Business Communication

Be in control of the interview. Be the first to speak by assertively introducing yourself
and initiating a handshake. Jump right in and ask a few basic questions of the interviewer,
such as who else they’ve spoken to and how much time they’ll need. Doing so puts you in
the driver’s seat and sends the message that you’re in the game.
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Return to key points as often as possible.
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Minimize distractions. Turn off your beeper and cell phone or give them to someone else.
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Make eye contact with the journalist. If the reporter is present, do not look at the
camera. Holding eye contact is critical to projecting a positive and confident image. Looking
down can make you seem uncooperative, while looking from side to side can make you look
shifty or evasive.
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Do not repeat an interviewer’s negative comment as you respond to a question.
Always frame answers in a positive way.
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Avoid jargon, industry language and acronyms. Reporters are communicating the
information you give them to the general public. It is important to speak in terms everyone
can understand.
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Never speculate. It is human nature to give it your best shot at coming up with an answer,
but in a media interview, being pretty sure can harm your organization’s reputation. If you

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don’t know, say so and promise to do your best to find out the correct answer and get back
to them.
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Be responsive, but always remember your purpose. You aren’t there to be a talking head
and answer the interviewer’s questions; you are there to communicate your key messages.
While you should not be evasive, you should always work your messages in.
10.6
SEMINARS
A seminar is a discussion in a small group in which the result of research or advanced study is
presented through oral or written reports. The main purpose of a seminar is to share knowledge and to
get the views of equally knowledgeable persons. Generally one person presents a lead paper, and an
in-depth discussion on it follows. The other members interact with the speaker expressing their views
on the speaker’s presentation.
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Seminar is, generally, a form of academic interaction, either at a university or offered by a
commercial or professional organization.
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It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each
time on some particular subject, in which everyone present is requested to actively