abstract. There are some which contain both. Whether a report should have both or only one of the two depends on the requirements of the primary recipient of the report.

B.     Main Body of the Report

               The main body of the report is divided into four parts, three of which are always there in every report and the fourth is included only if the authorising authority wants it.

1.     Introduction - The introduction is the starting point of the report. It includes the following types of information:

i.                   Why the report is being written.  Authorisation for writing the report and the terms of reference. What the author has been asked to do.

ii.                 Topic of the report.

iii.              Historical and technical background – A very brief account of the work that has already been done on the topic by other people.

iv.               Scope and limitations of the study -What new ground the present report is going to cover and what it does not propose to do. The scope refers to the aspects of the subject that have been dealt with in the report and the limitations tell the reader about the aspects that lie outside the scope and have not been covered in the report.

v.                 Methods of collecting data used for the study and the sources of information

vi.               How the material has been organised.

vii.            Definition of special terms and symbols.

2.     Discussion or Description

This is the major part of the report.  It may be divided into sections and sub-sections.

It presents the data collected in an organised form, discusses the significance of the data, analyses the data and gives the results.

3.     Conclusions – This part states the logical inferences drawn and judgements formed on the basis of the analyses of the data. In other words, it gives the findings of the report. The conclusions must be supported by what has gone before. If their number is large, they may be itemised and numbered in the decreasing order of importance.

4.     Recommendations – Recommendations are not found in every report. They are given only if the authorising authority has asked for them. Sometimes, the authority may reserve the right to decide what action has to be taken and the recommendations, if given without having been asked, may be taken as an insult to the authority.

C.     Back Matter

1, Appendices – During the course of the report, the author may refer to several documentary sources. It is not always possible to include their full text in the report. Besides, there may be many readers who are not interested in reading them. But some readers may want to read them. These documents are given in this part for the benefit of such readers.

2. List of references – In this part, the author lists all the works which he has referred to in the report. It includes the name(s) of the author(s), the year of publication of the book or the article, the name of the publisher or the journal along with its number, and the page(s) where the referenced information is to be found. It may be noted that this list is given in an alphabetic order and includes only the sources which have actually been accessed by the author and referred to in the report.

3. Bibliography - Bibliography is the alphabetically arranged list of the books or other written sources which contain information on the topic. Bibliography differs from the list of references in one important respect and that is that it may contain even those titles which have not been actually accessed by the author and referred to in the report but which deal with the topic of the report. Another important difference is that it does not give the page or pages where the relevant information is to be found.

4. Glossary – The glossary lists the technical terms and other difficult words used by the author which the reader may not be familiar with and explains their meanings. What should or should not be included in the glossary depends on who is going to read the report.

5. Index – The index is a quick guide to the material and its purpose is to help the reader to locate the information he wants easily and quickly. All the topics and sub-topics dealt with in the report are listed here alphabetically and the page number or numbers where they occur are given.

6. Addenda – If after the printing of the report, it is found that something which should have been included in it but has, somehow, been left out is inserted at the end under the head of addenda which means an item which has been added afterwards.

7. Corrigenda – Corrigenda means a list of corrections. Even after the most careful proof reading, some typographical errors may be left in the report. A list of these errors may be given at the end along with the page number and the corrected version under this head.

1.                      Office Memorandum

(Memo or Office Memo)

Office Memorandum also known as office memo or simply memo is a short written document used for exchange of information in a business organisation. The word memorandum actually means a short note to help memory.

1.     It is used for internal communication only and is never used for communication with any person outside the organisation..

2.     But within the organisation, it can move in any direction – upward, downward, horizontal or diagonal. It can be used for exchange of information within a department or between different departments of the organisation.

3.     It is very brief. It contains only the necessary information and nothing besides that. You have to be to the point and not include anything else.

4.   It does not contain two elements always found in a letter – the salutation and the complimentary close.

5.     The language is simple, direct and easy to understand. Normally, the language is informal, even conversational. However, it depends on the direction of the communication. One has to use formal language if one is communicating with a senior. There is no attempt to use ornamental language.

6.   Personal feelings are not included in a memo. Emotional appeals are never made. Only the information required is given or asked for.

7.     A memo is used normally for the following purposes:

I.                   To convey routine information.

II.                 To submit periodical reports.

III.              To communicate change of rules in the organisation.

IV.              To issue instructions to the staff.

V.                To confirm a decision taken on the telephone.

VI.              To call explanation of an employee for any act of misconduct or indiscipline.

VII.           To give or withdraw permission to do something.

VIII.         To give or ask for some information.

8.     Format of the memo:

A memo is generally written in the following format. Business organisations generally use a printed proforma for this purpose.

Name of the organisation

Reference No………………..                                                      Date ………….…

To:

From:

Subject:

Body (It contains the details of the information sought or supplied). If there are many different pieces of information, they are given in different paragraphs which are numbered.

Signature

Designation

Enclosures:

Copy to:

Note 1: (If any documents are attached with the memo, they are listed under the heading enclosures.)

Note 2: Similarly, if copies of the memo are sent to any people other than the person it is addressed to, their names are given under the heading copy to.

If there are no documents attached and the copy of the memo is not to be sent to anybody except the addressee, these two elements (enclosures and copy to) are not included in the memo.

Advantages:

i.                    It is inexpensive. It is delivered by hand.

ii.                  It is convenient to use.

iii.                It is quick. There is no delay.

iv.               It helps to keep a record of the information exchanged between the people in the organisation.

v.                 It can help the organisation to fix responsibility in case of anything going wrong.

Notice and Circular

Both notice and circular are written documents used for internal communication in business organisations. They are used to communicate information to the people working in the organisation instead of using the oral mode of communication because the become a permanent record for future use and help to fix responsibility in case anything goes wrong as a result of not paying heed to the information given through them. Moreover, they are a convenient way of providing and seeking information and insuring that the information has been communicated to those who need it.

 Although the notice are quite similar in nature in the sense that they are both used for providing and seeking information internally, they are used in different situations.

Circular - A circular is used when information is to be communicated to a small group of people or some selective individuals. The circular is sent to them individually and their signatures are obtained on it as a token of having received the information. For example, when the head of an organisation wants to have a meeting with the heads of departments, he informs them by means of a circular.

Notice:  A notice is used when a piece of information is to be communicated to all the people working in the organisation or a large number of them. It is not circulated among the individuals who are to be given the information for the simple reason that it is neither possible nor advisable to take it to everyone. So it is displayed on the notice board. The people working in the organisation are expected to visit the notice board at least once daily and read whatever notice might have been put up there.

When information about a holiday or a change in office timings of the employees is to be communicated, a notice is displayed on the notice board. Similarly, if there is a change in the leave rules or provident rules, it is communicated through a notice.

Format for a notice

Name of the organisation

Reference No………………….                                                           Date …………………..

Notice

Subject of the notice

Message

Signature

Name

Designation

A similar format is used for a circular.

Writing a Short Report

A short report is not written like a long and exhaustive report. It does not contain all the elements that are found in a long report.

A short report makes use of either the letter format or the memo format.

The body of the report is, however, divided into the same four parts – the introduction, the discussion or description, the conclusions and the recommendations. The recommendations are given only when they have been sought by the authorising official. Most of the time, the authorising authority reserves the right to decide what sort of remedial action needs to be taken. Giving recommendations without having been asked may be taken as an affront by the authority.

Advice to students: - In the examination, sometimes the paper setter clearly specifies which of the two formats is to be used – the letter format or the memo format. In that case, students have to follow the direction and use the format that has been specified. At other times, the paper setter may not specify the format to be used and leaves the choice to the student. If that is the case, students are free to use either of the two formats.