Technical Communication Skills: Public Speaking

• Technical Communication Skills, AASL 0401, is the focus of Unit IV of the B Tech IV Semester, which covers Public Speaking

Unit IV Syllabus

• Components of effective speaking, with emphasis on voice dynamics
• Seminar and conference presentation skills
• How to conduct and participate effectively in meetings
• Tips for appearing for a job interview
• Appropriate mobile etiquette

Course Objective

• To help students develop the communication and critical thinking skills necessary for securing a job
• To help students succeed in the diverse and ever-changing workplace of the twenty-first century
• To enable students to communicate effectively in clear and correct prose
• To communicate in a style appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience

Effective Speaking

• Applying effective speaking skills to communicate at the workplace
• Speaks efficiently at work
• Expresses feelings and thoughts effectively
• Can range from informal remarks to formal addresses

Before Speaking

• Listen actively
• Organize thoughts quickly
• Structure ideas effectively
• Maintain fluency during discussion

Aspects of Effective Speaking

• Verbal communication: Intrapersonal (preparing oneself through introspection), interpersonal (communicating with individuals or groups)
• It includes pitch of voice and clarity of thought
• Non-verbal communication: Includes gestures, facial expressions, and body language

Verbal Activity: Context Clue Detective

• Practice inferring word meanings from context
• Provide sentences or short paragraphs with challenging words
• Students guess the meaning by using context clues and discussing their reasoning

Voice Modulation

• Controlling or adjusting voice
• Choosing to speak louder or softer, faster or slower, dramatically or emotionally
• Speaking without voice modulation would be continuous and monotonous
• The 4 aspects: Pitch, Pace, Tone, and Pause

Voice Modulation Activity 1: Emotional Reading

• Practice using tone to convey emotions
• Provide students with a dialogue or paragraph
• Assign emotions like happiness, anger, sadness, or excitement
• Students read the text aloud, modulating their voice to match the assigned emotion

Voice Modulation Activity 2: Monologue Transformation

• Experiment with tone and intent
• Give students a neutral monologue or sentence, such as "I can't believe you did that."
• Have them deliver it in different tones (e.g., angry, sarcastic, curious, joyful)
• Discuss how the meaning changes with modulation

Non-Verbal Communication

• Nonverbal Communication (NVC) is the nonlinguistic transmission of information through visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic (physical) channels
• It involves the transmission of messages or signals through nonverbal cues: eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, posture, distance between individuals

Types of Nonverbal Communication

• Judee Burgoon (1994) identified seven different nonverbal dimensions
• Kinesics/body movements, including facial expressions and eye contact
• Vocalics/paralanguage: volume, rate, pitch, timbre, personal appearance

Non Verbal Comm. Activity 1: Silent Role-Play

• Practice communicating ideas without words
• Students act out scenarios (asking for directions, making a sale, or expressing disagreement) using only gestures and facial expressions
• Peers guess the scenario and discuss the effectiveness of the non-verbal cues

Non Verbal Comm. Activity 2: The Silent Debate

• Strengthen persuasive non-verbal communication
• Split the class into two groups
• Assign a debate topic, but participants can only use gestures, facial expressions, and posture to make their points
• Time = 5 mins/group
• Discuss which non-verbal strategies worked best

Non Verbal Comm. Activity 3: Non-Verbal Storytelling

• Develop creative non-verbal expression
• Students tell a 10-line story using only gestures, facial expressions, and movement
• Others interpret the story and provide feedback on clarity and creativity

Seminar Presentation

• An instructional technique of higher academic institutions to bring small groups together
• Sharing ideas and focusing on a particular subject
• It involves paper reading on a theme/discussion/raising questions
• Effective presentation is required in business, sales, training, teaching, etc

Objectives of Seminars

• To develop critical thinking
• To improve communication skills
• To gain experts' viewpoints
• To rejuvenate motivation
• To develop higher cognitive abilities
• To develop keen observation
• To seek clarification
• Explore topics deeply

Conference Presentation

• A conference is a formal meeting for discussion, problem-solving, or consultation
• Conferences are supposed to be larger events than Seminars
• Conferences have a general theme with detailed lectures and presentations
• Formats can be business, trade, academic, press conferences

Objectives of a Conference

• To build competencies
• To bring people together from different geographical areas to share a common discipline
• A massive gateway to meet new people
• To seek spectrum of opportunities
• To strengthen communication
• To discuss on new trends
• To establish strong networks

Purpose of Argumentation

• To convince other people to accept—or at least accept the validity of—your position
• To defend your position, even if others cannot be convinced to agree
• To question or refute a position you believe to be misguided, untrue, or dangerous without necessarily offering an alternative

Argumentation Skills Tools

• Know your facts
• Be ready to see the other person's perspective
• If you can't be open-minded, at least seem that way
• Keep your emotions under control
• Respect your opponent
• Share your viewpoints logically

Elements of Argumentation Skills

• Appeals
• Evidence
• Nods to and refutation of the opposition
• A clear sense of purpose
• A clear thesis or claim
• A clear sense of audience
• Evidence of argumentation evaluated in terms of four criteria: relevance, representative, sufficient, and accuracy

Supporting Claims

• Offer convincing evidence
• Factual statements, statistics, example, expert testimony
• Appeal to common goals and values
• Identify a common goal you and audience have
• Emphasize anything that advances your case; ignore what impedes it

Anticipate Audience

• Reaction - Evoke audience reaction depending on their temperament, interests, fears, biases, ambitions, or assumptions
• Ask defensive questions like: Why should I? What's in this for me? - What will it cost? What are the risks?

Conference/Seminar Activity 1: Elevator Pitch Practice

• Develop concise and impactful self-introductions
• Students prepare a 30-60 second "elevator pitch" about themselves, skills, or a project
• Classmates provide feedback on clarity, confidence, and persuasiveness
• Optional: Record the pitches for self-assessment

Conference/Seminar Activity 2: Impromptu Presentation Challenge

• Build adaptability and quick thinking
• Provide a list of random topics related to their field
• Students draw a topic and deliver a 2-3 minute presentation with minimal preparation
• Focus on clear organization and confident delivery

Prerequisites and Recap

• Recap: Seminar/Conference Presentations
• Prerequisite: Communication skills

Why Have a Meeting?

• To solve a problem
• To decide
• To develop a plan
• To gather or convey information
• To get a response to information

Meetings: Some Facts

• 25% to 80% of managers' and professionals' time is spent in meetings
• More than 33% of time spent in meetings is unproductive
• 75% say it is "almost essential" to have an agenda

Types of Meetings

• Briefings: Direct or instruct subordinates; used to give information and instruction, clear up misunderstandings, integrate ideas and views
• Advisory meetings: Used to share information for an advisory meeting; seeks advice about a problem, inform participants about ideas, listen to their views
• Committee meetings: Gathers interest groups to decide on matters of common concern; authority, compromise, the resolution of differences by voting
• Council meetings: Held by persons of equal status to contribute to a matter at hand; accountability, differences through discussion, consensual decisions
• Negotiations: Interest groups that decides through bargaining, not voting; differentiated by quid pro quo decisions, different but overlapping aims

Is a Meeting Required

• Before holding meeting ask "why are we calling people together?"
• Is a meeting the most efficient/ effective means?
• Would an email/ memo/ call suffice?
• Is there a need/ desire for group interaction?
• What would happen if meeting doesn't happen?

Why are meetings unproductive?

• Purpose not clear
• No Agenda
• Trying too hard to accomplish too many
• No respect for time-Start & Finish
• Too many invited

Agenda

• Given to all attendees before the meeting
• Lists matters to be discussed, in order of business or meeting timetable
• Meeting program designed to allow relevant topics to be dealt with in good order and in good time
• Without it, a destinations will be harder to reach.

Elements on an Agenda

• Time and place: address, room, start time, End time
• Topics: Topic, details and time, topic leader
• Attendees: Action items, Input required

Opening Meetings

• Start on time
• Welcome attendees and thank them for their time
• Review the agenda at the beginning of each meeting
• Gives participants a chance to understand all of the topics
• Change them and accept them.
• Note that a meeting recorder, if used, will take minutes and provide them back to each participant shortly after the meeting
• Model the kind of energy and participant needed by meeting participants
• Clarify your role(s) in the meeting

Closing Meetings

• Always end meetings on time and attempt to end on a positive note
• At the end of a meeting, review actions, assignments, and set the time for the next meeting
• Get people to accept and commit to make it to the meetings
• Clarify that meeting minutes and/or actions are reported back to members in at most a week
• This helps keep momentum going

Goals of a Meeting

• Obtain Input
• Share Information
• Advance Thinking
• Improve Communication
• Build Capacity
• Build Community

Effective Meetings

• Participation
• Define the meeting's purpose
• Address each item on the agenda
• Assign follow-up action
• Record discussion
• Invite essential personnel
• Publish an Agenda

Interview Skills

• Simulate the meeting: Mock Meeting Sessions
• Organize mock sessions where students organize a meeting on topics related to their future job prospects
• “organizer," roles should be assigned to various members for practice“H.R.“, subordinates or seniors"

Interview

• Face-to-face meeting with an objective
• Structured conversation between interviewer and interviewee

Objectives of Interview

• Recruit a potential candidate for the organisation
• Verify the obtained information by various tests
• Monitor performance
• Collect/share information
• Counsel
• An Interview provides the opportunity for an organisation and a candidate for employment to trade information and determine if they are a good fit

Interview Skills and Preparation

• Review a job description
• Look at your CV and practice what that looks like
• Mock interview with your friends/family members
• Know your strengths/weaknesses
• Research about organization/location/designation and other details
• Use a checklist
• Prepare your questions/Practice/Update your Resume/CV
• Use online resources to learn interview skills
• Carry all relevant documents in a folder

Body Language - Interview Skills

• First impressions are very powerful
• Arrive 10-15 minutes in advance to the interview venue
• Dress appropriately
• Greet everyone with respect and courtesy
• Maintain good body gestures and eye contact during the interview
• Showcase a positive and enthusiastic approach during the interview

Interview Tips

• Good posture
• Smile naturally
• Good handshake
• Make eye contact
• Maintain focus
• Have a strong exit

Virtual Interview tips

• Check camera works
• Have a calm or quiet environment
• Have a tidy background
• Focus on the screen
• Give undivided attention

Don't In Interview Tips

• Don't fail to make eye contact
• Don't have little knowledge of the company
• Don't bad posture
• Don't fidget too much

Interview Question Categories

• About you: background, qualifications, and fit
• About the job: motivations for pursuing the role
• General knowledge: awareness of current events

Interview Techniques

• Listen carefully/seek clarification if you don't understand the question
• Illustrate answers with real time examples and evidence
• Be positive
• Keep answers specific and succinct
• Take time to respond
• Be alert to interviewer's body language
• Speak clearly, smile and show enthusiasm
• Know what you want to say and find the opportunity
• Ask the right questions in the right way

Selection Criteria

• Intelligence – Academic performance, Questions
• Appearance & poise – First impressions
• Interpersonal relations – Interests, team-roles
• Self-confidence - Relaxed manner, responsible
• Communication skills – correct Articulation, coherent ideas, grammatically correct conversation, responsive
• Interests – External interests, involvement Leadership potential – Elective offices, initiative
• Interviewing skills – Logical thinking, know priorities

What creates a bad impression

• Poor personal appearance
• Negative attitude – evasive, using excuses
• Lack of interest and enthusiasm
• Lack of preparation
• Poor knowledge of role
• Failure to give concrete examples of skills
• Over emphasis on money/rewards
• Lack of a career plan

Quiz Questions

• During a team project, you notice that one of your team members is consistently missing deadlines, which is affecting the overall progress. What is the best approach to address this issue? is best served with private discussion
• You are leading a project and need to present your progress to senior management. the best choice is to use clear and concise summary of key achievements, and next steps

Answers to Quizzes

• C) Have a private conversation with the team member to understand their challenges
• C) Provide a clear and concise summary of key achievements and next steps

Expected Exam Questions

• Prepare interview questions
• Explain soft skills and its roles
• Prepare body language during interviews
• Do's and Don'ts