Effective Communication (HW0110) Lecture 1

Dr. Lee Chien Ching leecc@ntu.edu.sg

Todays plan
Administrative matters Overview of the course Interpersonal models of communication Components of the communication model Context, participants and message in

communication

Administrative matters
Tutorials begin in week 2 Use the edveNTUre main course site to Review lecture slides Read announcements regarding the course Use the edveNTUre tutorial site to communicate with

your tutorial mates and tutor There is no textbook for this course. References are provided instead. There are no recorded lectures for LCC courses. Please bring along your clickers to lectures.

Todays plan
Administrative matters Overview of the course Interpersonal models of communication Components of the communication model Context, participants and message in

communication

Course overview
Course Structure: General Principles of Communication (the communication model) Effective Written Communication (application of the communication model in academic writing) Effective Spoken Communication (application of the communication model in public speech)

Course overview
Assignment 1 Submission Tutorial 7
Group Written Assignment 35% 35% 15% 15%

Assignment 2 Tutorials 10 to 12
Individual In-class Speech

Assignment 3 Submission Tutorial 10

Individual Essay

Class Participation (Individual)

Why theory?
Theories enable us to describe,

apply and evaluate our personal experiences as communicators i.e. theories form the basis for understanding concepts and for discussions in undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

Why learn communication skills?

Updated: Tue, 14 Aug 2012 20:58:45 GMT | By Channel NewsAsia

What bosses look for when hiring fresh grads SINGAPORE: A JobStreet.com survey recently conducted with 480 fresh graduates and 150 employers suggests that the top concerns raised by fresh graduates on job search are uncalled for. Insufficient qualifications, often the top concern amongst graduates, was not listed as the top three hiring decisions from an employers standpoint. Instead, employers acknowledged the value of good interpersonal and communication skills as well as a good command of the English language above qualifications when hiring fresh graduates.

Why learn communication skills?

An Engineering Curriculum Task Force study

rated effectiveness in communicating ideas as second in importance only to problem recognition and solution skills (Darling & Dannels, 2003). 72% of employers consider speaking skills as very important to engineering work (Darling & Dannels, 2003) Novice engineers do up to 60% office work (writing), senior engineers up to 100% (Cheng & Mok, 2008)

Why learn communication skills?

Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology: In a survey of over 1,600 employers, employers rated the importance of the ability of new engineering hires to communicate effectively at the top of all student outcome Criterion 3 competencies (ak), even above technical ones (Leydens, 2008).

How good are you as a communicator?

http://www.slideshare.net/IPSSRbyDrKapilKa

kar/how-good-are-your-communication-skills

Todays plan
Administrative matters Overview of the course Interpersonal models of communication Components of the communication model Context, participants and message in

communication

Linear model of human communication

Communication as Message Transfer (Shannon

and Weaver, 1949) one-way communication

Example of communication as message transfer

When you talk one-to-one to a friend, are you using the linear model of human communication?
1. Yes 2. No

Transactional model of human communication

Communication as Dialogue (Verderber & Verderber,

2007; Goodall, Goodall & Schiefelbein, 2010)

Example of transactional communication

Example of transactional communication

Transactional model of human communication

Dialogue is mindful communication and requires the participants to analyze communication situations think actively about possible communication choices or channels available adapt the message to inform, amuse, persuade or influence the audience and evaluate the feedback received as an indication of the success level of the communication process i.e. in achieving the communication goal
(Goodall et. al., 2010, p. 46)

Is this mindful communication?

Source: loktv.net

Is this mindful communication?

Communication is a complex

process it is a verbal, non-verbal and intellectual process that requires close awareness and careful management of internal and external forces at work.

Is this mindful communication?

When the shared environment is lesser

between communicators, communication becomes more challenging e.g. generation gap.

Source: writeurown.blogspot.com

Todays plan
Administrative matters Overview of the course Interpersonal models of communication Components of the communication

model Context, participants and message in communication

Components of the communication model

Six significant components: Participants Context Channel Message (purpose) Noise
Feedback

Todays plan
Administrative matters Overview of the course Evolving models of communication Components of the communication

model Context, participants and message in communication

Context of the communication

Do you agree with the following statements? The quality of conversations are affected

when

Not enough time is given to the conversation The conversation is held at the wrong time The conversation is held at an uncomfortable, busy or noisy place There is a lack of privacy There are distractions.

If you agreed with all the statements, the

following slide reveals the reason why.

Context of the communication

Context of immediate situation: Physical context (location, environmental conditions and time of the communication) Social context (nature of the relationship between the participants) Psychological context (mood and feelings of the participants)

Context of the communication

Context of surrounding culture: Historical context (what happened prior to the current communication) Cultural context (the beliefs, values, attitudes, and social hierarchies of the participants of the communication)

Can you identify which aspects of context were referred to here?

The quality of conversations are affected

when:

Not enough time is given to the conversation The conversation is held at the wrong time The conversation is held at an uncomfortable, busy or noisy place, There is a lack of privacy There are distractions

Can you identify which aspects of context were referred to here?

The quality of conversations are affected

when:

Not enough time is given to the conversation

Cultural context e.g. Asian vs Western business negotiations Psychological context e.g. when you are in a bad mood or when you are in a rush

The conversation is held at the wrong time

Can you identify which aspects of context were referred to here?

The quality of conversations are affected

when:

The conversation is held at an uncomfortable, busy or noisy place

Physical context Social context Cultural context Psychological and/or physical context

There is a lack of privacy

There are distractions

Participants in the communication

Participants one to one, group, mass

Message (purpose) in communication

The Effective Communication course aims to Introduce students to the principles and processes underlying effective communication Help students recognize what constitute effective expository and persuasive oral and written communication Equip students with skills to communicate ideas effectively in speech and writing in a variety of settings.

Context, participants, message and the effect on choice of information flow

Vertical

superior to subordinate Upward from subordinate to superior Horizontal among peers

Downward

Context, participants, message and the effect on choice of information flow

What should be the information flow for these tasks? Briefly explain your suggestions. 1. As human resource manager, you want to address the problem of long lunch breaks among your companys rank and file 2. You want to organize a surprise 21st birthday party for your best friend 3. As production manager of your Drama Club, you want to ensure that the sales manager get your scheduling estimates

As human resource manager, you want to address the problem of long lunch breaks among your companys rank and file

1. Vertical downward 2. Vertical upward 3. Horizontal 4. All the above

You want to organize a surprise 21st birthday party for your best friend
1. Vertical downward 2. Vertical upward 3. Horizontal 4. All the above

As production manager of your Drama Club, you want to ensure that the sales manager get your scheduling estimates

1. Vertical downward 2. Vertical upward 3. Horizontal 4. All the above

Learning points
It is important for us to communicate

effectively Communication is a mindful process that can be deconstructed, analyzed and improved upon (using the communication model) Communication has a content dimension where information is explicitly discussed, and a relational dimension (tone, beliefs, attitudes etc).

References
Barker, A. (2013). Improve your communication

skills. London: Kogan Page Ltd. Cheng, W., & Mok, E. (2008). Discourse processes and products: Land surveyors in Hong Kong, English for Specific Purposes, 27, 57-73. Darling, A. D., & Daniels, D. P. (2003). Practicing engineers talk about the importance of talk: A report on the role of oral communication in the workplace, Communication Education, 52 (1), 116.

References
Goodall, H. L., Goodall, S., & Schiefelbein, J.

(2010) Business and professional communication in the global workplace, 3rd ed. Boston, MA: Cencage. Lewin, K. (1951). Problems of research in social psychology. In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Field theory in social science: Selected theoretical papers (pp. 155-169). New York: Harper & Row. (p169)

References
Leydens, J. A. (2008). Novice and insider

perspectives on academic and workplace writing: Toward a continuum of rhetorical awareness, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 51 (3), 242-263. Shannon, C. E., & Weaver, W. (1949). The mathematical theory of communication. Urbana, Il: University of Illinois Press. Verderber, R. F., & Verderber, K. S. (2007). Communicate! 12th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.