Business Communication: Channels, Structure and Banking Correspondence
JAIBP Stage I Business Communication tests whether you can select a channel, structure a message and draft banking correspondence that is clear, courteous and complete. Expect questions on the communication process, the 7 Cs, memo and report format, meeting documents and barriers to listening.
The 7 Cs as a checklist
Clear (one idea per sentence), concise (cut redundancy), concrete (figures and dates), correct (grammar, names, amounts), coherent (logical order), complete (who, what, when), courteous (reader-focused tone). Active voice and a specific subject line do most of the work.
Channels and direction
Downward channels carry instructions; upward channels carry reports and escalation; lateral channels coordinate. Rich channels such as face-to-face suit complex or sensitive messages; lean channels such as notices suit routine facts. The grapevine is fast but distorted, so never rely on it for formal policy communication.
Structure
Direct order for routine and good news: purpose, details, action. Indirect order for bad news or persuasion: neutral buffer, reasons, decision, courteous close. A memo carries To/From/Date/Subject and no salutation. A formal report moves from terms of reference through procedure and findings to conclusions and recommendations.
Worked example
Original: 'It is requested that the account opening form may kindly be got filled by the customer at the earliest.' Rewrite: 'Please ask the customer to complete the account-opening form by Friday, 12 May.' The rewrite uses active voice, names the reader's action, fixes a deadline and removes the passive stack 'may kindly be got filled'.
Traps
Do not treat 'you-attitude' as flattery; it means focusing on the reader's benefit. Avoid vague subject lines such as 'Update', burying the request in paragraph three, and quoting unverified figures. In bad-news messages, never place the refusal in the first line.