Communication Skills Set- 1

Q1. Discuss the importance of communication in business ANS : The importance of communication in an organization can be summarized as follows:

1. Communication promotes motivation by informing and clarifying the employees about the task to be done, the manner they are performing the task, and how to improve their performance if it is not up to the mark. 2. Communication is a source of information to the organizational members for decisionmaking process as it helps identifying and assessing alternative course of actions. 3. Communication also plays a crucial role in altering individuals attitudes, i.e., a well informed individual will have better attitude than a less-informed individual. Organizational magazines, journals, meetings and various other forms of oral and written communication help in moulding employees attitudes. 4. Communication also helps in socializing. In todays life the only presence of another individual fosters communication. It is also said that one cannot survive without communication. 5. As discussed earlier, communication also assists in controlling process. It helps controlling organizational members behaviour in various ways. There are various levels of hierarchy and certain principles and guidelines that employees must follow in an organization. They must comply with organizational policies, perform their job role efficiently and communicate any work problem and grievance to their superiors. Thus, communication helps in controlling function of management.
Q2. Explain the significance of Non- Verbal communication ANS : Intonation

Intonation is the way that the senders pitch of voice rises and falls when speaking. For example, it shows the interpreter whether the speaker expresses his or her message in the form of a question or statement. In the first case, the voice rises at the end of the phrase or the sentence and in the second case, it falls. At the same time, intonation indicates the end of an entity of information, which in written communication is shown by means of a comma, semicolon, point, exclamation mark or question mark. Another function of intonation is to lay emphasis on a particular word or idea, a detail that the interpreter must not fail to be aware of. 3.2. Tone of voice The tone of voice is a means by which the speaker implies his or her attitude to the message. It is also a means by which he seeks a reaction from the hearer. In a political debate, for instance, the tone of voice is likely to be rousing, whereas on television the daily news is communicated in a more factual tone. Other examples of tone of voice are: aggressive, critical, nervous,

disappointed, monotonous, friendly, enthusiastic, vivid, persuasive, etc. 3.3. Vocally produced noises Spoken discourse can be accompanied by vocally produced noises that are not regarded as part of language, though they help in communication for the expression of attitude or feeling. Such non-lexical expressions differ in important respects from language: They are much more similar in form and meaning, i.e. universal, as a whole in contrast to the great diversity of language. Vocally produced noises include laughter, shouts, screams of joy, fear, pain, as well as conventional expressions of disgust, triumph, etc., traditionally spelled ugh!, ha ha! 3.4. Body posture Body posture is the bearing or the position of the speakers body. It is a more or less stable state and thus not to be confused with body gestures which are movements. Body posture can be characteristic and assumed for a special purpose or it can correspond to the normal expectations in the context of a particular situation. Obviously one can be lying down, seating, or standing. Normally, these are not the elements of posture that convey messages. However, when the speaker is slouched or erect, his or her legs crossed or arms folded, such postures convey a degree of formality or relaxation. Once more, they can also transfer symbolic messages on the orators attitude or intention with regard to the message. 3.5. Body gestures A body gesture is a movement made with a limb, especially the hands, to express, confirm, emphasize or back up the speakers attitude or intention. This non-verbal activity is regularly used in oral discourse. If a body act requires no verbal accompaniment, it is called an emblem. Examples are: hand signals such as waving good-bye, the V for victory sign or the high five signalling victory. While some emblems, for example a clenched fist, have universal meaning, there are others that are idiosyncratic or culturally conditioned. The use of the zero shape made by the fingers, for instance, does not mean the same thing in different cultures. Standing for OK in the UK, it may be a vulgar expression in South American cultures, sometimes embarrassingly so Body gestures are always perceived and interpreted together with facial expressions. 3.6. Facial expressions and eye movement Facial expressions are dynamic features which communicate the speakers attitude, emotions, intentions, and so on. The face is the primary source of emotions. During oral communication, facial expressions change continually and are constantly monitored and interpreted by the receiver. Examples are: a smile, frown, raised eyebrow, yawn or sneer. Eye movement is a key part of facial behaviour because the eyes are invariably involved in facial displays. The different forms are observed to be cross-cultural. The frequency of eye contact may suggest either interest or boredom or may even betray dishonesty. The direct stare of the speaker can show candour or openness. Downward glances are generally associated with

modesty; eyes rolled upwards are conveyed as a sign of fatigue. Researchers have discovered that certain facial areas reveal our emotional state better than others. For example the eyes tend to show happiness, sadness or even surprise. The lower face can also express happiness or surprise; a smile, for instance, can communicate friendliness or cooperation. As for the lower face, brows and forehead are known to reveal mostly anger. 3.7. Pause A pause can have two different functions: 1. It can be a brief suspension of the voice to indicate the limits and relations of sentences and their parts. A pause then assumes a similar function in oral discourse to intonation (see chapter 3.1.). 2. It can consist of a temporary vocal inaction revealing the speakers uncertainty, hesitation, tension or uneasiness. In this context, a pause can also be judgmental by indicating favour or disfavour, agreement or disagreement. Consequently, the non-verbal cue of a pause can give rise to problems when interpreting it because its meaning can vary considerably. It can have a positive or negative influence on the process of communication.
Q3. List the common barriers to the listening process ANS : Strategy for overcoming this barrier

An approach to overcoming this barrier when listening is to ask questions to determine more precisely where you agree or disagree with what the speaker is saying, and then to explicitly point that out, when appropriate. For example, you might say, "I think we have differing views on several points here, but do we at least agree that ... ?" or "We agree with each other on most of this, but I think we have different views in the area of ...." By actively voicing the points of convergence and divergence, the listener can create a more accurate mental model of the speaker's mind. That reduces the conversational noise that can arise when speaker and listener fail to realize how their minds are aligned or unaligned.

Quadrant of cognitive/explanatory styles

More than one barrier may often be present at once. For example, a speaker might be an oversplitter who has trouble seeing the forest, while the listener is an over-lumper who can see only the forest and never the trees. They will have even more difficulty communicating if one or both also has the habit of "knowing the answer" or "treating discussion as competition". ... Good listening is arguably one of the most important skills to have in today's complex world. Families need good listening to face complicated stresses together. Corporate employees need it to solve complex problems quickly and stay competitive. Students need it to understand complex issues in their fields. Much can be gained by improving listening skills. When the question of how to improve communication comes up, most attention is paid to making people better speakers or writers (the "supply side" of the communication chain) rather than on making them better listeners or readers (the "demand side"). More depends on listening than on speaking. An especially skillful listener will know how to overcome many of the deficiencies of a vague or disorganized speaker. On the other hand, it won't matter how eloquent or cogent a speaker is if the listener isn't paying attention. The listener arguably bears more responsibility than the speaker for the quality of communication. Related topics:
Q4. Explain the various formal channels available for Internal Communication ANS: Formal communication Communication passes through both formal and informal channels, both equally important in

organizations. According to Bloisi et al. (2003) formal communication channels are created by managers for a source of daily communication of organizational work. The informal communication channel is sometimes called the grapevine and is a great source for information (Modic, 1989). Although the grapevine is important in an organization, the informal channels will not be discussed further, since this thesis looks at the formal channels of information distribution used in a project. Downward, upward and horizontal communications are different ways managers can communicate and obtain information from other stakeholders in the organization. Downward communication helps managers reach the employees in the entire organization, which can for example be presented by speeches, memos, procedure manuals and company newsletters. 7 Upward communication channels gives the managers information about the employees daily work and can take the form of face-to-face meetings, suggestion boxes, open door policies and employee surveys. Horizontal communication is seen among peers, employees, divisions and work groups (Bloisi et al., 2003). The information may be communicated upward, downward or horizontal, but it may also take different shapes, such as verbal or nonverbal (McShane & Steen, 2009). Q5. List out the differences between a block format and simplified format in a business letter ANS : Block format The entire letter is left justified (no indents) and single-spaced except for a double space between paragraphs.
Simplified Block format. The body of the letter is left justified and single-spaced as in standard block format. However, the date and closing are in alignment in the center of the page.

Q6. List the principles of writing a memo .Discuss the various approaches in writing a memo ANS: The word memo is a short form for memorandum, which is derived from the Latin word which means a thing which must be remembered. It is also referred to as an inter office memorandum, since it is used primarily as a tool for communicating within the organization. The memo is essentially a condensed or a brief report, that can be used to convey information and decisions, or to make short requests to coworkers, superiors and subordinates. It is relatively informal in style, compared to letters and long reports, and is unpretentious and concise.
1. Condensation This means that the prcis should be a brief, shortened version of the original article. In general, the prcis should be one fourth the length of the original. 2. Comprehension While it is important to reduce the article to one fourth its size, the article should not lose its meaning in the process of doing this. It should be as easy to understand the condensed article as it is to understand the original article. 3. Coverage In the process of condensing the article, all the main points or ideas in the original article should be retained and adequately covered, so that the shortened article comes across as

complete. Precis writing requires a lot of skill and is not just about chopping sentences and words to reduce the length alone. All the three Cs are equally important for a prcis to be meaningful and readable. A perfectly condensed article is of no value, if it cannot be understood. Similarly, an article which is perfectly understood but which omits some key ideas is not of much use, since it does not reflect the original. 1.Header This compact block of information which appears at the top of the memo includes the To, From, Date and Subject headings, which is similar to the title page of a longer, more formal report. 2. Body This is the text of the memo which contains the details and major topics. Unlike as in letters, the memo need not have a formal salutation ( Dear ).Unlike a formal report which has to be completely objective, personal pronouns such as I and you are acceptable in a memo, as in the opening sentence of the memo shown above. This is because a memo is purely for internal use in the organization. 3. Close/Action Unlike formal letters, memos need not include a formal close ( e.g. Sincerely) and a signature line. However, unless the purpose of the memo is just to inform, there should be a clear call for action. For example, I request you to review my proposal and to grant approval. 4. c.c. This is an abbreviation for Carbon Copy. Sometimes a copy of the memo may go to another person(s). This is indicated by c.c., followed by the name(s) of the person(s). A memo may follow one of two types of formats, depending on its nature and purpose a) The direct organizational plan or deductive organization and b) The indirect organizational plan or inductive organization.

SET 2

Q1. List the major differences between a performance appraisal report and confidential report ANS : Performance appraisal is the procuring, analyzing and documenting of facts and information about an employee's net worth to the organization. It aims at measuring and constantly improving the employee's present performance and tapping on the future potential.
This is an exercise that has to be carried on systematically and periodically to impartially rate the employee's skill and expertise with respect to his/her present job and to undermine his/her future potential. This exercise is usually undertaken annually.

Individual Appraisal Methods

Under this classification, the employee's performance in the given period is studied. Common forms of these are Annual Confidential Reports (ACR), Essay Evaluation, Management by Objectives (MBO) and Check list methods. These forms only study the employee's strengths and weaknesses in performance.

Confidential Reports

This is perhaps the oldest technique. This is a report prepared by the employee's senior wherein he highlights the subordinate's strengths and weaknesses of performance in the past year. The inherent flaw here is that the feedback on the report prepared is not provided to the employee for whom this has been written because every report is kept confidential.

Q2. List out the different steps involved in preparing a presentation ANS: 1. KNOW YOUR SUBJECT MATTER

While this first point may seem obvious, it is very important that you research every nuance of your subject. Read reports and look up information about the subject with the specific purpose of writing a presentation script. When examined in this light, new ideas and alternative ways of thinking often develop. The ability to present a subject with confidence directly affects your audience's impressions and will help keep their attention. This is especially important when giving a design presentation or proposal since you are in effect selling" your ideas to the audience. This applies whether the audience is a potential client or your own board of directors. 2. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE A small amount of research into the makeup of your audience will reap large benefits on presentation day.

If you were traveling about speaking on behalf of a new construction project you would tailor vastly different presentations to an audience of engineers and a city council. You'd should also have a couple of other versions for local community activist groups. (depending on whether they're for or against the project) Before you 're-purpose' your Teamsters speech for use at the Baptist Building Fund make the obvious adjustments and then carefully review your content from the 'philosophical' viewpoint of your audience. (related to Know Your Limits Below) If a small amount of research will help you, imagine what a moderate amount will do! 3. KNOW YOURSELF (and your limits) We all must push our limits and willingly bite off more than we may be comfortable swallowing on occasion -- this is how we learn and grow. Knowing a few of your limits, however, might avert disaster, or at least embarassment. Intimately related to Know Your Audience above, your 'limits' are just where you may or may not tread, depending on the makeup of your audience and your relationship with them. Just because the Mormons laughed when Whoopee Goldberg said or did something doesn't mean you can pull it off. The Presbyterians might think it amusing while the Baptists call it blasphemy. In fact, I'm certain the the mere mention of specific 'denominations' here will generate angry E-mail. (See also, the Devil is in the Details later on) George Carlin, Tom Peters, Billy Graham, Al Sharpton and a host of others can get away with, and even receive praise and applause for saying or doing things that would get you or me tarred, feathered, sued or booed by our respective audiences. 4. DEVELOP A THEME All presentations, regardless of their complexity, are designed with a single purpose. Whether that purpose is to sell, educate, or for pure entertainment, state that purpose to yourself at the beginning of the development process. Keep this purpose in mind always. 5. PREPARE YOUR SCRIPT The script does not necessarily have to be a work of literary excellence. For some, simple notes on 3 x 5 file cards are sufficient. Other presenters and presentations require a carefully composed, professionally developed script. The exact form of the script depends on the formality of the presentation, the make up of the audience and who will be presenting it.Any presentation script, regardless of complexity is like any other business correspondence. It should consist of the same four basic parts, an opening, body, summary and closing.

THE OPENING The opening of the presentation sets the stage for what is to follow. Participants are introduced and the purpose of the presentation is stated. You should also present a VERY BRIEF summary or

outline of the points to be covered. This helps keep your audience oriented properly within the framework of your script.

BODY This is the part of the script in which the bulk of the subject matter is presented. The body of a long presentation should be separated into smaller, easily assimilated modules. Each module or subsection should make a single point or convey one idea. These sub-sections should each have their own simple opening, body and summary. SUMMARY This portion should be very brief and simple. Here is your chance to reinforce the central theme and purpose of your presentation. Briefly emphasize the key points and main ideas of your script in this section. There is an old axiom that says ... "Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them." This pretty well sums it up. Question and answer sessions often follow a final summary and are very productive if managed properly. You should encourage questions from the audience if time or format permits, but be prepared to answer them. If you do not know the correct answer to a question, don't try to fake it. You should refer the question to someone who can answer it correctly or make a note to yourself to obtain the answer later. When you do, contact the person or persons who asked it as soon as possible. This makes an excellent door opener for follow up calls. Old Speaker's Trick: If you Don't want any questions, look the audience over and ask if there are any questions. This puts pressure on the audience and makes many of them choke, and therefore, not respond. CLOSING In a well structured closing, points raised during the question and answer session (if any) are summarized and any handout material that was not required during the presentation is distributed. Handout material which emphasizes each key point or idea permits your audience to review the subject and assures that your words will remain fresh in their minds. Handout material should not be distributed before a presentation unless it is critical to the theme since it invariably leads to audience distraction.

6. SELECT THE PROPER VISUAL AIDS With the script developed and the audience research completed, this decision should be simple. A five minute presentation to a three person audience is probably best made with handout material alone, or even simple flip charts. Larger audiences might be effectively reached by using a few simple overhead transparencies. (yes, they still have their purpose, though mostly with Government and Education.)
Q3. Explain the impact of verbal, vocal and visual components of communication on presentation? ANS: 1. Determine the overall purpose

There are many reasons for giving a presentation including to inform, educate, entertain, inspire, and convince. Once you know the purpose of your presentation you can determine the structure, topics, and method of delivery that will best achieve your purpose. 2. Select and limit the subject It may seem an obvious thing to do, but before you start writing your presentation you must determine what precisely your topic will be and what topic area you plan to address. Once this is clear you can begin scritping your presentation. Occasionally you will find that your topic is actually too large or complex for the time available and you may have to go back and review the specific topic you wish to address. 3. Analyze the audience and the situation Every audience is different and in order to ensure success you should always consider what your potential audience will be like and what their expectations will be. Failure to address the needs and level of interest and understanding of an audience can hinder your presentation. If you do not have personal knowledge of the potential audience, try to contact someone who can give you some idea as to the nature, attitudes, and expectations of your potential audience. 4. Create speech outline (opening, body, and conclusion) (See Sample Speech Outline on second page) 5. Practice before you deliver it (several times if possible).

Several types of speech outlines are commonly used by speakers. However, all of them are organized into an opening, body, and conclusion. Here is a very basic outline that illustrates the structure of a speech containing three main points: A. Opening 1. Captures the audience attention 2. Leads into the speech topic B. Body 1. First point a. Statement of fact b. Supporting material

2. Second point a. Statement of fact b. Supporting material 3. Third point a. Statement of fact b. Supporting material C. Conclusion 1. Review or summary 2. Provide a memorable statement or closing remarks 3. Questions
Q4.Discuss the significance of business meetings for an organization.
1. ANS:
o o

Notify everyone with plenty of advanced warning of an upcoming meeting. About a week in advance is usually ideal.
2

Plan an agenda covering three to five main topics. Try to set a time frame of 30 minutes or less, and stick to it. If meetings are running longer, that's a signal that you aren't meeting often enough. Get your free and friendly business management solution for free.
o

Involve your key leaders in planning for the meeting. Find out if they have any issues that need to be discussed and integrate them into your meeting plan. Print out a bullet point outline of what is going to be discussed in the meeting and make enough copies to hand out to everyone attending the meeting.
o

Send a reminder early on the day of the meeting. If your office uses a program like Microsoft Outlook, it should automatically put it on the calendar and send a reminder.
o

Start the meeting promptly at the time appointed. Give a summary of what is going to be talked about and briefly go over the points of the meeting. It might be helpful to have a designated person take notes.

Leave room at the end for questions or to discuss any other issues people may have. If there are issues that come up that may take more time, set up a separate group or one on one meeting so that this meeting doesn't drag out past the scheduled time.
o

Deliver a summary through email or an office memo shortly after the meeting. Review the most important points of the meeting and any decisions that were made. Supply chain & operations education Publications, research, resources Accesible Anywhere, Affordable & Safe. Sign up for a Free Trial Now! Pioneers in Employee Development Skills, Attitude & Behavioral Trg Fairfax County, Virginia is the gateway to the US market. See why.

Q5.Discuss the prerequisites essential for the act of reading and comprehending ANS: We define reading comprehension as the process of simultaneously extracting and constructing meaning through interaction and involvement with written language. We use the words extracting and constructing to emphasize both the importance and the insufficiency of the text as a determinant of reading comprehension. Comprehension entails three elements:1 The reader who is doing the comprehending The text that is to be comprehended The activity in which comprehension is a part. 1 It should be noted that we are using terms that others have also used in defining reading comprehension, sometimes in similar and sometimes in slightly different ways. Galda and Beach (2001), for example, define context in a way that is not dissimilar from ours, whereas Spiro and Myers (1984) use context in a way that emphasizes culture less and task or purpose more. Many authors identify much the same list of attributes (purpose, interest, text, knowledge, strategy use, etc.) as we do, but Blachowicz and Ogle (2001), for example, distribute these attributes over the categories of individual and social processes rather than group them as we do. Pearson (2001) and Alexander and Jetton (2000) identify reader (learner), text, and context as key dimensions, without including activity as a separate dimension at the same level of analysis. The National Reading Panel report focuses on text and reader as sources of variability (NRP, 2000). Gaskins, in analyses with a variety of colleagues (e.g., Gaskins, 1998; Gaskins et al., 1993; Gaskins & Elliot, 1991), has identified comprehension as requiring the reader to take charge of text, task, and context variables, presumably an implicit acknowledgment that text, task, and context are all important in defining reading comprehension and can be obstacles to comprehension, while at the same time the reader is seen as the most central element.

VARIABILITY IN READING COMPREHENSION In this chapter, we elaborate on our definition of reading comprehension by giving examples of variations in the three reading comprehension elementsreader, text, and activityand variations in the context in which they occur. Of course, none of these elements operates independently of the others in any authentic act of comprehension. However, we consider each in turn because each has an internal structure that deserves further consideration and that may clarify how we conceptualize these elements of reading comprehension and the interface among them. It is somewhat difficult to treat context in the same way as reader, text, and activity because context does not simply coexist with the other elements; rather, it interacts with all of them in any part of the reading process. The selection of texts to read, notions about the appropriate purposes for or consequences of the reading activity, and many of the factors that impinge on and differentiate readers are sociocultural in nature; they vary as a function of economic resources, the local community, cultural membership, and family choice. Schools represent particular kinds of sociocultural contexts, which vary greatly for some learners and minimally for others from the contexts of home and community. We can also view classrooms as contexts with their own rules about who should be reading what text and for what purpose. These rules may be implicit or explicit, and they may be formulated to ensure that all children perform at a high level or to pose continued challenges to some children. Each of the following sections (which deal with reader, text, activity, and context) gives an overview of what we know about variability in each domain. An extended and annotated review of what we know about variability in each element can be found in Appendix A. VARIABILTIY IN READERS Proficient readers bring to the task of reading an array of capabilities and dispositions. Reader differences in such capabilities as fluency in word recognition, oral language ability, and domain knowledge, along with differences in such dispositions as the reader's motivation, goals, and purposes, are important sources of variability in reading comprehension. Such variables interact with one another and with the text to which the reader is exposed (the text can be narrative, expository, etc.) as determinants of performance on a given reading task (acquiring knowledge in a domain, performing a comparative analysis, solving a problem, etc.). The capabilities and dispositions the reader brings to the task of reading, his or her engagement in and responses to given texts, and the quality of the outcomes produced by the act of reading for some purpose are, themselves, shaped by cultural and subcultural influences, socioeconomic status, home and family background, peer influences, classroom culture, and instructional history. These multiple and interacting factors influence both the inter- and intra-individual differences in reading proficiency that we must consider in defining reading comprehension as a field of study. We summarize in this chapter what we know about the dimensions of reader differences or, perhaps more precisely, what we know about the sources of variation in the functioning of the various comprehension processes in service of the various outcomes related to the act of reading for some purpose. Q6. Discuss the important guidelines for writing resume. List the differences between chronological resume and functional resume

ANS: Chronological

The chronological rsum begins with a list of the job applicant's previous work history. This list of jobs appears in reverse chronological order, with the most recent job listed first. The strength of this type of rsum is that it showcases the depth and breadth of the work history for a prospective employer. A chronological rsum is a popular choice for a job seeker with a solid, dependable job history.

Functional

The functional rsum emphasizes particular job skills and experience rather than job history. The functional rsum is popular with job seekers who have gaps in their work history or have a varied and erratic work history. It is also a good choice for recent college graduates who may not have much job experience, and have skills from experiences other than gainful employment.