Notices | Grade 10 | Week 1

Notices are a part of daily life, I'm sure you can find more than one as you go about your daily life. The notice might seem like a topic for Business stream, but knowing how to create any of the different types of notices comes in very handy for anyone who does any kind of business.

One important aspect of communication is business communication, also known as formal communication. Formal letters, memos, circulars, etc., are all forms of business communication. Another important tool of the same is a notice. Let's learn the meaning of notices and details of notice-writing.

What exactly is a Public Notice?

Notices, in general, are a means of formal communication targeted at a particular person or a group of persons. It is like a news item informing such person or persons of some important event. This can be an invitation to a meeting, an announcement of any event, to issue certain instructions, make appeals etc. 

Public Notice to a School Body

Public notices, like the example above, are generally displayed at a public place, where it is accessible to all.  They can be pasted on notice boards. If it is meant for a wider audience it can even be published in a newspaper. The government when it issues notices must publish it in national and local papers.

What is an Office Notice?

An office notice is a written or an oral statement that contains the particulars of holding a meeting. When a circular (click word for definition) is served among the members of the meeting to attend the meeting, it is called a notice. It is letter of invitation that carries the request to the members to attend a meeting. A notice includes time, place, date and agenda of a meeting. The notice should be sent by the proper authority in due time so that the members can attend the meeting in time.

Now, how do you actually write a notice? 

Below I have some guidelines to writing Formal Notices.

Since notices are a formal document it should follow a structure or a format. Keep in mind there is no one correct rigid format. Different formats used by different people/organizations can show some variations. But it is best to follow a somewhat similar format for ease of understanding and uniformity. Let's look at the most used format of notices.

Name of Issuing Organization/Authority: Right at the very top, you print the name of the person or company that is issuing the said notices. This will help the reader identify the notices as important or unimportant to him.

Title: When writing notices we mention a title “NOTICE” at the top. This helps draw attention to the document. Notices are generally posted at a public place or published in newspapers. It is important that they do not get lost in a sea of information. So a bold title clearly mentioned helps draw the attention.

Date: After the tile to the left-hand side we print the date on which the notices have been published. Since this is a formal document date is an important aspect of it since these documents stay on record.

Heading: Then we move on to an appropriate heading to the notices. This heading should make abundantly clear the purpose of the notices.

Body: After the heading, we write the brief and to the point body of the notice. The main content of the notice features in the body.

Writer’s Name: At the end of the notices we write the name and designation/position of the notice-writer. The notices have to also be signed by the same person to lend it authority and validity.

Content

Notices should cover some important points that are to be communicated to the readers. Let us summarize the five points that the content of the notice will cover, the five W’s

What: What is the notice about? The notice should be clear about what is going to happen (event), or what has already happened (occasion). This is the crux of the message and should be written clearly. There should not be any ambiguity.

Where: If the notice is about an event, then the location of such an event must be written clearly. The venue or the location are important details, so make sure to include this in the notice.

When: This is the time and the date of the event or meeting. If possible the duration of the event should also be mentioned to people can schedule their time accordingly.

Who: This will be who the notice is addressed to. Who all are suppose to adhere to the notice should be clearly mentioned to avoid confusion.

Whom: And final detail should be whom to contact or get in touch with. This mentions who the appropriate authority is to contact.

Here is an example of a public notice that I have created - 

EXERCISE:

Write a public notice on one of the following topics:

1. Your church/masjid/mandir is holding an event hosting a popular preacher/imam/pandit. Write a notice as the president/leader/secretary of your place of worship inviting the members of your congregation and the general public to the function.

2. Bush Lot Secondary is having a song writing competition for its students. Write a notice informing all students about the competition, as well as who the judges will be. You are writing this as the secretary of BLSS.

3. As the Minister of Education, write a notice informing all students, parents and teachers that schools will be closed for the day on Friday, April 1st 2022. The header for this notice shall be "Ministry of Education"; the ministry's address is "21, Brickdam, Central Georgetown".

One last example, in the continuous format of notice writing.
Compared to the example before, this one does not put it's information in bullet points.