~/Communication Skills – II

Introduction — Example of Communication

Let us look at a simple conversation in a bookstore to understand communication:

1.1 Methods of Communication

Communication can take place in many different ways. The three main methods are:

1. Verbal Communication (spoken or written words)
2. Non-Verbal Communication (gestures, expressions, body language)
3. Visual Communication (images, signs, symbols)

🔹 Common Methods in Daily Use

🔹 Choosing the Right Method

The method you choose depends on four main factors:

• Target audience – who is receiving the message?
• Costs – what budget is available?
• Kind / Type of information – formal, informal, technical, personal?
• Urgency / Priority – how fast must it reach?

1.2 Elements of the Communication Cycle

The communication cycle has five elements that work together:

1.3 Verbal Communication

🔹 Forms of Verbal Communication

👥 1. Interpersonal Communication

One-on-one conversation between two individuals. Can be formal or informal.

• A manager discussing performance with an employee.
• Two friends discussing homework.
• Two people talking over phone or video call.

✍️ 2. Written Communication

Uses written words — letters, circulars, reports, manuals, SMS, social-media chats, e-mails.

• A manager writing an appreciation e-mail to an employee.
• Writing a letter to grandmother enquiring about her health.

👨‍👩‍👧 3. Small Group Communication

Two or more people interact — each participant can converse with the rest.

• Press conferences
• Board meetings
• Team meetings

📢 4. Public Communication

One person addresses a large gathering.

• Election campaigns
• Public speeches by dignitaries

🔹 Pros & Cons of Verbal Communication

🔹 Mastering Verbal Communication

1.4 Non-Verbal Communication

🔹 Why Non-Verbal Communication Matters

• Makes the verbal message more effective when correct gestures are used.
• Helps understand the audience's reaction and adjust the conversation.
• Right gestures & postures show professionalism and etiquette.
• Useful when verbal messages are blocked by noise or distance — e.g., finger on lips = "silence", nodding = "yes".

🔹 Types of Non-Verbal Communication

1.5 Visual Communication

🔹 Common Visual Communication Signs

2.1 Communication Cycle & Importance of Feedback

Feedback is an important part of the communication cycle. For effective communication, it is essential that the sender receives acknowledgement from the receiver that the message got across. When you watch someone do their work and then communicate to help them improve — you are giving feedback.

2.2 Types of Feedback

2.3 Descriptive & Specific Feedback

Descriptive feedback can be given as written comments (like a teacher's note on your assignment) or through a conversation (like discussing your project with your manager). Specific feedback mentions exactly what was good or what needs improvement, with examples.

2.4 Qualities of Good Feedback

Feedback that is shared properly helps reinforce strengths and enables the receiver to rectify errors. It has a long-term effect in managing and achieving goals. A good feedback should be:

🎯 1. Specific

Avoid general comments. Try to include examples to clarify your statement. Offering alternatives rather than giving orders lets the receiver decide what to do with your feedback.

⏱️ 2. Timely

Being prompt is the key — feedback loses its impact if delayed too long. Give it while the work is still fresh.

🙂 3. Polite

While sharing feedback, the recipient should not feel offended by the language. Keep it respectful, even when pointing out errors.

🤝 4. Offering Continuing Support

Feedback sharing should be a continuous process. After offering feedback, let recipients know you are available for support.

2.5 Importance of Feedback

Feedback is the final and one of the most important elements of communication. It is the response given by the receiver to the sender. Reasons why feedback is important:

3.1 What is Effective Communication?

All methods of communication (verbal, non-verbal, visual) can only be effective if we follow the basic principles of professional communication — the 7 Cs: Clear, Concise, Concrete, Correct, Coherent, Complete and Courteous. Absence of any of these 7 Cs leads to miscommunication.

3.2 Barriers to Effective Communication

A barrier is anything that prevents the message from reaching the receiver correctly. There are five main types of barriers:

🧱 Physical Barriers — Details

Environmental conditions that block the sender and receiver — for example, being unable to see gestures or body language makes text-messages less effective than face-to-face talk.

🗣️ Linguistic Barriers — Details

The most common barriers. Slang, heavy regional accents, jargon from one profession, or simply not knowing the other person's language cause misunderstanding and misinterpretation.

👤 Interpersonal Barriers — Details

Occur when the sender's message is received differently from how it was intended. Hard to communicate with someone who is unwilling to talk. Stage fear, lack of will, personal differences all block interpersonal communication.

🏢 Organisational Barriers — Details

Big companies follow hierarchical structures — performance standards, rules, regulations, procedures, policies and behavioural norms. These affect the free flow of communication. Strict superior–subordinate relationships can block upward communication. Heavy rules may even stop peers from chatting freely.

🌍 Cultural Barriers — Details

When people of different cultures cannot understand each other's customs, they face inconveniences. Stereotypical assumptions about others based on cultural background lead to differences in opinion and block effective communication.

3.3 Measures to Overcome Barriers

4.1 Principles of Effective Communication — the 7 Cs

The seven principles ensure that the message you send is clear, useful and easy to act on. Remember them as 7 Cs:

🔹 7 Cs in Action — Example

Writing is a form of verbal communication — e-mails, letters, notes, articles, SMS, chats, blogs. To express ourselves clearly we use sentences. A sentence is a group of words that communicates a complete thought. A group of words that does not make complete sense is a phrase.

5.1 Capitalisation Rules — TINS

The simple acronym TINS covers the main rules for using capital letters.

5.2 Punctuation

Punctuation marks separate the parts of a sentence and make meaning clear.

5.3 Basic Parts of Speech

A part of speech tells how a word functions in a sentence — both in meaning and grammatically. The five basic parts are:

🔹 Basic Parts of Speech in a Sentence

5.4 Supporting Parts of Speech

Supporting words join the main parts of speech together and add information to sentences. They are: articles, conjunctions, prepositions and interjections.

5.5 Parts of a Sentence — Subject, Verb, Object

Almost all English sentences have a subject and a verb; some also have an object.

🔹 Examples

🎯 Direct & Indirect Objects

A direct object is directly acted on by the verb. An indirect object answers "to whom" or "for whom".

5.6 Types of Sentences

🔁 1. Active & Passive Voice

In the Active voice the subject does the action. In the Passive voice the subject receives the action.

📝 2. Four Purpose-Based Sentence Types

Sentences are also classified by their purpose:

5.7 Construction of a Paragraph

🔹 Building a Paragraph

1. Start with a topic sentence — states the main idea.
2. Add supporting sentences — details, examples, evidence.
3. End with a concluding sentence — wraps up the idea.
4. Keep one theme per paragraph — start a new paragraph when the idea changes.

🔹 Tips for Better Paragraphs

• Use correct punctuation and capitalisation in every sentence.
• Use connecting words (however, therefore, because, also) to link sentences.
• Check that each sentence has subject + verb.
• Keep paragraph length reasonable — usually 4 – 8 sentences.
• Read the paragraph aloud to catch errors.