Technical Writing Clinic PDF

technical writing clinic communication The word “communication” comes from the Latin word ‘communicare’, which means to share. Communication is for sharing information , ideas between a sender and a receiver through any medium – verbally face-to-face (physically or virtually), telephoni...

technical writing clinic communication The word “communication” comes from the Latin word ‘communicare’, which means to share. Communication is for sharing information , ideas between a sender and a receiver through any medium – verbally face-to-face (physically or virtually), telephonic, written, etc. It plays a prominent role in the functioning of different professional organizations. Communication is a process of sharing information. It essentially means the transfer of ideas, feelings, plans, messages, or information from one person to another. It is effective only when it gets the desired action or response. Communication is a network of interaction where the sender and receiver keep changing their roles. Communication is a dynamic process, the main components of which are sender, message, channel, receiver, and response. Features o Communication : ! Unavoidable ! Two-way exchange of information ! Process: Involves several well-defined steps ! Verbal (Spoken or Written) & Non-Verbal (gestures/Facial expressions) ! Dynamic ! Enables understanding TYPES W Mass *-- & Intrapersonal val Interpersonal organisati ↓ ↓d  Barriers to Communication 1. A barrier is defined as something that prevents or controls progress or movement 2. Barriers to communication is something that comes in the way of the desired outcome Noise: - Interference in message sent and message received leads to the noise formation - Communication barrier is an extension of the concept of ‘noise’ - The concept of ‘noise’ here does not mean sound, but a break or disruption in the communication process - It can be of 2 types: i. Channel : Mechanical ii. Semantic : Meaning Thus noise can be defined as any unplanned interference in the communication environment which affects the transmission of the message. cassification of Barriers interpersonal Intrapersonal organisational *Limited Vocabulary *Wrong Assumptions *Too Many Transfer Stations *Incompatibility of Verbal and *Varied Perceptions *Fear of superiors Nonverbal messages *Differing Background *Negative Tendencies *Emotional Outburst *Wrong Inferences *Use of Inappropriate Media *Communication Selectivity *Blocked Categories *Information Overload *Cultural Variations *Categorical Thinking *Poor Listening *Noise in the Channel Effective Communication:- - Always keep the receiver in mind - Create an open communication environment - Do not communicate when you are emotionally disturbed - Be aware of diversity in culture, language, etc. - Understand & use appropriate non-verbal cues - Select the most suitable medium - Analyze the feedback - Communicating & sharing information through nonlinguistic signs or symbols - Includes external stimuli (excluding spoken/written words) like body motion, characteristics of appearance, voice and use of space distancing - Obviously not a substitute for verbal communication - To supplement/reinforce the verbal communication - More Impact: 7% verbal; 38% vocal; 55% nonverbal Kinesics - Most studied and important area of non-verbal communication and refers to body movements of any kind Oculesics – The study of role of ‘Eye Contact’ in communication Proxemics - Derived from word ‘proximity’ or closeness Communication term for use of personal space & distance Haptics – Communicating through touch. Used to convey various emotions. May be considered negative & offensive too Chronemics – Related to time/temporal. Study of usage of time in communication Para lingual – Like language. Includes tone, pitch (high or low pitch), pace (slow or fast) the emphasis on words and the volume (soft or loud) Process of Communication -> Sensing -> - Evaluation Response Decoding - Types of Listening: SUPERFICIAL LISTENING APPRECIATIVE LISTENING FOCUSED LISTENING EVALUATIVE LISTENING ATTENTIVE LISTENING EMPATHETIC LISTENING LISTENING WITH A PURPOSE IS LISTENING TO: GET AN INTRODUCTORY IDEA OF AN ORAL MESSAGE UNDERSTAND THE MAIN POINTS OF A LECTURE DISCOVER THE SPEAKER’S IDEAS DURING A CONVERSATION UNDERSTAND DIFFERING VIEWPOINTS TO CONTRIBUTE TO A DISCUSSION AIM A BROAD UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUBJECT MATTER OF A SEMINAR OBTAIN SPECIFIC INFORMATION UNDERSTAND NEW CHANGES AND DEVELOPMENTS IN A PARTICULAR FIELD BROADEN ONE’S OUTLOOK AND UNDERSTANDING SEEK EVIDENCE FOR ONE’S OWN POINTS OF VIEW Techniques for Effective Listening 1. To improve your listening skills, you should have an open mind. 2. You should sit alert and look at the speaker with a view to establish your interest in him/her. 3. The effectiveness of listening generally depends on the intensity of the interest taken. So, take interest in the discussion or talk. 4. Do not prejudge the speaker, or his/her message, until you have listened to it completely. 5. Employ your critical thinking while you are listening. 6. Stop talking and do not interrupt the speaker unnecessarily. 7. Observe the non-verbal clues of the speaker, as this will enable you to grasp the message completely.  ⚫ 8. Take advantage of the lag time in terms of small pauses between two different ideas. 9. Ask relevant questions to yourself, so that you keep on track with the speaker’s ideas. 10. Take down notes or paraphrase the message in simple words. This will certainly enable you to grasp it quicker. Listening and Note Taking Relate ideas to previous lectures, chapters etc. Listen to what is being said not how it is being said. Don't try to write down everything. Look for clues from the teacher/professor who indicates what he/she considers important. Try to restate the facts in your words and use abbreviations and one liners. If your instructor is going too fast or is unclear, say so. There is nothing wrong in asking your teacher to clarify a point. After the class is over, go through your notes as early as possible. This does not take very long, and in fact helps you contextualize the new information. Telephonic Skills: 1. IDENTIFY YOURSELF IMMEDIATELY TO YOUR LISTENER. 2. ONE CAN IDENTIFY ONESELF ALSO THROUGH THE DESIGNATION OR POSITION ONE HOLDS. 3. THE SAME LEVEL OF COURTESY IS TO BE MAINTAINED WHILE RECEIVING A CALL, EVEN FROM AN UN KNOWN PERSON. 4. ANOTHER PRACTICE THAT COUNTS AS BAD ETIQUETTE IS THE HABIT OF PUTTING PEOPLE ON HOLD WHILE ONE TALKS TO OTHERS. THE BEST WAY, OF COURSE, WOULD BE TO TAKE THE CALL, PROMISE TO CALL BACK AT AN APPROPRIATE TIME, AND KEEP THAT PROMISE. 5. AVOID PROMISING A CALLBACK IN CASE IT IS NOT POSSIBLE. IN SUCH A CASE, WE CAN ASK THE CALLER TO CALL AGAIN AT SOME OTHER TIME. 6. END THE CALL ON A PLEASANT NOTE.  Effective PowerPoint Presentation PowerPoint Slide Highlight key points or reinforce what the facilitator is saying. Should be short and to the point, include only key words and phases for visual reinforcement. In order for your presentation to t on most screens, text and images should be placed within 95% of the PowerPoint slide. er"action safe" area PowerPoint Layout Layout continuity from frame to frame conveys a sense of completeness Headings, subheadings, and logos should show up in the same spot on each frame Margins, fonts, font size, and colors should be consistent with graphics located in the same general position on each frame Lines, boxes, borders, and open space also should be consistent throughout Fonts Font Style Should be Readable – Recommended fonts: Arial, Tahoma, Veranda Standardize the Font Throughout fi Caps and Italics DO NOT USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS – Makes text hard to read – Conceals acronyms – Denies their use for EMPHASIS Italics – Used for “quotes” – Used to highlight thoughts or ideas – Used for book, journal, or magazine titles USE THE SAME BACKGROUND ON EACH SLIDE !!! Don’t use multiple backgrounds during the presentation. Changing the background is distracting. Illustrations Use only when needed, otherwise they become distracters instead of communicators They should relate to the message and help make a point Ask yourself if it makes the message clearer Simple diagrams are great communicators Limit Each Slide to One Idea Use Bullet Points to Cover Components of Each Idea Keep each bullet to 1 line, 2 at the most Limit the number of bullets in a screen to 6, 4 if there is a large title, logo, picture, etc. – This is known as “cueing” – You want to “cue” the audience on what you’re going to say Cues are a a brief “preview” Gives the audience a “framework” to build upon If you crowd too much text, the audience won’t read it – Too much text looks busy and is hard to read – Why read it, when you’re going to tell them what it says? – Our reading speed does not match our listening speed; hence, they confuse instead of reinforce Avoid the “All Word” Slide Another thing to avoid is the use of a large block paragraph to introduce your information. Attendees do not like to have what is on the screen, read to them verbatim. So, please use short, bulleted statements and avoid typing out your whole presentation on to the slides. Also, it is dif cult for some to listen and read a large amount of text at the same time. fi Barriers to Listening Listening A barrier is anything that gets in the way of clear communication. Below is a list of barriers. Physical Barriers Psychological Barriers Semantic Barriers Physical Barriers consist of any sound that prevents a person from being heard. Physical noise interferes with a speakers ability to send messages and with an audience's ability to receive them. eg; Whispers, cheers, loud speakers, passing ear etc Psychological Barriers consist of thoughts and feelings that distract people from listening to what is said. The noice interferes with the audience’s concentration and ability to hear speaker’s presentation. Semantic Barriers are interferences that are caused by words that trigger strong emotions against the speaker or the content of the speech. Semantic noise leads to misunderstanding as well as unpleasant and distracting non verbal feedback from the audience. Eg; A group of students might agree/dis agree with you  Restatement in shortened form Précis Abridged form of the text Summarize document to extract maximu amount of information—convey in minim number of words Generally one third of the number of wo original text)  Essentials / Characteristics  Completeness : Must have the essential contents—don’t omit important ideas  Compactness : Sense of unity—should give a comprehensive idea—total perception  Conciseness: Brevity—economy of words--avoid repetitions, omit ornamental phrases—not at the cost of clarity  Clarity: Clear expressions—avoid circumlocution and ambiguity  Coherence: Smooth flow—logical order—well-connected whole—main idea to run through