Communication skills

1. Presented By:
Dr. Vishnu Kumar Sharma

2. Contents
Contents
• Communication: Meaning
• Communication: Elements
• Communication: Process
•Communication: Types
• Flows of Communication
• Barriers to Communication
• Basics of professionalcommunication
•Professional Ethics
•Time-management Respect for Deadlines and Corporate Culture

3. Introduction
• Definition:
Communication is a dynamic interactive process that involves effective
transmission of ideas, thoughts, and information through verbal and non-verbal
methods and suitable medium.
• Technical communication:
Technical communication is about some profession, business and industry. It
focuses on the information about products and services – how to manufacture them,
market them, manage them, deliver them, and use them.
The thumb rule of communication is that one should communicate to express, and
not to impress, to make understand, and not to confuse.
Communication: Meaning

4. Communication: Elements
• Source /Sender, is the one who initiates the action of communicating.
• Audience/Receiver is the person(s) for whom the communication is intended.
• Goal/Purpose is the sender's reason for communicating, the desired result of the
communication.
• Message/ Content is the information conveyed.
• Medium /Channel is the means or method used for conveying the message.
• Feedback is the receiver's response to the communication as observed by the
sender.
• Environment /Context is the background in which the communication takes
place.

5. Communication: Process

6. Connumication: Types
Communication: Types

7. Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication
• Verbal Communication: Communication through words and language is called
verbal communication
• Forms of verbal communication:
(1) Spoken (2) Written
• Non-Verbal Communication: Communication through other symbols than
words and language is called non-verbal communication.
• Forms of non-verbal communication:
(1) Kinesics (2) Paralinguistics
(3) Haptics (4) Proxemics
(5) Chronemics

8. Written vs Oral Communication
Basis Written Oral
Record Permanent Record Does not have a
permanent record
Cost High cost Less costly
Feedback Takes time to receive
feedback
Immediate feedback
Flexibility Rigid or inflexible Highly flexible
Time taken Takes more time to
prepare and transmit
message
Takes very little time to
prepare and transmit
message
Reliability Most reliable Not reliable

9. Written vs Oral Communication(Contd.)
Basis Written Oral
Legality Legal evidence is possible No legal evidence possible
Distortion No possibility of distortion High possibility of
distortion
Effectiveness Not very effective Highly effective
Relationship No relationship building
with the receiver
Immediate relationship
building with the receiver
Formality Highly formal Informal
Media Letters, Emails, Memos ,
Notices etc.
Telephone, Face to face,
Talks, public speeches etc.
Body Language No support of speaker's
body language
Full support of speaker's
body language

10. Written vs Oral Communication(Contd.)
Basis Written Oral
Punctuation Clear sentence
boundaries
Lack of clear sentence
boundaries
Structure/Syntax More complex structure Simple structure
Fluency Full fluency Normal non-fluency
Interaction No interactive features Full interactive features
Monitoring features No monitoring features Full monitoring features
Repetitiveness Non-repetitiveness Frequent repetitiveness
Paralanguage No support of speaker's
paralanguage
Full support of speaker's
paralanguage

11. Formal or Informal Communication
The difference between "formal" and "informal" is not the same as the difference
between "grammatical" and "ungrammatical." The difference is in the "register"
which includes specific way, use and purpose, tone of voice, vocabulary and syntax.
Formal communication means exchange of ideas and information which is done
under the planned organizational structure.
Formal Channel:
(1) Upward Communication
(2) Downward Communication
(3) Horizontal Communication
Informal Channel:
(1) Diagonal Communication or Grapevine

12. Communication: Types (Contd.)
• Internal or External Communication
• Intentional or Unintentional Communication
• One-way and Two-way
• Intrapersonal Communication
• Interpersonal Communication
• Extra Personal Communication
• Group Communication
• Public Communication
• Mass Communication

13. Flows of Communication
Flow refers to the direction towards that the communication moves in a hierarchal
system.
• Vertical communication
(1) Downward Communication: It refers to communication from the higher
level in managerial hierarchy to the lower ones.
(2) Upward Communication: It refers to communication from subordinates to
superiors.
• Horizontal Communication: It refers the flow between or among the parallel
or same level people of the organizational structure.
• Diagonal /Grapevine Communication: It flows in all directions and do not
have to follow rigid norms of communication protocol.

14. Barriers to Communication

15. Physical Barriers
• Physical Barriers: Obstacles that prevent a message from reaching the intended
recipient may be outside and beyond the control of the persons concerned. Some can
be controlled by the management; some cannot be controlled because they are in the
environment.
(1) Defects in the Medium
(2) Noise in the Environment
(3) Information Overload

16. Semantic and Language Barriers
• Semantic and Language Barriers: Semantic means pertaining to or arising from the
different meanings of words or other symbols. Language is our most important and
powerful tool of communication; and yet it is a tricky tool that needs skill in handling. It is
said, "meaning is in people, not in words." Age, education, cultural background and many
other factors influence the meaning we assign to words and sentences.
(1) Multiple meanings.
The word ‘current’ has different meaning in different contexts, as for an electric engineering
student, for a commerce student, for a bank manager.
The word ‘housewife’ has different meaning with different pronunciation.
Housewife /ˈhaʊs.waɪf/ a married woman whose main occupation is caring for her family.
Housewife /ˈhʌz.ɪf/ a small case for needles and other sewing items.

17. Semantic and Language Barriers (Contd.)
(1) Position of focus ie end-focus and contrastive focus
In written communication, the reader may read with contrastive focus and can assign different meaning
(3) Technical terms
Emotional and cultural attitudes
Place of contrastive focus Signifying Meaning
I did not tell John you were late. Someone else told John you were late.
I did not ​tell John you were late. This did not happen.
I did not tell John you were late. I may have implied it.
I did not tell John ​you were late. But maybe I told Sharon and José.
I did not tell John you were late. I was talking about someone else.
I did not tell John you were late. I told him you still are late.
I did not tell John you were ​late. I told him you were attending another
meeting.

18. Socio-Psychological Barriers
• Socio-Psychological Barriers: Any socio-psychological or emotional
disturbance can prove to be a barrier to effective communication because it
leads to lack of interest and concentration. The emotional disturbance may
adversely affect both encoding and decoding.
(1) Self-centred Attitudes
(2) Group Identification
(3) Selective Perception
(4) Defensiveness
(5) Resistance to Change
(6) Poor Communication Skills
(7) State of Health

19. Organisational Barriers
• Organisational Barriers: In an organisation, the information gaps and barriers
become more complex. The movement of papers and of information gets held
up by the system itself. Editing and filtering may also create barriers. A great
deal of loss of information occurs as a message moves from senior management
to lower levels. If a message passes down through many levels of authority,
there may be much distortion in the message.
(1) Editing and filtering
(2) Misinterpretation
(3) Neglect of messages
(4) Over-dependence on written communication

20. Inter-Cultural Barriers
• Inter-Cultural Barriers: Cross cultural factors naturally increase the possible
problems of communication. Culture is a shared set of values and attributes of a
group. Culture is so much a part of an individual's manner of talking, behaving and
thinking, that communication style and competence are influenced by it.
(1) Language: Such culture-bound word as Jalebi, Sherwani, Mehar certainly can't
convey the same notion with other language equivalents.
(2) Non-verbal behaviour: Not only the gestures are understood differently, but the
amount of use of gesture varies in different cultures.
(3) Paralanguage: Cross-cultural confusion arises from the way of the use voice
and tone.
(4) Perception: What smells "good" or "bad" is perceived differently.

21. How to Overcome Barriers
• Demographic study of audience – taking the receiver seriously
• Encode your message well – crystal clear message
• Be precise and to the point – avoid information overload
• Use an appropriate form and style of communication
• Delivering messages skilfully
• Be careful about barriers
• Be aware of your own state of mind – appreciate and understand cultural
differences and emotions.
• Ensuring appropriate feedback

22. Basics of Professional Communication
Basics / Characteristics / Qualities / CS of professional communication
General communication as well as in technical communication is (almost) entirely
dependent on language. The language of technical writing is or should be
characterized by formality, high stylization, accuracy, and precision. Language is
the starting and ending point for any writing. A single word can earn or mar a user’s
reputation. Technical communication art is born of the right choice of words. The
ignorance of the choice of words is not innocence but sin that only ruins one’s
writing. When proper words prevail ambiguity flees away so a technocrat has to
endeavour a lot to achieve immaculateness. A technical writer very nicely must
know his art and re-examines it with a true critic’s skill.

23. Basics of Professional Communication (Contd.)
• Clarity: it exists in using simple, familiar, concrete, specific words and
expression and clear references.
• Courtesy: the technical writing must reflect courtesy and consideration, as the
reader is under no obligation to do what the writer write for. Positive and
encouraging phrases should be used and irritating phrases and expressions
should be avoided.
• Conciseness: technical writing should be concise and direct so unnecessary
words, wordy expressions; empty words, wordy compounds, repetitions,
verbosity and redundancies must be avoided. Indirect expressions, rhetoric, and
exaggeration should be avoided. Conciseness should not be on the cost of
clarity.

24. Basics of Professional Communication (Contd.)
• Correct Tone: tone in a technical writing refers to the manner or mood of
expression. It helps establish the relationship that the writer wishes to establish with
the reader. The tone should be formal, tactful, personal, and positive. A tactless or
negative tone can lead to misunderstanding, resulting in negative response from the
reader.
• Correct Attitude: attitude in a technical writing refers to the reflection of the
opinion of the writer on the reader. To establish goodwill and a long-term
relationship with the reader, avoid a poor and negative language.
• Correct language: correct, accurate and simple language should be used in a
technical writing. The use of careless and incorrect use of language not only leaves
a bad impression on reader about the writer but also it misleads the meaning.

25. Professional Ethics
• Professional Ethics
The term ethics is referred to the morals, beliefs, integrities and principles. It is the
study of moral principles or values that determine whether actions are right or
wrong and outcomes are good or bad.
• Do’s
• Being a good listener.
• Admitting criticism.
• Responding to critics honestly and respectfully.
• Admitting mistakes.
• Using polite language

26. Professional Ethics (Contd.)
• Providing constructive criticism.
• Depicting truthfulness and honesty.
• Imparting factual information.
• Eliminating fraudulent traits.
• Encouraging harmonious behiviour.
• Being resourcefulness and conscientiousness.
• Augmenting competencies and abilities.
• Obeying laws and public policies.
• Being sensitive to others cultural values and beliefs.
• Giving credit to others for their work.

27. Professional Ethics (Contd.)
• Don’t s
• Don’t “Reply All” to an email chain.
• Don’t have personal conversations at your desk.
• Don’t bring your emotions into the office.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
• Don’t gossip about fellow co-workers or your boss.
• Don’t use emojis or multiple exclamation points (if any) in official emails.
• Don’t use confidential information for personal benefit.
• Don’t represent conflicting or competing interests without full disclosure and
the written consent of those involved.

28. Time Management:
Respect for Deadlines and Corporate Culture
• Time management refers to the development of processes and tools that
increase efficiency and productivity. Time management is about effectiveness
and efficiency of what you are doing and how you do it. Time management is a
process that is constituted with a series of steps which involves the analysis of
our time habits, clarification of our objectives, establishment of our priorities,
planning for appropriate results.
• One should always have a reflection on “If I waste time, time dose waste me.”
The lack of achievement is not lack of time; all we have twenty-four hour a
day. Unlike other resources time cannot be reviewed or replaced or outsourced
or imported. Only good time management can bring desired results.

29. Time Management:
Respect for Deadlines and Corporate Culture(Contd.)
• Time Management includes:
(1) Analyzing time use: Discover what is happening and what should be changed.
(2) Effective Planning.
(3) Setting goals and objectives.
(4) Prioritizing activities as per their importance.
(5) Delegation / allocation of responsibilities.
(6) Setting deadlines: Never take a chance to be reminded as it is the waste of time
of both the parties and it also increase the stress.
(7) Spending the right time on the right activity: Make sure that activities land to
the stated objectives.
(8) Evaluating progress: Determine if things are working out well.