Pooja Kharwar 1 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

Syllabus - Effective Communication

1. Introduction to Communication - What is Communication?

2. Importance of Communication in an Organization or Organizational Communication.

3. D/B -> Interpersonal & Intrapersonal Communication.

What makes an effective Interpersonal Communication?

4. Contexts of Communication (4 Contexts)

(a) Physical -> Eg. Classroom
(b) Social -> Eg. Birthday, Wedding, Funeral, Parties
(c) Psychological -> Refers to the psychology of yourself & of the person you are
communicating with. Eg. Corporates
(d) Cross-cultural -> Interantional Communication in context of globalization - never be
ethnocentric i.e. racial pride. Being non-judgemental. Be a Roman in Rome.

5. Important 3 styles of Behavior

(a) Passive
(b) Aggressive
(c) Assertive

6. Open Communication Climate -> Transparent glass cubicles -> Results in team work. Therefore,
there is a "BE" than a "BY". Eg. Bank Manager in a glass cabin.

7. Non-verbal v/s Verbal areas of Communication.

8. Constituents of a GOOD Presentation? Or What makes a good presentation?

9. Case Studies
Approach to Case Studies:
(a) State briefly the natures of the problem (4 - 5 lines only)
(b) Possible Solutions ( each solution to be described in 2 - 4 lines only)
(c) My Solution -> Reasons to be given why you have chosen a particular solution.
It should begin with "I THINK" & not "I FEEL".

10. Importance of Perception, Feedback & Empathy

11. Report Writing.

(a) 2 Types of Reports -> (a) Formal
(b) Informal
(b) What is Executive Summary? Importance of Executive Summary.
(c) Layout of the Formal Report?

Pooja Kharwar 2 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

Q1. What is Communication?
Communication is a learned skill. Most people are born with the physical ability to talk, but we must
learn to speak well and communicate effectively. Speaking, listening, and our ability to understand
verbal and nonverbal meanings are skills we develop in various ways. We learn basic communication
skills by observing other people and modeling our behaviors based on what we see. We also are taught
some communication skills directly through education, and by practicing those skills and having them
evaluated.

Communication as an academic discipline relates to all the ways we communicate, so it embraces a

large body of study and knowledge. The communication discipline includes both verbal and nonverbal
messages. A body of scholarship all about communication is presented and explained in textbooks,
electronic publications, and academic journals. In the journals, researchers report the results of studies
that are the basis for an ever expanding understanding of how we all communicate.

Communication is a truly remarkable process. Clearly the most complex form of behavior in which we
engage, it sharply separates us from other members of the animal kingdom. Through the use of words
and other signs and symbols for which we share meanings, we perceive, evaluate, and respond to the
physical and social world around us.

Communication is not only the basis of human thought, it is the means by which each of us develops
an individual pattern of beliefs, attitudes, and values––the personal attributes that bring us to
understand, misunderstand, accept, or reject others who are like or unlike ourselves. In that sense,
communication is the foundation of an effective democratic and multicultural society.

Pooja Kharwar 3 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

Q2. Definition of Communication
Communication is the act of transmitting verbal and non-verbal information and understanding
between seller and buyer. The process by which information and feelings are shared by people through
an exchange of verbal and non-verbal messages.

Pooja Kharwar 4 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

 Q3. Barriers to Effective Communication
There are a wide number of sources of noise or interference that can enter into the communication
process. This can occur when people now each other very well and should understand the sources of
error. In a work setting, it is even more common since interactions involve people who not only don't
have years of experience with each other, but communication is complicated by the complex and often
conflictual relationships that exist at work. In a work setting, the following suggests a number of
sources of noise:

 Language: The choice of words or language in which a sender encodes a message will influence the
quality of communication. Because language is a symbolic representation of a phenomenon, room for
interpreation and distortion of the meaning exists. In the above example, the Boss uses language (this
is the third day you've missed) that is likely to convey far more than objective information. To Terry it
conveys indifference to her medical problems. Note that each different person will interpret the same
words different. Meaning has to be given to words and many factors affect how an individual will
attribute meaning to particular words. It is important to note that no two people will attribute the exact
same meaning to the same words.
 Defensiveness, distorted perceptions, guilt, project, transference, distortions from the past
 Misreading of body language, tone and other non-verbal forms of communication (see section below)
 Noisy transmission (unreliable messages, inconsistency)
 Receiver distortion: selective hearing, ignoring non-verbal cues
 Power struggles

Pooja Kharwar 5 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

 Self-fulfilling assumptions
 Language-different levels of meaning
 Managers hesitation to be candid
 Assumptions-eg. assuming others see situation same as you, has same feelings as you
 Distrusted source, erroneous translation, value judgment, state of mind of two people
 Perceptual Biases: People attend to stimuli in the environment in very different ways. We each have
shortcuts that we use to organize data. Invariably, these shortcuts introduce some biases into
communication. Some of these shortcuts include stereotyping, projection, and self-fulfilling
prophecies. Stereotyping is one of the most common. This is when we assume that the other person
has certain characteristics based on the group to which they belong without validating that they in fact
have these characteristics.
 Interpersonal Relationships: How we perceive communication is affected by the past experience
with the individual. Perception is also affected by the organizational relationship two people have. For
example, communication from a superior may be perceived differently than that from a subordinate or
peer.
 Cultural Differences: Effective communication requires deciphering the basic values, motives,
aspirations, and assumptions that operate across geographical lines. Given some dramatic differences
across cultures in approaches to such areas as time, space, and privacy, the opportunities for
miscommunication while we are in cross-cultural situations are plentiful.

Q4. Importance of Communication in an Organization? OR

Organizational Communication.
Organizational Communication can be defined as “the process of the flow (transmission and
reception) of goal-oriented messages between sources, in a pattern and through a medium or media. In
almost any organization there can be found examples of inefficiency, waste, spoilage and
misunderstanding, all of which can be traced to some form of communication. This has an adverse
effect on the functioning and well-being of an organization. The situation is all the more unfortunate
because many managers quite frequently think they are properly communicating to their subordinates
when in reality they re not.

Communicating consists of far more than merely telling people things. Until the mangers learn,
understand and become skilled in the basic process of transmitting and receiving information, they
cannot possibly lead and motivate people in the manner required to get the work done efficiently. It is
a means of bringing about the maximum production with the lowest cost by maintaining good relations
in the organization, by encouraging suggestions and implementing them, whenever feasible. In fact, it
is impossible to have human relations without communication, and vice versa.

Pooja Kharwar 6 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

Importance of Communication in an Organization or Organizational Communication:

Communication skills are critical for success in professional life. The importance of communication is
obvious in professions such as teaching, law, sales, and counseling, where talking and listening are
central to effectiveness. Many attorneys, counselors, and businesspeople major in communication
before pursuing specialized training. Even highly technical jobs such as computer programming,
accounting, and film editing require communication skills. Specialists have to be able to listen
carefully to the needs of their clients and customers. They also need to be skilled in explaining
technical ideas to people who lack their expertise. Developing communication skills is important no
matter what your career goals are.

COMMUNICATION – THE LIFE-BLOOD OF A BUSINESS ORGANIZATION

Communication may be defined as the transfer of a message or information from one person to
another or a group of people for a common understanding. The person who sends the information is
called the sender and the person who receives the information is referred to as the receiver. A business
organization may be described as an institution made up of a group of people who work together in a
structured way for a common purpose such as production of goods or provision of services or buying
and selling of goods and services. Communication from time immemorial has played an important role
in the life of human beings. It is very interesting to discuss the importance of communication in
business organizations.

Generally communication can help in transmission of messages from one person to another, conveying
ideas, feelings and grievances of people, for entertainment et cetera. In business organizations,
communication can help inform workers about the goals of a particular organization; it may also help
management to know the problems of workers and their grievances.

Communication in a business organization may take various forms such as

a) Vertical communication - for example, a letter from senior management to workers.
b) Horizontal communication - for example communication among managers at the same level.
c) Upward communication - for example, a suggestion form workers to management through the
suggestion box.

Communication passes through a process in which the sender thinks of an idea, puts it into words and
sends it through a medium such as a telephone line or through the mail to the receiver. The receiver

Pooja Kharwar 7 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

gets the message and translates it for his or her understanding. He or she sends a feedback to the
receiver by way of response.

However, there are formal channels of communication that are used in a business organization. These
include business letters, memoranda and notices. One cannot imagine how a business organization can
function properly without any form of communication. It cannot advertise its products or services to
the customers and the customers would not inform it of their tastes. Communication continues to be
the life-blood of all business organizations. Without communication, it is doubtful if any business
organization can exist and continue to survive. One can foresee that communication will, for a long
time, remain and continue to be in the future, the most important tool of management of any business
organization which wants to progress. Thus business organizations ca hardly do without
communication.

Communication has its limitations depending on the cultural environment in which a particular
organization is. For example, a multinational company cannot communicate in a foreign country in the
same way it does in its home country because of different cultures. There may be problems or
challenges in communication in a business organization. There may be physical barriers such as noise,
clarity of expression by the sender, vague objectives of the message, other factors such as fear of the
sender e.g. a strict manager sending information to a junior clerk.

In spite of its limitations, communication in the world today, can be said to be better than
communication in the world twenty (20) years ago. 20 years ago, in the developing countries,
communication was mainly through the talking drums, ‘gong-gong’ beating, snail mail and word-of-
mouth. In the developed countries it was through telephone of a low technology, snail mail, telegraph
and Internet with a fairly low technology. Today, in both the developing and developed countries,
means of communication are common. Thus, a company in Africa can send information to companies
in any part of the world in a matter of minutes by electronic mail. One can say that business
organizations are better off today than 20 years ago in terms of communications especially distant
communication.

If the barriers of communication can be taken into consideration and the appropriate channels of
communication chosen, communication can continue to be an effective life-blood of business
organizations.

Pooja Kharwar 8 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

Q5. Communication Process
According to Peter, “Good communication is the foundation for Sound Management,” It is through
well-laid system of communication that the management function, viz’, organization, co-ordination,
direction and control can be effectively carried out. The communication process basically contains the
following steps:

Communication Process

1. Conceiving the message

2. Encoding the message

3. Selecting Communication Medium

4. Decoding the message

5. Interpreting the message

6. Providing the Feedback

Step 1: Conceiving the message

In this stage the sender takes the decision to communicate a message i.e., he creates ides, information,
certain guidelines which have to be conveyed to someone lese. Messages are the product of an internal
reasoning or emotional process and some of an external stimulus. As Davis has said: “The motto
should be: Don’t start talking until you begin thinking”.

Pooja Kharwar 9 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

Step 2: Encoding the message

The sender puts the ideas and thoughts into some form of a logical and coded message. The language
of communication includes the following:
 The spoken and the written word
 The number, picture, drawing, symbol or diagram
 The non-verbal communication like expression, gesture, posture.
An appropriate method of communication has to be selected by the sender of the message, which will
reach the receiver who will give attention to it.

Step 3: Selecting Communication Medium

Once the appropriate language has been chosen, the sender needs to select the right medium through
which the message will be transmitted. Some major factors influencing the choice of communication
medium, are:
 Potential effectiveness
 Need for fact
 Simultaneous reception of information by recipients
 Need for a record
 Confidentiality
 Need for instant feedback
 Complexity of message
 Time cost
 Need for speed

Step 4: Decoding the message

Before a message can be absorbed or acted upon, it first needs to be understood. This requires that the
receiver must be skillful in reading or listening, and must be able to reason. Many messages are
ineffective because the sender fails to realize that the language he had chosen might be beyond the
ability of his receiver to comprehend.

Some of the reasons for a failure to decode a message successfully are:

 The sender’s sentence structure and use of language is too difficult for the receiver to grasp
 The sender is a specialist and the receiver is a layman.
 Education, cultural pursuits and outlooks create a language block between sender and
receiver.

Stage 5: Interpreting the message

The receiver acts or reacts to the message he has interpreted. He needs to comprehend and interpret the
message correctly at this stage.

Pooja Kharwar 10 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

Stage 6: Providing feedback

Feedback is the check on how successful one has been in transferring his messages as originally
intended. Feedback provides a means of reassuring a sender that :

 A message has been received

 It has been comprehended
 It has been correctly interpreted
 The receiver is ready for the next part.

Such feedback when positive, may be signaled by a nod, smile, a written acceptance of an invitation or
a series of agreeing murmurs at the other end of a telephone line. Alternatively, it may be negative – a
stifled yawn, a restless fidgeting, an angry silence or vociferous clamor. Whether positive or negative,
if correctly interpreted, feedback is always productive to the alert and sensitive sender. It is therefore
important to be able to recognize the signals and read them correctly.

Q6. Interpersonal & Intrapersonal Communication

Intrapersonal: Existing or occurring within the individual self or mind
Interpersonal: Existing or occurring between persons
1. INTRAPERSONAL COMMUNICATION: know yourself before knowing others
Self-analysis through the Human Synergistics Level I Inventory/ STYLUS 1 & 2. Debriefing personal
communication style, management style, impact on self, and impact on others. Identifying leadership
strengths and weaknesses Identifying personal strengths and weaknesses Initial action plan for the rest
of the session.
2. INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION:

 Communicating good and bad news.

 How to ask; how to tell
 Oral contracting: acknowledging problem areas,
 Accepting role as part of the problem
 Evaluating relationships
 Small group dynamics
 Leadership and Followership

Intrapersonal communication is language use or thought internal to the communicator. Intrapersonal

communication is the active internal involvement of the individual in symbolic processing of
messages. The individual becomes his or her own sender and receiver, providing feedback to him or
herself in an ongoing internal process. It can be useful to envision intrapersonal communication
occurring in the mind of the individual in a model which contains a sender, receiver, and feedback
loop.
Although successful communication is generally defined as being between two or more individuals,
issues concerning the useful nature of communicating with oneself and problems concerning
communication with non-sentient entities such as computers have made some argue that this definition
is too narrow.
Pooja Kharwar 11 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)
Q7. What makes an effective Interpersonal Communication ?
Some useful skills for making sure you have really effective interpersonal communication are:
1. Refer to your listener by name. This makes people feel valued and appreciated; it also
ensures that they know that you are talking specifically to them; it alerts them to that fact and
encourages them to concentrate upon your message. If they are listening more closely to you,
you are more likely to be understood.
2. Adapt your message to your listener(s). The message may have to be conveyed
differently according to the role and status of the listener, as well as their level of
understanding. Different parts of your message will hold special importance for certain
groups of people so you may want to adapt your message so that these things are emphasized
for a particular group. Making your message relevant to your audience is just the hook you
will need to make people start listening to you.
3. The call to action may differ according to who your audience members are, because
everyone has different responsibilities. If you have something that you want your audience
to do after listening to you, be explicit about this; make it clear what you want them to do,
without being too dictatorial about it.
4. Make sure you include all the information that is necessary in order to make yourself
and your message understood. If you can repeat your message and illustrate it in different
ways, so much the better, as members of your audience will all understand things in different
ways.
5. Avoid jumping to early conclusions. Listen to the whole message first if you are not the
one doing the main talking. If you think you have the idea of the conversation very early on,
often you will find that you will switch off or at least not listen so attentively to the rest of the
message and this is one area where mistakes are often made.
6. Be aware of any assumptions you are making; are they correct? Will your audience
understand your assumptions or do you need to communicate to them too, for effective
communication? You should always try to judge how you are being interpreted by others too.
Ask questions and mirror back what people seem to be saying to you, paraphrased, so that you
can check that you have the correct understanding. This also shows that you care about how
the other person is feeling; they will warm to you and you will ease communication with
them.
7. You should 'own' your message, using terms such as 'I' and 'my'; this makes your
communication sound more genuine and sincere.
8. You should learn to express your feelings as that can make them clearer to you as well
as to other people.

Pooja Kharwar 12 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

Q8. Important 3 styles of Behavior
In general, there are three broad styles of interpersonal behavior. These are:
a) Passive
b) Aggressive
c) Assertive

a) The Passive style: People utilizing this style tend to be easy to get along with and pleasant, but
are not often unwilling to stand up for their rights, for fear of offending others. They are very
uncomfortable expressing anger or disagreement and usually deny or suppress this feeling
should it occur. As a result, resentment often builds under the surface producing stress and
tension. They are also unable or unwilling to cope with small annoyances and frictions that
happen in most relationships. Often, as result of this, such people start avoiding close
relationships and focus only on very few “safe” relationships.
b) The Aggressive style: People who utilize this style tend to be very focused on their needs and
almost always go after what they want, but are often unconcerned about how this will affect
others. Their dominating and somewhat imposing manner tends to alienate people who, in
time, may start opposing them. Aggressive individuals are usually suspicious of others and
often feel that most people are trying to encroach upon or violate their rights. Thus, the
Aggressive style produces stress and prohibits the development of close, trusting, and caring
interpersonal relationships.
c) The Assertive style: is characterized by both fairness and strength. Assertive individuals are
able to stand up for their rights, but remain sensitive to the rights of others. They would not let
their rights be encroached upon yet will allow others their rights too. People who choose these
styles are usually relaxed and easy going, but are very honest about their feelings. This is the
best style for minimizing stress and maintaining long-standing intimate relationships.
By moving our everyday behavior closer to the assertive style of response, we will most likely
experience an increase in feelings of self-esteem and a decrease in feelings of stress.

Pooja Kharwar 13 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

 COMMUNICATION STYLES

Passive Assertive Aggressive

Communication style in which Communication style in which
Communication style in which you
you put the rights of others before you stand up for your rights
Definition stand up for your rights but you
your own, minimizing your own while maintaining respect for
violate the rights of others
self worth the rights of others

My feelings are not important Your feelings are not important

We are both important
Implications to I don't matter You don't matter
Others We both matter
I think I'm inferior I think I'm superior
I think we are equal

Apologetic I statements You statements

Verbal Styles
Overly soft or tentative voice Firm voice Loud voice

Looking down or away Looking direct Staring, narrow eyes

Non-Verbal Styles Stooped posture, excessive head Relaxed posture, smooth and Tense, clenched fists, rigid
nodding relaxed movements posture, pointing fingers

Lowered self esteem Guilt

Higher self esteem
Anger at self Anger from others
Self respect
Potential False feelings of inferiority Lowered self esteem
Consequences Respect from others
Disrespect from others Disrespect from others
Respect of others
Pitied by others Feared by others

Characteristics Allow others to choose for you. Choose for self. Appropriately Choose for others. Inappropriately
Emotionally dishonest. Indirect honest. Direct, self-respecting, honest (tactless). Direct, self-
self-denying, inhibited. In win- self-expressing, straight-forward. enhancing. Self-expressive,
lose situations you lose. If you do Convert win-lose to win-win. derogatory. Win-lose situation that
get your own way, it is indirectly. you win.
Your Own Anxious, ignored, helpless, Confident, self-respecting, goal- Righteous, superior,deprecatory,
Feelings on the manipulated. Angry at yourself, oriented, valued. Later: controlling. Later: possibly guilt.
Exchange and/or others. Accomplished.
Others' Feelings Guilty or superior. Frustrated with Valued, respected. Humiliated, defensive, resentful,
in the Exchange you. hurt.
Others' View of Lack of respect, distrust. Can be Respect, trust. Know where you Vengeful, angry, distrustful,
You in the considered a pushover. Do not stand. fearful.
Exchange know where you stand.
Outcome Others achieve their goals at your Outcome determined by above- You achieve your goal at others'
expense. Your rights are violated. board negotiation. Your and expense. Your rights upheld;
others' rights respected. others' are violated.
Underlying Belief I should never make anyone I have a responsibility to protect I have to put others down to
System uncomfortable or displeased... my own rights: I respect others protect myself.
except myself. but not necessarily their
behaviour.

Pooja Kharwar 14 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

Q9. Open Communication Climate
Communication, through both formal and informal channels, is the lifeblood of any organization. In
reading about communication environments, channels, processes, systems, and hierarchies, we
sometimes lose sight of the essence of the communication act: it is profoundly human. At the center of
every organization are people held together by slender threads of cooperation. These threads are
maintained by people sharing information with each other. The result is a delicate network of human
relationships linked through communication.

In these networks, information is a commodity. It has value, can be exchanged, and is crucial to the
success of launching a project, selling a product, or marketing a service. Unfortunately, people
sometimes refuse to exchange this crucial information. They often erect barriers to shut out others in
situations they consider hostile. Most communication mishaps in organizations can be traced to these
barriers. They impede information exchange and thereby disrupt the orderly flow of activity. Because
of barriers, people fail to inform others of a meeting, a project deadline or a client need; they neglect to
compliment co-workers on a job well-done; they even lash out at others for little or no reason.

Often these barriers, resulting in a closed communication climate, cause lost business, damaged
reputations, endangered goodwill, and general unhappiness. Research shows that an open
communication climate is desirable because it enhances human relationships, which occasion
increased morale and productivity.

After reading this article, you should have a clear understanding of

1. The nature and benefits of open communication climate;
2. The definition of supportive environment, participative environment, and trusting environment; and
3. Aspects of defensive barriers that affect communication.

Supportive, Participative, and Trusting Communication:

Communication climate can be defined as the internal environment of information exchange among
people through an organization's formal and informal networks. Communication climate is open when
information flows freely; closed when information is blocked.

In an open climate, employees feel free to express opinions, voice complaints, and offer suggestions to
their superiors. Employees talk freely among themselves about important policy decisions and their
production, personnel, or marketing concerns. Information passes without distortion upward,
downward, and horizontally throughout the organization. Research shows that this open
communication climate has at least three distinct characteristics: it is supportive, participative, and
trusting.

1. Supportive Environments:
In supportive environments, employees convey information to superiors without hesitation, confident
that superiors will readily accept it, whether good or bad, favorable or unfavorable.

2. Participative Environments:
Employees have to feel that what they say counts for something. The best suggestions for improving
production processes, for example, come from employees who work everyday on the assembly line.
Sales people know what the customers want because they are in daily contact. Customer service

Pooja Kharwar 15 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

representatives are acquainted firsthand with the technical and functional problems that can spell
future marketing disasters. All these employees have valuable information that must be shared with the
organization's decision makers. The information will be shared if employees feel management regards
them as legitimate participants in the enterprise. Employees know they are valued participants when
their suggestions are implemented, their questions answered, and their concerns recognized.

3. Trusting Environments:
All parties in information exchange must tell the truth as they perceive it. They must also ensure that
information is correct. Credibility is any employee's greatest asset. A reputation for carelessness,
lying, deceit, or manipulation undercuts all future messages. The result of credibility is trust; it
underpins all human relationships. Employees have to believe their information sources. If, for
example, at weekly meetings, the staff hears contradictory information about project plans, decisions,
or salary, they will dismiss all information because they cannot confidently choose which to believe. If
one week they are told the start-up date is November 14, the next week November 20, and following
week November 7, they will understandably dismiss all the information as not credible.

Summary

Open communication climates encourage employees through supporting them, through allowing them
to participate in decision making, and, through trusting them, which assures the integrity of
information channels. Ultimately, the openness of any communication climate depends upon the
character of the participants. Openness often demands courage because the communicator operates
with lowered or eliminated defensive barriers, even when standing up to verbal assault. Because open
communicators have to articulate their positions in meetings, public arenas, and in print, they must be
secure individuals, confident in their own positions, ability, and authority. Yet, while open
communication climate may make formidable personal demands, such openness ultimately rewards
both the individual and the organization in providing an environment where people thrive and
enterprise flourishes.

Eg.: Transparent glass cubicles -> Results in team work.

Therefore, there is a "BE" than a "BY".
Eg.: Bank Manager in a glass cabin.

Pooja Kharwar 16 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

Q10. Non-verbal v/s Verbal areas of Communication

What is Verbal Communication?

Verbal communication can be defined as communicating your thoughts through words. Such thoughts
may be ideas, opinions, directions, dissatisfaction, objections, your emotions and pleasures.
For example, whenever you conduct a meeting, have a conversation over the phone, talk to a friend, or
any other form of conversation that you perform with others using words. In this article you will learn
how to acquire better verbal communication.
Verbal communication can be defined as communicating your thoughts through words. Such thoughts
may be ideas, opinions, directions, dissatisfaction, objections, your emotions and pleasures

Clear spoken or verbal communication skills are essential for many people. Being able to speak
clearly, briefly and with impact have a major impact on the credibility of managers and other
professionals and the organisations they work for. Whether delivering formal presentations or involved
in ad hoc meetings and discussions, the requirement to present ideas clearly and succinctly, is always
present.

The basic requirement is to be able to talk and be understood. However, beyond that we have to
consider the underlying purpose of oral communication. Very often we talk too much and with too
little structure... or, in the case of many formal presentations with too much structure! Whatever you
are doing, the way you communicate sets the emotional tone and builds relationships that very often
determines your success in the workplace.

Pooja Kharwar 17 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

Areas of Verbal Communication:

1. Interpersonal Speaking
2. Hierarchical Communication
3. Etiquette
4. Public Speaking
5. Speak spontaneously and coherently.
6. Clarify, reframe and respond to questions.
7. Cope with all the questions that put you on the spot!
8. Anticipate challenges.
9. Convey your ideas with clarity, brevity and impact - even under pressure.

(B) What is Nonverbal Communication?

Nonverbal communication can be best defined as the procedure of communicating with a person or
party without using any form of speech to grab an audience attention or to exploit a message. Non
verbal communication is often used to make an expression of a thought or thoughts and make your
message more appealing and interesting to whom you are speaking.

There are three main elements of nonverbal communication:

1. Appearance
2. Body language
3. Sounds

Q11. Constituents of a GOOD Presentation? OR What makes a

GOOD Presentation?

Pooja Kharwar 18 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

1. Dig Deep: Having an effective business presentation that will have the audience on their feet
requires more than the usual factoid dropped into your PowerPoint. Find a relevant fact beyond
your topic norm. Give them the unexpected. The one obscure and contradictory piece of
information that will raise heads and stimulate discussion. Where do you find such information? Go
past the typical quick search engine scan. Check out educational websites for new research,
interview industry mavericks, or scour the business press.

2. Avoid Info Overload: PowerPoint expert Cliff Atkinson, author of Beyond Bullet Points says,
"When you overload your audience, you shut down the dialogue that's an important part of
decision-making." He points to some important research by educational psychologists. "When you
remove interesting but irrelevant words and pictures from a screen, you can increase the audience's
ability to remember the information by 189% and the ability to apply the information by 109%,"
recommends Atkinson.

3. Practice Delivery: A knockout business presentation is so captivating it makes you forget about
the speaker and become absorbed in the talk. Practice your delivery over and over until you remove
the distractions including nervous tics and uncomfortable pauses. Pay particular attention to your
body language. Is it non-existent or overly excessive? Good presenters work the stage in a natural
manner.

4. Forget Comedy: Business presenters will flirt with the temptation to deliver the stand up humor
of Chris Rock. Remember your audience didn't come to laugh; this is a business presentation. Leave
your jokes at home. It's ok to throw in a few natural off the cuff laughs but don't overdo it.

5. Pick Powerful Props: You don't need a box full of props like the watermelon-smashing comic,
Gallagher. A few simple props to demonstrate a point can be memorable in the minds of your target
audience. Management guru, Tom Peters, uses a cooking timer to show how quickly factory
expansion is occurring in China.

6. Minimize You: "Frankly, your audience doesn't care as much about your company history, as
they do about whether you can help them solve the specific problems they face. Write a script for

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your presentation that makes the audience the protagonist, or the main character, who faces a
problem that you will help them to solve," says Atkinson.

7. Speak the Language: A knockout business presentation doesn't leave people wondering what
you said. It might be tempting to throw in a few big words but are you alienating your audience?
Always explain terms and acronyms. The number of smart executives who aren't up on the latest
terminology would surprise you.

8. Simple Slides: Beware of the PowerPoint presentation. Many corporate brains will turn off at the
sight of yet another PowerPoint presentation. Over 400 million desktops currently have the
PowerPoint application. If you want your business to stand out, don't be like everyone else. Use
slides in your knockout presentation to highlight and emphasize key points. Don't rely on your slide
projector to run the show.

It all comes down to what your audience walks away with in the end. Did you deliver another
boring business presentation? Or did you persuade or motivate everyone to action?

Q12. COMMUNICATING ACROSS CULTURES

by Norhayati Ismail

"She's so cold and uncommunicative. She never shows any emotion."

"Why does he talk like that? I wish he would get straight to the point instead of beating around the
bush that way."

"He's so direct and brash."

"Doesn't he know that it's rude to keep people waiting like this? He's an hour late!"

"She talks so much. I get tired just listening to her talk."

We often hear remarks like the above made by people around us. In fact, we may even have made
some of these remarks ourselves. Sometimes these remarks are justifiable; at other times they may not
be so. But what actually triggers such remarks? Usually we make such remarks about other people
when they display behaviors that we consider inappropriate or unacceptable in our culture. But what is
deemed acceptable in our culture may be considered strange or totally inappropriate in other cultures.
So when the target of the above remarks are people who come from cultures different from ours, there
may actually be no justification at all for making such remarks because the behaviors displayed may
be perfectly acceptable in their cultures.

With more and more companies going global in today's changing business environment, it is not at all
uncommon to walk into an office and to find ourselves looking at a multinational multicultural
workforce. In fact, this is becoming more and more the norm these days. Gone are the days when
developing intercultural communication skills was relevant only to business executives who had to
cross national borders for overseas assignments. Today, you don't even have to leave your own
country to find yourself in face-to-face contact with people whose cultures are markedly different from

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yours. So, in order to succeed at the workplace today, it is important for you to develop effective
intercultural communication skills.

Culture:
Before we delve further into the subject of intercultural communication, let us first take a look at what
we mean by culture. Iris Varner and Linda Beamer, in Intercultural communication in the global
workplace, define culture as "the coherent, learned, shared view a group of people has about life's
concerns that ranks what is important, instills attitudes about what things are appropriate, and
prescribes behavior, given that some things have more significance than others."

Factors affecting communication across cultures:

The subject of intercultural communication is however one that is very broad and fairly complex so in
this short article, I will just provide you with a very brief introduction to some easily identifiable
aspects of culture that may have an impact on intercultural communication and often discussed in
various books on the subjects. Specifically, we will look at five key aspects of culture: (1) Level of
formality; (2) Level of directness and explicitness; (3) Perception of time; (4) Perception of the
individual versus that of the group; and (5) Show of emotion.

Q13. Importance of Perception?

Perception in Communication

In living our lives and communicating with each other our perception of reality is less important than
reality itself. Some would argue that there IS no ultimate reality, only the illusion of our perceptions.
Our perceptions are influenced by:

1. Physical elements -- what information your eye or ear can actually take in, how your brain
processes it.
2. Environmental elements -- what information is out there to receive, its context.
3. Learned elements -- culture, personality, and habit: what filters we use to select what we take
in and how we react to it.

Q14. Importance of Feedback?

Feedback allows the speaker to be sure that his or her intended message has been understood by the
receiver.

Let's say that you're walking down the street, and you see a lady walking toward you. As she passes
you, you say, "Nice dress!"

Let's say that the lady responds to your comment by giving you a dirty look. That look is your
feedback. The feedback allows you to know that the lady received your compliment as sarcasm. If you
meant the compliment sincerely, you now have an opportunity to clarify your message, so that she
understands what you truly intended to say. Of course, if you meant the compliment to be taken as
sarcasm, the look she gave you as feedback should let you know that your message was received
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correctly.

Without feedback, the person who speaks or otherwise sends a message can never know whether or
not that message is actually understood.

Useful Techniques to use when giving Feedback:

Q15. Importance of Empathy?

Empathy is vitally important in good communication. Many people confuse empathy with sympathy,
but empathy is much more.

"the quality or process of entering fully, through imagination, into another's feelings or motives." In
the fullest sense, it implies putting yourself into the other person's shoes, or even getting into his or her
skin, so that you really understand and feel his pain, fear - or more positively -his joys.

The opposite of empathy - in communication terms - is invalidation. This is what happens when you
express a feeling oridea and the person you are speaking to contradicts or rejects it. And when the
emotion happens to be anxiety, sorrow, fear or the like, the rejection can be very painful.

Interestingly, the pain of rejection can be even more profound when the other party bears no ill will
towards you. Indeed, the person you have confided in may sincerely believe she is offering you
encouragement. But she fails miserably, because there is no empathy.

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Q16. Report Writing
(A) Formal Report Format:
The executive summary is used by decision makers (managers) to determine what action needs to be
taken as a result of a project. The typical size of the executive summary is one page. The executive
summary is independent of the body of the report. The body of the report consists the introduction,
background, experimental procedures, theory and analysis, discussion, and synthesis.

1. Cover Sheet

 Title of Project
 Your Name
 Course Number, Course Title, Type of Report
 Date

2. Executive Summary

 Forward (example)
o Problem Statement
 State the organizational problem: the conflicts at issue in the organization.
 Describe the organizational context: names of persons and departments involved
in the issue
 State the technical problem: the technical investigation needed to resolve the
organizational issue
o Assignment Statement
 State the assignment, specifically what the writer of the report was asked to do.
 State the technical questions, task, and perhaps the hypothesis or solution.
o Rhetorical Purpose
 State what the instrumental purpose of the report is.

 Summary (example)
o Objective and Background
 State the Objective of the Project or Hypothesis
 Describe the methodology or experimental procedure
 Summarize the results
o Conclusions
 Concisely state the conclusions reached as a result of the project
o Recommendations
 State your recommendations for organizational action
o Implications for the organization
 Describe subsequent actions that should be taken
 Describe the costs and benefits

3. Table of Contents

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4. Introduction

 The Problem
o Give an explanation of the organizational problem that gave rise to the investigation
being presented in the report
 The Objective
o Write a statement of the assignment that forms the basis of this report.
 The Method of the Report
o Forecast the structure of this report. Your letting the reader know what to expect.

5. Background

 Previous Work
o Explain what has already been done about the problem
 Provide a literature review for material that is relevant to this problem
 Describe previous efforts and other ongoing investigations
 Describe how the approach being taken in the investigation under consideration
fits into the existing literature and efforts of others
o Specifications
 Provide an explanation of detailed instructions or specifications that serve as the
basis for your work

6. Experimental Procedures

 Materials
o Describe the materials and test specimens used in the investigation
o Describe the experimental setup used in the investigation
 Methods
o Provide a step by step description of the procedures followed in the experimental
investigation
o Summarize the data analysis performed
o Summarize the raw experimental results
 Figures and tables should be used to supplement discussion, not in stead of discussion. Large
volumes of data should be summarized in an appendix.

7. Theory and Analysis

 Present the relevant theory and analysis used in the investigation.

 Acknowledge all references

8. Discussion of Results

 An extended explanation of precisely what was learned

 Compare the experimental results to the relevant theory
 Discuss in detail the meaning of the experimental and theoretical work
 Describe and justify your conclusions

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9. Synthesis/Conclusions and Recommendations

 Problem Restated

- A restatement of the report's objective and of the problem that gave rise to the report

 Summary

- Review the main points.

 Recommendations

- Explaining subsequent action or posing specific questions for investigations

10. References

11. Appendices

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(B) Informal Report Format:
The informal report, or short report, is more condensed than the formal report, but it is just as
important. The writing style and audience for the short report are the same as for the formal report.
The main difference is the sections that are omitted. An outline is given below.

Lower case items are not headings. Headings are in capital letters. Lettered items are not headings
either, but are simply descriptive labels for the content of the report. The Introduction,
Apparatus/Results, and Discussion sections make up the main body of the report.

OUTLINE FOR THE INFORMAL REPORT

Title page
a. Title
b. Author’s name
c. Course
d. Date of experiment

Introduction
a. Purpose/ overview
b. Why important to field
c. Objective(s) for this particular experiment

Description of Apparatus/Results
a. Apparatus: understanding + description
b. Schematic of apparatus
c. Procedure followed for obtaining results
d. Important governing equations
e. Description of results
f. Tables and graphs presenting results
g. Uncertainties
h. Relevant comparisons with theory

Discussion
a. Brief review of results, if necessary
b. Discussion (trends in results, comparison with theory, answers to discussion questions in
Report Requirements section)
c. Conclusions supported by data

Appendices
a. Sample calculations
b. Uncertainty analysis
c. Data acquisition program with a list of channel assignments
d. Original data

Pooja Kharwar 26 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)

Q17. What is the Executive Summary?
An executive summary plays an important part of a business report or business plan. An executive
summary is typically a short summary of a long document providing a quick overview of a full-length
business report.

An executive summary is a brief overview of a report designed to give readers a quick preview of its
contents. Its purpose is to consolidate the principal points of a document in one place. After reading
the summary, your audience should understand the main points you are making and your evidence for
those points without having to read every part of your report in full. That's why they are called
executive summaries — the audience is usually someone who makes funding, personnel, or policy
decisions and needs information quickly and efficiently.

Purpose of an Executive Memo

An Executive summary summarizes the content of the different sections of a report which is situated
before the main content of a report. The executive summary allows the reader of a report to scan the
most import elements of a full length report. It provides the main contents of a report in a nutshell and
is the first part of a report that a reader will read.

Length of an Executive Summary:

The length of an Executive summary should not exceed one page. Each element in an executive
summary highlights the critical areas of a report.

Elements of an Executive Summary:

Following is a list of elements that may be included in an Executive Summary. The elements that you
include in your Executive Summary and the amount of space that you give to each element will
depend on the purpose and nature of your document. Therefore, you should choose the elements that
make sense for your document and omit the ones that don't.
1.Purpose and scope of document
2.Methods
3.Results
4.Conclusion
5.Recommendations
6.Other supportive information

Q18. What is the importance of an Executive Summary?

 Gives readers the essential contents of your document.
 Previews the main points of your document enabling readers to build a mental framework for
organizing and understanding the detailed information in your document.
 Helps readers determine the key results and recommendations reported in your document.

Pooja Kharwar 27 MFM – Sem – III (2007-10)