Communication Skills: Types and Methods

Types of Communication Skills

• Formal communication, also called "official communication," involves verbal expressions that address a formal need.
• Informal communication, or "the (unofficial) grapevine," is often spread by word-of-mouth and can be unofficial.

Oral Communication

• Face-to-face oral communication is a recognized type where what is expressed comes directly from speech; it can be formal or informal.
• Distance oral communication uses mobile phones, VOIP, video-conferencing, and webinars with tone and pace of delivery taking priority.

Non-Verbal Communication

• Non-verbal communication includes physical postures, gestures, tone, pace of voice, and attitude.

Written Communication

• Written communication has expanded from traditional mail to encompass nearly every aspect of our world.

Kinesics

• Kinesics, or kinesic communication, involves all communication through body movements, gestures, and facial expressions, also known as 'body language'.

Proxemics

• Proxemics involves how space is used and how it affects comfort levels; standing distance depends on the relationship, with intimate space being very close.

Haptic Communication

• Haptic communication refers to how people communicate and interact through the sense of touch.

Vocalics

• Vocalics, or paralanguage, includes the vocal qualities accompanying verbal messages, such as pitch, volume, rate, and vocal quality (Andersen, 1999).

Chronemics

• Chronemics is the study of time use in nonverbal communication, affecting lifestyles, agendas, speech speed, and willingness to listen.

Story Elements

• Setting represents the physical location, time period, and social conditions.
• Plot consists of the events in a story, including introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
• Conflict is a challenge or problem that drives the story; a story lacks purpose without it.
• Theme is the central idea, belief, moral, lesson, or insight the author conveys.
• Point-of-view indicates who is telling the story; first-person ("I") or third person ("he/she/it").
• Tone is the overall emotional meaning, portrayed through word choice, theme, imagery, and rhythm.
• Style encompasses word choices, sentence structure, dialogue, metaphor, and contributes to tone.

Journalism Types

• Social journalism combines professional journalism with contributor and reader content, relying on community involvement and data analysis.
• Citizen journalism involves public citizens playing an active role in collecting, reporting, and disseminating news.
• Yellow journalism uses sensationalism and exaggerations to increase sales.
• Adversarial journalism seeks to uncover wrongdoings of public officials.

Media Types

• Manipulatives Media are hands-on learning tools which can be physical objects or computer programs to manipulate for understanding (e.g. Abacus, Jigsaw Puzzles, Lego).
• Interactive media is a computer-delivered system allowing users to control and combine media such as text, sound, video, and graphics (e.g. websites, gaming).

Ages

• Pre-Industrial Age (Before 1700's): fire, paper, weapons and tools made of stone, bronze, copper and iron emerged.
• Industrial Age (1700s-1930s): power steam, machine tools, iron production, printing press emerged.
• Electronic Age (1930s-1980s): transistor, transistor radio, electronic circuits, and early computers emerged.
• Information Age (1900s-2000s): Internet, microelectronics, personal computers, mobile devices, and wearable technology emerged; voice, image, sound, and data are digitalized.

Philosophical and Religious Concepts

• Confucianism, an ancient Chinese belief system, focuses on personal ethics and morality.
• Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Gautama, is a faith with about 470 million followers.
• Indios comprised the native population in Spanish colonies.

Evolution

• Evolution involves gradual changes from simple to complex forms through natural selection.
• Darwin's theory emphasizes natural selection, variation, struggle to exist, and survival of the fittest.
• Processes include Mutation, Genetic Recombination, Chromosomal Abnormalities, Reproductive isolation and Natural Selection.

Human Ancestry

• Dryopithecus are deemed ancestors of both man and apes; they lived in China, Africa, Europe and India; were predominantly herbivores
• Ramapithecus remains were discovered in the Shivalik range and Africa; lived in open grasslands; had thickened tooth enamel and used hands.
• Australopithecus fossils were found in South Africa; lived on the ground; used stones; walked erect; were 4 feet tall and weighed 60-80 pounds.
• Homo Erectus fossils were found in Java; had large cranial capacities and lived in communities; used tools comprising quartz; dwelt in caves.
• Homo Sapiens Neanderthal evolved from Homo Erectus; cranial capacity grew from 1200 to 1600 cc; hunted big names such as mammoths
• Homo Sapiens remains were discovered in Europe; cranial capacity was about 1350 cc; gathered food through hunting.

Literacy Types

• Media literacy is about identifying media types and their messages.
• Information literacy is the ability to find, evaluate, organize, use, and communicate information.
• Technology literacy is the ability to use technology tools responsibly.

Communication Model

• Sender initiates the conversation with the intention of conveying an idea.
• Encoding translates information into a message using words or non-verbal methods.
• Message is the result of encoding and can be written, oral, symbolic, or non-verbal.
• Communication Channel delivers the message.
• Receiver is the person at who the message is intended for.
• Decoding interprets the message.
• Feedback is the final step to ensure the receiver has received the message.
• Noise creates barriers in the communication where is not received by the recepient.

Logical Statements (Math)

• Modus ponens is a deductive argument form.
• Modus tollens is an indirect proof.
• Direct proof demonstrates the truth of a statement through established facts.
• Indirect proof uses a contradiction to prove a conjecture.
• Normal distribution, the bell curve, occurs naturally in many situations.

Formulas and Relationships (Math)

• Diameter of a Circle: D = 2 x r
• Circumference of a Circle: C = 2 x Π x r
• Area of a Circle: Α = Π x r²
• Rectangle: 2 x (length + width)
• Parallelogram: 2 × (side1 + side2)
• Triangle: side1 + side2 + side3
• Regular n-polygon: n x side
• Trapezoid: height x (base1 + base2) / 2
• Square: side^2
• Rectangle: length x width
• Parallelogram: base x height
• Triangle: base x height / 2
• Regular n-polygon: (1/4) × n x side2 x cot(pi/n)
• Cube: side^3
• Rectangular Prism: side1 x side2 × side3

Logic

• Every statement is either True or False known as the Law of the Excluded Middle.
• The truth or falsity of a statement built with these connective depends on the truth or falsity of its components.

Truth Tables

• If P is true, its negation -P is false; if P is false, -P is true.
• P^Q is true when both P and Q are true, and false otherwise.
• PVQ is true if either P is true or Q is true.

Financial Terms

• A Bond is a contract between two companies.
• Amortization spreads a loan into fixed payments with each payment applied to interest and balance.
• An annuity is a long-term agreement allowing tax-deferred accumulation for guaranteed income.
• Shares are units of equity ownership.
• A stock is a general term to describe ownership certificates of any company.

Mathematical Concepts

• Null hypothesis (Ho) is a statement about the population believed to be true.
• Alternative hypothesis (Ha) contradicts the null hypothesis.
• An asymptote is a line that the graph of a function approaches as x or y tends to positive or negative infinity.
• Vertical asymptote is a vertical line x=a
• A horizontal asymptote is a horizontal line y=a
• Oblique asymptotes occur when the degree of the denominator of a rational function is one less than the degree of the numerator.
• Probability distribution is a statistical function that describes all the possible values and likelihoods that a random variable can take within a given range.
• Standard deviation tells how measurements for a group are spread for the average value.

Stats

• Confidence Intervals is a range of values that are believed to contain the true value of that statistic.

Earth Science

• Oceans cover more than 70% of Earth’s surface.
• The ocean is about 12,100 feet (3,688 m) deep and the deepest point is 36,200 feet (11,000 m) deep.
• The ocean is divided into five zones: epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, abyssopelagic, and hadopelagic.
• The ocean produces more than 50 percent of the air breathed.

Comets

• Comet nuclei are loose collections of ice, dust and rocky particles, ranging from a few kilometers to tens of kilometers across.

Meteors

• Meteoroids burn up in Earth's atmosphere and are called meteors.
• When a meteoroid survives and hits the ground, its called a meteorite.

Biological Systems

• The skin is the largest organ acting as barrier: integumentary system includes the skin, hair, and nails.
• The skeletal system supports the body: Musculoskeletal System Includes bones and joints
• Muscular system includes cardiac, smooth, and skeletal muscles.
• Lymphatic system transports fluids and houses white blood cells: Red Bone Marrow, Thymus, Lymphatic Vessels, Thoracic Duct, Spleen, Lymph Nodes make up this system
• Respiratory System maintains breathing – (Nasal Cavity, Pharynx, Larynx, Trachea, Bronchus, Lung.)
• Digestive system breaks down and absorbs nutrients - Oral Cavity, Esophagus, Liver, Stomach, Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Rectum, Anus make up this system
• The nervous system controls the body (Brain, Spinal Cord, Nerves)
• The endocrine system releases hormones (Pineal Gland, Pituitary Gland, Thyroid Gland, Thymus, Adrenal Gland, Pancreas, Ovary, Testis) compose this system

Other Biological systems by organ

• Cardiovascular System: (Heart, Blood Vessels) consist of the heart and blood vessels, the circulatory.
• Urinary system (Kidney, Ureter, Urinary Bladder, Urethra) includes kidneys.
• The Genitourinary System (also includes: prostate gland, penis, testis, scrotum, ductus deferens)
• Reproductive mainly functions to create human.

Rock Types

• Igneous rocks are formed from the solidification of molten rock material.
• Intrusive igneous rocks crystallize below Earth's surface (e.g. diabase, diorite, gabbro, granite, pegmatite, and peridotite).
• Extrusive igneous rocks erupt onto the surface (e.g. andesite, basalt, dacite, obsidian, pumice, rhyolite, scoria, and tuff).
• Metamorphic rocks are modified by heat, pressure, and chemical processes.
• Foliated metamorphic rocks have a layered appearance (e.g. gneiss, phyllite, schist, and slate).
• Non-foliated metamorphic rocks do not have a layered appearance (e.g. hornfels, marble, novaculite, quartzite, and skarn).
• Sedimentary rocks are formed by the accumulation of sediments.
• Clastic sedimentary rocks form from mechanical weathering debris (e.g. breccia, conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone, and shale).
• Chemical sedimentary rocks form when dissolved materials preciptate from solution and organic sedimentary rocks form from plant or animal debris.
• Erosion is the geological process where earthen materials are worn away and transported.
• Weathering is the breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals on Earths surface.

Timekeeping

• Equinox is when two hemispheres are receiving the sun's rays equally.
• Solstice is when the Sun's path is farthest north or south from Earth's Equator.

Atmospheric Composition

• The atmosphere is composed of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), argon (0.9%), and trace gases.

Reproduction

• Fission: occurs when a parent cell splits into two identical daughter cells of the same size.
• Fragmentation: occurs when a parent organism breaks into fragments.
• Budding: occurs when a parent cell forms a bubble-like bud that breaks away.
• Vegetative Reproduction: occurs when new individuals are formed without the production of seeds or spores.
• Agamogenesis: the reproduction that does not involve a male gamete.

Scientific Terms

• agamogenesis: the reproduction that does not involve a male gamete.
• asexual reproduction: reproduction involving only one parent
• budding: a form of asexual reproduction in which a new organism develops from an outgrowth.
• clone: a genetically identical copy.
• diploid: the state of a cell containing two sets of chromosomes.
• fission: reproduction in which a parent separates into two or more individuals.
• fragmentation: reproduction in which the body breaks into several fragments.
• gamete: A sexually reproducing organism's reproductive cells.
• haploid: 23 chromosomes, n.
• meiosis: a type of cell division that halves the number and forms gametes.
• parthenogenesis: a form of asexual reproduction where growth and development occur without fertilization.
• reproduction: Process by which living organisms give rise to offspring.
• sexual reproduction: Production involving the joining of haploid gametes, producing genetically diverse individuals.
• spore: fully develop without fusing with another cell.
• vegetative reproduction: a type of asexual reproduction found in plants where new individuals are formed.
• Zygote: A fertilized egg

Tropical Weather Phenomena

• Tropical Wave: an inverted trough moving east to west across the tropics.
• Tropical Disturbance is a tropical weather system with organized convection.
• Tropical Cyclone is a low pressure system over tropical waters with deep convection.
• Extratropical Cyclone which the primary energy source is baroclinic.

Cyclone Terminology

• Remnant Low is a post-tropical cyclone with sustained winds less than 34 knots.
• Subtropical Cyclone is a non-frontal system with both tropical and extratropical characteristics.
• Tropical Depression has maximum sustained surface winds of 38 mph or less.
• Tropical Storm has sustained surface winds ranging from 39-73 mph
• Hurricane has sustained surface winds of 74 mph or greater.
• Tropical Storm Watch is issued when Tropical Storm conditions pose a POSSIBLE threat within 48 hours.
• Tropical Storm Warning is issued when Tropical Storm conditions are EXPECTED within 36 hours or less.
• Hurricane Watch is issued when sustained winds of 74 mph or higher are POSSIBLE within 48 hours.
• Hurricane Warning is issued when sustained winds of 74 mph or higher are EXPECTED within 36 hours.
• Eye wall consists of the band of clouds surrounding the center of a tropical cyclone.
• Storm Surge is an abnormal rise in sea level accompanying a tropical cyclone.
• Storm Tide is the water level rise resulting from the astronomical tide combined with the storm surge.

Food and Organic Chemistry

• Word “ferment” means “to boil”
• Lactic acid fermentation converts sugars into cellular energy and lactate.
• Ethanol fermentation breaks pyruvate into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
• Acetic acid fermentation turns starches and sugars into vinegar.
• Pyruvic acid is an organic acid that probably occurs in all living cells used to create acetatic acid.
• Ethanol also called alcohol, ethyl alcohol and grain alcohol.
• An ionic bond is between a metal and a nonmetal, and a covalent bond is between 2 nonmetals.
• lonic bonding is the complete transfer of valence electron(s) between atoms.
• covalent bond is a chemical bond that involves the sharing of electron pairs.
• Nonpolar covalent bonds are a type of chemical bond where two atoms share a pair of electrons with each other.
• Polar covalent bonding is a type of chemical bond where a pair of electrons is unequally shared between two atoms.
• Metallic bonds occur among metal atoms.
• Polyethylene is a lightweight, PET.