BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

1. BUSINESS LETTERS

Formal written document that has a special layout and is used to show basic transactions entered
Ito e.g. making and placing of orders. Making adjustments for customer or apologize for credit.
Letters convey two types of messages.

Implicit message – conveyed through the appearance of the letter e.g. quality of paper used, font
or handwriting.

Types

1. Letters of inquiry – these are simple letters seeking for information on prices, literature or
favours concerning goods and services.
2. Credit letters – these are letters written to claim credit.
3. Sales letters – written to advertise products.
4. Employment letters – seeking to fill a vacant position e.g. application letters, invitation to
interviews, thank you letters or resignation letters.
5. Social letters – seek to maintain a friendly relationship with customers and other
organizations e.g. congratulatory, sympathy, thank you letters.

Important details when writing formal letters

A. Application letter (job purposes)

1st paragraph – refer to the source of information i.e. advert from newspaper, internet or internal
advantage.

2nd paragraph - give details why you think you qualify for the job.

3rd paragraph – indicate what you think you may do for the job if hired.

4th paragraph – indicate any enclosures i.e. certificate, copies of testimonials and detailed CV.

5th paragraph – conclude by thanking the reader in advance.

B. Invitation for an interview

1st – refer to application letter in terms of date, reference number and subject.

2nd paragraph – give details why you think you qualify for the job.
3rd – indicate items to bring i.e. ID, original certificates, passport e.t.c.

4th – conclude by urging reader to appear for interview.

C. Letter of inquiry

1st - refer to source of information.

2nd –

3rd – request for terms of payment.

4th – appeal for qualification.

D. Quotation letter

1st – refer to the letter of inquiry – subject ref number, date, statement on availability of items.

2nd – give details on the goods available; itemize them and able to supply.

3rd – state terms of payment

4th – appeal for order.

E. Order letter

1st – refer to quotation letters – subject, date, ref number

2nd – give details of items that you require (itemize them)

3rd – state preferred mode of payment.

4th – state when goods should be delivered and mode of delivery

5th – conclude by thanking them in advance.

F. Complaint letter

1st – refer to specific letter of complaint – date it occurred or damage caused.

2nd – explain complaint in details.

3rd - explain inconveniences caused i.e. time lost and money lost.

4th – conclude by requesting for remedy.

APOLOGY / ADJUSTMENT

1st – refer to complaint letter – reference number, date, subject.

2nd – apologize for inconveniences caused.

3rd – explain how mistake occurred.

4th – give solution

5th – instill confidence in customers by assuring them mistake won’t happen.

PRESERVATION OF LEGAL BUSINESS LETTERS

Characteristics of full blocked layout

1. Open punctuation is used – this means there are no punctuation marks outside body of
letter. You can use commas and full stops in main text but no marks are used in inside
address, date, salutation, complementary close or end.
2. All lines start at left margin with no exceptions.
3. If you use fully blocked layout for first page of a letter or any communication also block
the second and subsequent pages
4. Page # should be at the left margin, along with the reference, date.
5. It is necessary to leave one clear line space between each section.

COMPONENTS

1. Logo – a special logo can help to identify a company.

2. Letterhead – consist the address of person sending the letter it should include post
address, email address, fax # and telephone #.
3. Reference – initials of writer or typist may also be a filing reference (the sender) your ref
(from the receiver).
4. Date – style used is Day – Month – Year.
5. Receives address / inside – information identifying the description sent, it includes; name,
full postal address, town post code.
6. Salutation – this is the greeting part of the letter which commences letter and the
message.
7. Heading / subject – it gives the theme of what the letter is about.
8. Body – separate body into paragraphs with a new idea in each, leaves clear line space
between each paragraph.
9. Complementary close – polite way of ending a letter i.e. your faithfully or sincerely.
Make sure it matches with salutation i.e. if you use dear sir / madam, yours faithfully. If
otherwise, dear Mr. or Mrs. ………………… yours sincerely
 10. Signature – this is the consent of the writer to the subject matter of the letter is usually
handwritten.
11. Sender name – indicate females with a courtesy title in brackets e.g. yours faithfully.
12. Designation / position
13. Enclosures – sometimes a letter carries along with it some other documents – price list,
invoice, receipts. In such cases a mention should be made these enclosures. Made at left
margin.
14. Copies – indicate copies, name of anyone receiving copies of letter e.g. CC. Pauline
Ulare (finance manager), Judy Ochollah (marketing manager).
If more than two, use alphabetical order.
Question
You have just purchased an expensive suit of computers and have found them faulty;
a) Write a letter of complaint
b) Assume you are computer supplier and respond to letter writing a letter of adjustment.

Style used in business letters

Combination of words used and structure of language, there are people of whom we shall
need to use more formal language i.e. when writing to those much high status than us.
Similarly there are situations calling for formality – disciplinary letter or request for over
clue payments.

When writing any business letter one should emphasize on the ‘you’ view point.

‘You’ view point

This involves seeing situation form the readers stand point and choosing words structures
that will bring a favourable response in their minds. It means place your readers in the
centre of things i.e. talking to them and about them. Sometime it involves just being
friendly and treating them the way they like to be treated. At other times it requires
skillfully handling people with carefully chosen words and order to get desired reaction
e.g.

‘We’ view ‘You’ viewpoint

1. We are pleased to have your new A/C Your A/C is now open for your
convert
2. We have received your report of My Thank you for your report of May 1
3. We have shipped the two dozen desks you ordered Your order of two dozen desks
should reach you with is letter.

Use of positive words

This means using positive words when expressing positive message.

Negative Positive

1. We regret to inform you that we cannot permit Since the ladies book club has
You to use our club house fore meeting as ladies reserved club house for Saturday, the
Book club asked for it first. The best we can do is offer you our
We can however let you use our conference room conference room which seats 60
people.
But it seats only 60 people.
2. Smoking isn’t permitted anywhere except in the Smoking is only permitted in the
lobby.
Lobby.
3. We cannot deliver the goods till Friday. We can deliver the goods on Friday.
4. We regret to inform you that we must deny For the time being we can serve you
only
Your request for credit On a cash basis.

Qualities of a good letter/ Essentials of an effective business letter

1. Promptness – respond to the letter ASAP (As soon as possible).
2. Knowledge of the subject – ensure you are accurately informed on subject matter on what
you are writing about.
3. Uses of pleasant and positive approach i.e. avoid answering with a ‘no’ or ‘sorry’. Write
another time instead of ‘no’, ‘I will try’ instead of sorry.
4. Good salesmanship – every letter from organization should be an ambassador from that
organization and should carry a message that enhances organization reputation to the
reader.
5. Accuracy, complete and clear – every detail of information included in business letter
should be accurate and complete. Irrelevant information should not be included. Useful
information shall not be committed.

2. MEMO

A memo means a note to assists the memory. It is used within the same est. if is an official form
of communication but is less formal than an official letter. Salutations and complementary close
are both omitted but the body of the memo should be headed to define the subject.

Uses
 1. To issue instructions to the staff.
2. To communicate policy to the staff.
3. Used to give or seek suggestions.

Form / Layout

INTERNAL MEMO (Centered Heading)

TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Body
(Fully blocked layout)
Signature
Initials / Position
3. Notice writing

A notice is a very short piece of writing which is usually formal in style. It is widely used by
individuals and organizations to announce events and celebrations, births and deaths, occasions
like inaugurations or sales, to issue public instructions, to make appeals and to extend invitations.
Most notices are meant to be pinned up or pasted on special boards meant for this specific
purpose only. There must be one or more such notice board in the school and other organization.
Whereas notices issued by the Government departments and other big organization also appear
in various newspapers.
How to Write a Notice?
Writing an effective notice is a kind of art that can be acquired with practice with keeping some
basic points in mind while writing them out. Your notice should give complete information and
must be written in a clear and thought through style and easily understandable language.
Content that a good effective notice must include in it are:
 Name of the Organization, Institution or Office issuing it.
 Date of issuing of a particular notice.
 The heading ‘Notice’ to make it very clear.
 A suitable description/ eye-catching caption or heading to hold the immediate attention of
the reader.
 Purpose for which it has been written like calling a meeting, drawing attention, making
an appeal or informing general public about some issue of concern etc.
 Details of schedule i.e. date, time, venue, programme, duration etc. in case the notice is
about an event to be organized in the near future.

4. Curriculum Vitae
Curriculum Vitae*/ résumé. A résumé is a one-page or two-page summary of your training, skills, and
accomplishments.

The eight most common components are.

1. Personal details. Provide your name, address, and telephone number(s), email, gender, age, and
optionally marital status, religion, nationality.
2. Job/career objective. Describe your goals in employment you are seeking.
3. Education. Begin with your highest degree and continue in reverse order.
4. Professional training. List any specialized training, courses, and so on.
5. Employment history. List both paid and unpaid work experience, beginning with the most recent.
Include employment dates, primary job responsibilities, and accomplishments and awards.
6. Professional affiliations. List professional groups to which you belong and any offices you have
held.
7. Special interests and skills. List interests and skills that are related to the job for which you are
applying.
8. Referees. These are individuals who know your work, your abilities, and your character.

5. Circulars

With electronic communication within organisations, the difference between memoranda and circulars
is already blurred and may soon disappear. Circulars are used for sending instructions and information
about new procedures or policies to all branches of the organisation. They are addressed impersonally
like a memorandum "To all Branch Managers", or "To all Accounts Section staff for information and
immediate action" Circulars used for internal communication follow the same style of layout as those
sent out of the organisation. However, they are not personalised and are written in the same precise,
informative style as memoranda and office orders.

Contents:

Name and Logo of organisation, Ref. No., Date., Circular No., To., Regards., Body., Signature., Name.,
Designation., CC., Appendices (if any)

6. REPORT WRITING SKILLS

Definition:

1. A report refers to information that has been carefully gathered and logically presented.
2. A report is a document which investigates a specific subject according to a prescribed/
given format and for a clearly defined readership/ audience who normally are those in superior
positions within a company or organization.

Features of a good report

a) Factual. A good report should be based on facts and not imagination. The facts should be
accurate.
b) Clarity. A good report is absolutely clear. Clarity depends on proper arrangement of facts.
The report writer must proceed systematically. He should make his/ her purpose clear, define his/
her sources, state the findings and finally make the necessary recommendations. The report
should be divided into short paragraphs giving them headings, and insert other suitable signposts
to achieve greater clarity.
c) Objective. It should be impartial. It should not have personal opinion, bias or prejudice.
d) Orderly / structured in a predetermined fashion. Its contents should be clearly and
logically arranged.
e) Detailed. All relevant information should be included in the report.
f) Precise. In a good report the writer is very clear about the exact purpose of writing it.
Precision gives a kind of unity and coherence to the report.
g) Brevity. A good report should be brief. But brevity should not be achieved at the cost of
clarity or completeness.
h) Grammatical accuracy.

Types of reports

1. Oral Report
Oral Report- is a presentation of factual information to an audience by word of mouth.

2. Written report
Written reports are a written document describing the findings of some individual or group and
are often used to display the result of an experiment, investigation, or inquiry.

3. Management reports
These are reports used by business managers to monitor the success of their businesses and
operations. These reports may include financial, labor and traffic reports.

4. Operations procedure
This is a prescribed procedure to be followed routinely. It is a particular course of action
intended to achieve a result.

5. Formal reports
They are official in nature. They contain information resulting from investigations. They are
about major issues of importance. They are mostly used by a committee or a working party. The
findings are directed at the appointing authority.

6. Informal reports
They are not official in nature. They are produced by junior clerks and personnel.

7. Routine reports
These are reports submitted on a fixed time span e.g. daily basis, weekly basis, monthly basis or
even annually. They may cover petty expenses on daily basis or attendance of workers on daily
basis. They may also cover various divisions or units of production on a daily basis.

8. Statutory reports
These are those reports which have a legal status and they are required by law e.g. auditor
general’s, financial reports or chairman’s report to the annual general meeting of the company’s
stakeholders.

9. Financial reports
These are reports prepared by the manager of the finance department or the controller of finance.
They provide valuable information on the financial structure, the effectiveness of the use of
capital, the need and ways of reorganizing capital resources etc.

Role/ uses of reports in an organization

1. Reports facilitate decision making and planning

Reports provide reliable data which can be used in the planning and decision making process. It
acts as a source of reliable information for long term planning and decision making.
2. Reports facilitate framing of personnel policies
Certain reports relating to employees are useful while preparing personnel policies such as
promotion policy, training policy and welfare facilities to employees.
3. Reports used give information to shareholders
Some company reports are prepared yearly for the benefit of shareholders. Annual reports for
example, are prepared and sent to all shareholders before the AGM because they give
information about the progress of the company.

4. Reports are a used for internal communication

Reports acts as an effective means of communication within the organization. They provide
feedback to employees and are prepared for the information and guidance of others connected
with the matter / problem.
5. Reports disclose unknown information
Reports provide information, which may not be known previously. The committee members
collect data, draw conclusions and provide information which may be new to all concerned
parties.
6. Report gives Information to employees
Reports are available to managers and departments for internal use. They are widely used by the
departments for guidance. Report provide a feedback to employees and are useful for their self-
improvement.
7. Report gives reliable permanent information
The information provided by a report is a permanent addition to the information available to the
office. We have census reports (prepared since last 100 years) which are used even today for
reference purpose.
8. Reports give complete & updated information
A report provides complete, factual and an up-to-date information about a particular matter or
subject.

Steps to take in preparation for report writing

All reports need to be clear, concise and well structured. With careful planning, the writing of a
report will be made much easier. The following are the steps to take in report writing.

Step One: Understanding the purpose of the report

You must understand the purpose of your report as described in your report instructions.
Consider who the report is for and why it is being written. Understand the terms of reference,
scope and purpose of the report.

Step Two: Gathering and selecting information

Once you are clear about the purpose of your report, you need to begin to collect data relevant to
the report. Data may come from a variety of sources, and may be collected using data collection
tools like questionnaires, interviews schedules or by surveying.

Step Three: Organising your material

Once you have gathered information you need to decide what will be included and in what
sequence it should be presented. Begin by grouping together points that are related. These may
form topics/ sections or chapters. Choose an order for your material that is logical and easy to
follow.

Step Four: Analyze your material

Before you begin to write your first draft of the report, take time to consider and make notes on
the points you will make using the facts and evidence you have gathered. Ask yourself what
conclusions can be drawn from the material? What are the limitations or flaws in the evidence?
Do certain pieces of evidence conflict with one another? Relate the information you have
gathered to the problem or issue described in the report brief.

Step five: Write the draft

Use short words and sentences. Avoid use of jargon. Avoid ambiguity.

Step six: Revise and proof read the draft (Refer to notes on paragraph development)

General report format guidelines

When you write a report, you will want to make it easy to read and understand. Here are some
guidelines to apply to any report you write.
 Use lists: Whenever you can, help your reader by using lists. Give your lists visual
emphasis by bullets.
  Use headings and subheadings: Use headings and subheadings to guide your reader
through the organization of the report and list them in the table of contents. Each section should
have a clear topic statement to let the reader know what will be included in the section.
 Use clear typefaces, such as Times New Roman or Arial: Avoid using more than one
typeface in a document. Bold section headings for emphasis.
 Use white space to enhance your information: Dense blocks of text are difficult to read
and will make it more difficult for your readers to find the information they need. For further
information on this topic, see the OWL resource on document design, HATS.

The structure of a report

I. Preliminaries

 Title Page/ cover page

 Executive Summary
 Terms of Reference
 Table of contents
 Acknowledgements
II. Body
 Introduction
 Methods
 Findings
 Discussion
 Conclusion
 Recommendations
III. Appendices
IV. Bibliography
V. Glossary of Technical Terms
1. Title Page
It explicitly describes the purpose of the report. It may include could be your name, the date and
for whom the report is written.

2. Executive Summary
It gives an overview of subject matter, methods of analysis, findings, and recommendations in
brief detail.
3. Terms of Reference
This section gives precise indication of the area covered by the report. Under this heading you
could include a brief explanation of who will read the report (audience) why it was written
(purpose) and how it was written (methods).

4. Table of contents
It lists the different chapters and/or headings together with the page numbers. Your contents page
should be presented in such a way that the reader can quickly scan the list of headings and locate
a particular part of the report. You may want to number chapter headings and subheadings in
addition to providing page references. Whatever numbering system you use, be sure that it is
clear and consistent throughout.
5. Introduction
The introduction sets the scene for the main body of the report. It explains the aims and
objectives of the report in detail. It identifies any problems or limitations in the scope of the
report gives and a description of research methods, the parameters of the research and any
necessary background history.
6. Methods
Information under this heading may include: a list of equipment used; explanations of procedures
followed; relevant information on materials used including sources of materials and details of
any necessary preparation; reference to any problems encountered and subsequent changes in
procedure.
7. Findings
This section should include a summary of the results of the investigation or experiment together
with any necessary diagrams, graphs or tables of gathered data that support your results. Present
your results in a logical order without comment. Discussion of your results should take place in
the main body (Discussion) of the report.
8. Discussion
This is where you discuss the findings. The facts and evidence you have gathered should be
analysed and discussed with specific reference to the problem or issue. If your discussion section
is lengthy you might divide it into section headings. Your points should be grouped and arranged
in an order that is logical and easy to follow. Use headings and subheadings to create a clear
structure for your material. Use bullet points to present a series of points in an easy-to-follow list.
As with the whole report, all sources used should be acknowledged and correctly referenced.
9. Conclusion
It describes that section of the report which interprets the facts and observations presented in the
findings. No new material should be introduced in the conclusion.
10. Recommendations
This section is used to put forward a future course of action concerning the topic under
investigation.
11. Appendices
This is where you include all the supporting information you have used or is contained in the
body of the report. This might include tables, graphs, questionnaires, surveys or transcripts.
12. Bibliography
It lists all published sources referred to in your report. It is listed alphabetically. There are
different styles of using references and bibliographies. Refer to the study guide Referencing and
Bibliographies and check your departmental handbook for guidelines. Texts which you consulted
but did not refer to directly could be grouped under a separate heading such as 'Background
Reading' and listed in alphabetical order using the same format as in your bibliography.
13. Acknowledgements
Where appropriate you may wish to acknowledge the assistance of particular organisations or
individuals who provided information, advice or help.
14. Glossary of Technical Terms
This is a brief, clear description of each term used. You can also include in this section
explanations of the acronyms (short forms), abbreviations or standard units used in your report.

Audience analysis (check ex book notes)

7. NEWSLETTER

Its purpose is to make sure that everyone knows what is going on in their departments and other
departments, offices, hence making them feel part of the organization. They might also contain
information in company policies, achievements, move to a new premises or the launch of new
product information in newsletter should flow logically and one should use reported speech.

Outline principles of producing good newsletters.

Explain guidelines for writing good newsletters

8. ADVERTISEMENT & PUBLICITY MATERIALS

They are done to advertise and to describe a product or a service publicly in order to persuade
people to buy or use it.

Types of advertisement

1. Direct adverts – these will appear in local and national daily or weekly newspapers,
magazines and journals.

Types

a) Classified advertisement - short, one column wide adverts appearing grouped under main
heading in newspaper and magazines. Information runs on often in the same type with no
special headings.
b) Display classified – within the confines of classified adverts small display, display may
be included. They allow for the use of larger bold typefaces for more attractive layout.
2. Direct mail advertising
Direct mail entails sales letters, leaflets, brochures and coupons. Sales letter which with
modern technology can be addressed directly by name to individual and also have theirs.
Coloured leaflets can also offer discounts, reduced price and loans.
The objective of advertising is to inform, persuade or remind.

9. SPEECH WRITING AND PRESENTATION

What is Speech?

A speech is an effective medium to communicate your message. It is the way of communicating

ideas and thoughts through talking.
Public speaking aims to convey your ideas logically and provide sufficient supporting evidence
to back the idea.

What is Speech Writing?

Speech writing is the art of conveying a message to the audience through words. Speech writing
isn't much different than essay writing. You need to understand your speech’s purpose, the
required length or the time limit, and do the audience analysis.

Coming up with an effective speech can be nerve-racking as you have to engage the audience’s
attention. But if you follow the basic guidelines and proper speech format, you can easily
write a great speech that will leave the audience with something good to think about.

How to Write a Presentation Speech: Speech Writing Tips to Win Any Audience

Even if you think that it won’t happen to you, believe us, it will…Sooner or later you will be
asked to write a presentation speech when studying or working. Public speaking is rather a
complicated experience, but exciting as well for many people. Hence, if you want your
audience to like your speech, you will have to prepare in advance. The perfect speech should
be persuasive, motivating, and of course, informative.

You should know, however, that presenting a speech is not as difficult as it seems to be. You
only will need to take into account several tips and pieces of advice. Don’t worry because we
are here to help you with your speech.

It is worth mentioning that to write a great speech seems to be easier than actually presenting
your speech. Partially, this is true because you won’t sweat or your voice will not tremble,
trying to draw the attention of the audience.

Therefore, our guide will be practical for you because here you will find typical mistakes, tips for
writing a speech, and topics for speech. Sounds interesting?
The Main Types of a Speech Paper

 Pop Culture Speech - This is such a speech assignment where you can speak about
popular culture events. For speech example, it might be President Trump’s inaugural
speech or Tiger Wood’s apology speech. One of the purposes of such a speech is to show
social importance and significance. Try to evoke the same emotion as the speaker did.
 Demonstration Speech - The main target of this speech is to educate people to do a
certain thing, explain how something works or how to create something. The topic should
be interesting and exciting to listen to. Use visual aids for this speech because they will
really help you to explain the topic when speaking.
 Informative Speech - The choice of the topic for this assignment is unlimited. We
recommend to select the one you are personally interested in or you feel the audience is
unaware of. Provide the audience with a new perspective on some phenomenon or look at
it from a different angle. Describe the advantages and disadvantages, summarizing
history. Present objective facts without being persuasive.
 Persuasive Speech - The main purpose of this speech assignment is to persuade the
audience to take your opinion. For that, state the facts and statistics clearly so that they
will convince and support your thesis statement. Make your speech stronger by disclosing
of the opposite point of view, appealing to beliefs. However, discredit the opposing
opinion at the end. Use visual aids as much as you can to strengthen your arguments.
 Entertaining Speech - Probably, you have heard of stand-up comedians, haven’t you?
These are people who present their speeches in a fun and humorous way, and even earn
money for it. Making people laugh is such a complicated thing so you will have to
prepare your jokes in advance precisely and thoroughly. However, sometimes it might be
impromptu so don’t get too serious about it.

How to Prepare for a Great Speech

Speech preparation is not complicated if you have a guide on how to do it. Here are the main
steps to keep you confident when public speaking:

1. Choose an interesting topic - It’s not only you to be interested in the topic, but your
audience as well. Select one of the good speech ideas you or your audience finds
enjoyable.
 2. Set a goal - Write a speech down, specifying what purpose you are going to achieve. You
should know exactly what you want your audience to do. Keep it in focus as you move
through the preparation process.
3. Focus on the audience - Preparing a written speech, you should concentrate on your
audience as much as it is possible to keep them interested and involved. Elaborate the
ways of how to make the information memorable and relevant to your audience.
4. Know your subject - Sometimes you will have to make a lot of research when
sometimes the only thing you need to do is to reflect the ideas you already have on paper.
5. Collect the information - You should be ready for the speech. So you will have to do a
lot of broad research. Also, you may ask an expert to reveal their opinion about a certain
issue.
6. No plagiarism allowed - Make your speech fresh and genuine. Use only credible and
reliable sources. Keep track in order to cite your resources properly.
7. Write an outline - Planning is the background of each good speech. Make sure you
included all the main points to your outline.
8. Make sure all the parts are present - Each good speech should begin with the
Introduction, which is followed by the Main Body, and Conclusion.
9. Choose visual aids - Visual aids are necessary components of a good speech because
they help the audience better understand you.
10. Utilize PowerPoint - You may include various photos, cards, diagrammes, videos, etc.
into your PowerPoint presentation to help to better persuade the audience.
11. Use verbs and active voice - Writing a speech, it is better to empower your speech with
verbs and calls to action. Use a minimum of nouns.
12. Place a complex word at the end of the sentence If you put a complex word in the
beginning, you will lose your audience because they will focus on this word first.
However, if you put it in the end, they will have more time to understand it.
13. Choose concrete phrases Writing a speech, do not be carried away with thought and
avoid roundabouts in order not to sound suspicious.
14. Use shorter expressions If you use shorter phrases, your speech will be more understood
and persuasive, writing a speech.
15. Maintain eye contact, being a speaker Keeping the audience’s attention is not the
easiest thing to do, you know. Try to keep eye contact with each member of the audience
to make them persuaded with your speech.

How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation for a Speech

Don’t worry, even the shyest person in the world is able to get to know how to write a good
speech and present it, of course, if they prepare in advance. If you use such a computer
program as PowerPoint, it will be even more simply.
 1. Greet the audience and make a small introduction of yours.

efore you begin to present your speech, being a speaker, tell your audience your name and
your field of expertise. It is one of the good ways to start a speech. It shouldn’t take a long
time and is unnecessary to be too detailed as the main purpose of doing it is to create a
connection between you and your audience. It helps to build relationships and clarify why it
is beneficial to listen to you. In such a way, you will increase the level of credibility to you,
making the audience trust you.

2. Introduction.

Try to make your audience interested in your speech, being a speaker. For that, you should
clarify the purpose of your speech and explain its subject. You should state the main
problems that you will be exploring. Provide the listeners with a possible outcome of your
presentation. The next thing is to illustrate the preview of your presentation structure,
explaining the length of the speech. The time from writing to speech shouldn’t be long.

3. Main body. The promises you made in the previous part should be met in the eyes of a
listener. Organize each element of your speech in a logical order to help your audience
better understand it. You may use transitional words and phrases to make the flow of
your speech be more smoothly and naturally. Make sure the main claims are revealed one
by one with a piece of evidence, supporting them. Include a summary each time you
move to the next point of your speech. Produce clear messages to your audience in this
part.
4. Conclusion. In this part, you should summarize your main claims, revealed in the main
body. Before doing this, signal the audience that you are wrapping up. The next step is to
restate the subject and target of your presentation. The last, but not least section of the
conclusion is to make a call to action.
5. Thank the audience. Be grateful to your audience for their time and invite them to ask
questions, if they have. In case you do not have any questions from your audience, you
will understand whether everything is clear or nothing is clear at all.

Sample Speech Asking for Donations

You know those friends who are perpetually there for you? Whether you need a ride home at
2 in the morning or you’re sick and they come bring you soup, you just know you can always
count on them to have your back. Well, that’s sort of like the friendship a dog brings to your life.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve been gone from the house for four minutes or four hours, dogs are
always ecstatic to see you again. You could throw a stick across the lawn all afternoon, and
they’ll act like their brilliant master has created the best, most exciting game on the planet.
They can sense when you’re ill and lie protectively near you. They can sense when you’re sad
and lick your hand affectionately. They’re extraordinarily affectionate and intuitive creatures;
however, not all of them are lucky enough to have an owner whom they can love and adore.

Twice a week, we welcome a new addition to our family at Cute ‘N’ Cuddly Canines, which
means we house just over a hundred dogs in this shelter every year. We love all of the animals
who come to us for as long as they were meant to be on this earth, so, as you can imagine, it’s
getting a bit crowded, and resources are slight.

This is why were are currently seeking donations for our little shelter, which has been here in
town for the last 75 years. We do not turn dogs away, nor do we euthanize them; therefore, we
need to expand to accommodate this growing family of man’s best friends.

We survive thanks to the help of our dedicated volunteers, but the water and electricity are not
free—nor are the leashes, shampoo, flea dip, collars, toys, bedding, cleaning supplies, cages,
food, towels, toothbrushes, slings, nail trimmers, medication, harnesses, and everything else that
keeps this shelter running.

Many of our volunteers spend up to eight hours a day at the shelter, making sure that each of our
furry friends feels comfortable and loved. There’s only so much these people can do, however,
with their limited resources. Some of the ladies have even taken to purchasing dog food on their
own dimes to make sure no one has to go hungry.
We are asking for a little help for the town’s most vulnerable inhabitants. The smallest of
donations makes a world of difference, and we are eternally grateful for the support we have
gotten over the years.

Aside from the official donation page, we are also having a very special event on May 20 to
which you are cordially invited. From 8 am to 8 pm at the community center, there will be a
wonderful day of festivities, and every cent of the proceeds will go toward the shelter. We hope
to see everyone there. From the giant Mastiffs to the teacup Yorkies, the doggies thank you, the
staff thanks you, and I thank you for your time and compassion.

And, of course, if your family is looking for a cuddly canine to call your very own, you know
where to look. We have adoption fairs every Saturday at the shelter, and we hope to get every
single puppy a loving and caring home.