ENGL 158: Communication Skills II Introduction

Communication Skills

Introduction to Communication

• Communication is the process of receiving and giving information to enhance one's life and the life of others
• Crucial to human existence, involving receiving and giving information
• Key words: process, receiver, give/transmit/transfer, information, purpose, and organization of information

Communication as a System

• Complex activities that characterize a given interaction
• Factors that condition communication as a system: number of persons, required resources, and activities

Communication as a Process

• Combination of different activities: changing role of people in the communication act, movement from beginning to end of the interaction, change in emotions of people during interactions, and effect of communication on interlocutors/conversational partners
• Factors that influence communication process: nature of participants (people), place (context of communication), goals of interaction (purpose), and nature of the subject (topic being discussed)

Effective Communication

• Communication that achieves desired goals
• Importance of learning and communicating: obtaining information, transferring knowledge, sharing experiences, etc.
• Role of the receiver and kinds of communication: intentional vs. unintentional communication, intended message vs. unintended message, and intended receiver vs. unintended receiver

Types of Verbal Communication

• Intrapersonal: communication within oneself or with oneself
• Interpersonal: person-to-person activity, including monolineal forms (e.g., giving information, giving commands), bilineal forms (e.g., conversation, question-and-answer), and multilineal forms (e.g., meetings, interviews)
• Public/Mass Communication: formal context involving a large number of people, including monolineal forms (e.g., radio/TV speeches/announcements), bilineal forms (e.g., classroom situation – teacher and students), and multilineal forms (e.g., meetings, convocations)

Non-Verbal Communication

• Proxemics: space (place or location)
• Chronemics: perception and use of time
• Oculesics: eye contact
• Haptics: touch
• Kinesics: bodily movement
• Vocalics: non-verbal associated with the voice or sound (e.g., speed, pitch, intonation, stress, volume, laughter, crying, hissing, coughing, vocal fillers, silence, pause, etc.)
• Objectics: the way artefacts and the environment speak to us or are used to communicate

Importance of Communication

• To initiate actions by passing on a message/information
• To impart information, ideas, opinions, etc. to create understanding or awareness
• To establish, acknowledge, or maintain links or relations with other people
• To encourage others

Achieving Communication Goals

• Credibility: when the message sent by the sender inspires trust and belief in the receiver
• Congeniality: when the message sent by the sender is pleasant to the receiver
• Confidentiality: when the message received is to be kept as a secret without divulging or disclosing it

Barriers to Effective Communication

• Distortion (change in meaning making the message untrue or inaccurate)
• Noise (distractions/interferences in the environment)
• Sources of noise: physical noise, social noise, technical noise, and psychological noise

Objectives of the Lesson

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of oral communication
• Give and explain different types of formal oral presentation used in business/corporate communication and everyday interactions
• Identify the stages or process involved in any of the oral presentations
• Show confidence in public speaking

Characteristics of Effective Oral Communication

• Completeness: effective communication is complete, providing all necessary information
• Conciseness: keeping the message to a point, focusing on what's important, and processing information quickly
• Concreteness: specific, tangible, and vivid, supported by facts and figures
• Courtesy: respecting the receiver's culture, values, and beliefs### Effective Communication
• Effective communication is about delivering information unambiguously, so the receiver can decode it correctly.
• Characteristics of effective communication:
  • Clearness: ensure the message is clear and easy to understand.
  • Correctness: ensure the message is free from errors and inaccuracies.
  • Consideration: take into account the receiver's background and point of view.

Types of Oral Communication

• Interactive: face-to-face conversation, interview, phone calls.
• Partially interactive: giving a speech or presentation, checking comprehension from the audience's faces.
• Non-interactive: recording, performing in a play, singing, or reciting a poem.

Public Speaking

• Refers to speaking in front of a physical or virtual audience.
• Common fears when it comes to public speaking:
  • Looking like a fool.
  • Boring the audience.
  • Being lost for words.
  • People noticing nervousness.
  • People hating the presentation.
• Stage fright (Glossophobia): a fear to perform publicly, affecting not only public speakers but also people in various endeavors.

Controlling Stage Fright

• Try not to obsess about being perfect.
• Know your material: choose a topic you're passionate about or familiar with.
• Prepare your environment in advance.
• Practice regularly to create familiarity and comfort.
• Watch yourself: practice in private and record your performance.
• Prepare notes: type or write out your notes to have an easy-to-see reference.

Chairperson's Remarks

• A chairperson's remarks come after introducing the main program.
• Greet guests informally and express gratitude for their attendance.
• Introduce the event and its purpose.
• Prepare the audience for the event.
• Pass on warm wishes to the audience.

Thanking/Thanksgiving

• A linguistic routine that states what the speaker feels.
• Thanking is an expressive speech act that marks the closing of events.
• Thanks serve as a linking line between giving and receiving and symbolize love and social cohesion.

Vote of Thanks

• A part of an organized program where someone expresses gratitude to God, participants, and organizers.
• Mention the names of dignitaries, functionaries, and special personalities.
• Thank them for their contributions to the function.

Proposal of Toast

• A way to wish a person future health, happiness, and success.
• Proposed on occasions such as birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries.
• Mention the reason for the occasion, give a brief history, and mention challenges and achievements.

Telephone Conversation

• An efficient way to communicate, providing instant feedback and saving time.
• Introduce yourself, ask the other person to introduce themselves, and speak clearly.
• Be brief, courteous, and resourceful, and actively listen and take notes.

Interview

• A selection process to obtain information from a person through oral responses.
• Types of interviews:
  • Unstructured/Nondirective: involves probing, open-ended questions.
  • Structured/Directive: lists questions and acceptable responses in advance.
  • Situational: poses hypothetical job situations.
  • Behavioral: asks about past experiences.
  • Job-related: focuses on relevant past experiences.
  • Stress: intentionally creates anxiety to test stress tolerance.
  • Panel/Board: conducted by a team of interviewers.
  • One-on-one: one candidate meets one interviewer.
  • Mass/Group: several candidates are interviewed simultaneously.

Preparing for an Interview

• Preparation is crucial to market skills, abilities, knowledge, and personality to the employer.### Preparing for a Selection Interview
• The purpose of a selection interview is to choose the right candidate based on requirements such as comportment, manners, speech, intelligence, judgment, initiative, resourcefulness, assurance, and commonsense.
• To prepare for an interview, research the company's background, history, aims, organizational structure, turnover, service or product, priorities, location, and competitors.
• Prepare your CV, certificates, and other documents, and think about possible questions and prepare answers.
• Search for the venue of the interview.

Preparing for an Interview - Interview Day

• Arrive early at the venue.
• Be courteous and friendly towards everyone you meet, including the receptionist.
• Dress neatly, decently, and comfortably, and take original certificates and necessary documents.
• During the interview, relax, greet the interviewers, and sit comfortably.
• Avoid signs of unpreparedness, pay attention to the interviewers, and answer questions clearly and audibly.
• Be tolerant, polite, and avoid unnecessary arguments.
• Ask for clarity if you don't understand a question, and thank the interviewers before leaving.

Writing as a Process

• The Process Approach to writing reflects what real writers do in real situations.
• It considers writing as a non-linear, recursive, and uneven process.
• Good writers organize, plan, and revise throughout the writing process.
• The process approach focuses on the steps involved in creating a piece of work.

Stages/Steps in the Process Approach

• The pre-writing stage involves:
  • Defining the audience (audience analysis)
  • Selecting a topic
  • Brainstorming
  • Clustering
  • Outlining
• The writing stage involves:
  • Freewriting
  • Producing a draft
  • Revising the drafts
• The post-writing stage involves:
  • Editing
  • Proofreading

Focus of Editing

• Content:
  • Relevance
  • Adequacy
  • Consistency
  • Accuracy
• Structure:
  • Generic requirements
  • Well-organized
  • Logical sequencing
  • Transitional markers
• Clarity:
  • Ambiguity and vagueness
  • Dangling or misrelated constructions
  • Sentence fragments and run-on sentences
  • Awkward sentences
• Style:
  • Level of formality
  • Appropriate tone
  • Sentence beginning, length, variety, and complexity
  • Paragraph length
• Formatting:
  • Lecturer's/department's/institution's guidelines
  • Spacing, font size, font type
  • Margins
  • Bold, italics, underlining
  • Pagination
  • Table, figure, and chart
  • References/Bibliography
  • Word limit

Proofreading

• Focus on the mechanics of language use
• Check for:
  • Concord
  • Spelling
  • Punctuation
  • Tense
  • Repetition of words

Guidelines for Editing/Proofreading

• Maintain distance from the text
• Decide on the best medium for editing
• Find a quiet place
• Edit and proofread in short blocks of time
• Check for consistency and accuracy