A Workshop On Group Communication and Technology Enabled Communication 27 29 July 2011 At Desh Bhagat Institute of Management and Sciences

Conducted by Dr. V S Nirban Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani

Workshop Agenda
Discussion Group Communication Writing for Impact Object Linking and Embedding Corporate Communication: Letters and Brochures Using Internet for Communication
Group

Group Discussion
Definition Environment Approach Traits Group behavior Approach Dos Donts

Definition
Communication (small no. of people)
Face-to-face

Free oral interaction

Exchange information

Make decisions

Environment
Topic Time Candidates

Seating arrangements
Unstructured/ Structured

Approach
Pay attention to topic- no ambiguity

Generate ideas, develop & prioritize

them Listen exchange of ideas healthy Not consensus but conclusion

Individual Traits
Ideas generation, originality, depth,

relevance Articulation clarity, fluency, modulation, good delivery Listening have to react to what others say Body lang.- apposite signals sent out by body lang. Initiative get/give an opportunity to speak

Group Behavior
Participation
Leadership

Timesharing & orderly conduct

Handling turbulence

Handling Bull dozers

Participation
High
Low Shift

Silent (how treated)

Consistent Who talks to whom

Keep the ball rolling

Leadership
Driver-impose views, passes judgement,

blocks undesired action. Amiable-supports others, no conflict. Democrat-involves one & all, expresses himself, does not evaluate other, tries to solve the problem & conflict

Orderly conduct
Dominate without bullying
Share time & views

Helps others getting in GD

Turbulence
Restore order
Activate inert participants

Bull dozers
Silence them
Raise voice level Find a real flaw Physically gesturing Rationally

Dos
Seat comfortably Keep track of time

Listen to topic
Organize ideas Speak at the earliest Identify supporters

Share time fairly

Maintain eye contact Take notes Aim for conclusion

opponents
Allow supporter to

not consensus

augment

Donts
Be in a hurry Move excessively

Be silent
Assume role of chairman Introduce topic Take extreme stance Look at faculty

Throw all ideas at one shot

Dominate vocally/physically Speak fast Digress Indulge in ill conversation Pay attention to bull dozers Use slang

Shut down inert participants Get emotional

OLE

Importing, Linking And Embedding

Linking, Embedding And Importing

Are INTEGRATION Techniques

SOURCE PROGRAM

OBJECT

DESTINATION PROGRAM

Integration Is Grrreat!!
Integrating

Microsoft Office programs can increase your efficiency, productivity and creativity!

However
Embedding and

linking can cause your system to run very slowly. Especially if your computer has limited memory.

Three Terms To Remember

1. Object
2. Source 3. Destination

1.Object
File brought from source

to destination.
Examples: A graph or chart created in excel. Miniatures of slides created in PowerPoint. An outline created in word.

2. Source

Program and file

from which you bring the object.

3. Destination
The program and

file into which you will place the object

Mini Review
An OBJECT Is the item you bring from the source to destination program The SOURCE Is the program from which you bring the object The DESTINATION Is the program file in which you place the object

An Integration Term: OLE

Object linking and embedding.
Refers to the ability to perform IN PLACE EDITING. The ability to link or embed.

Not supported by all software programs.

. Critical reason why Microsoft Office is the preferred by home and business users.
Pronounced Ole-LAY.

Integration Technique # 1:

Importing

File To Import
The Object
is a Word Outline
shown in the

Source Program,
MS Word

Screen Capture

How To Import The File

Choose slides from files or slides from outline

The object becomes a part of the destination program There is no further communication between the source and destination program Make formatting adjustments within destination program.

The Object,

Imported File
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING LIST I. Mother
A. Slippers B. Writing Paper

an Outline
as a slide in the

Destination Program,
MS PowerPoint

III. Sister
A. Blouse B. Appointment Book

II.

Father

IV. Brother
A. Video Game B. DVDs

A. Compact Discs B. Gloves

The Results Of Importing

The object becomes a part of the

destination program. There is no further communication between the source and destination program. Edits are made within destination program, using the destination program. Changes to file in the destination program are not rendered in the source program file.

Integration Technique #2:

Embedding

File To Embed

The Object,
an Excel Table
shown in the

Source Program,
MS Excel

Screen Capture of Holiday Shopping Budget Created In MS Excel

To Embed A File

Browse for file

Link is not checked

Creates a one-way connection To make changes to your object, the source program opens within the destination program. Changes in destination document do not affect source document.

Embedded File

The Object, a Table in the Destination Program, MS PowerPoint

Holiday Shopping Budget

Slippers Writing Paper Compact Discs Gloves Blouse Appointment Book Video Game T-shirt Totals Spent Mother Father Sister Brother 24.99 9.99 22.45 15.99 26.99 15.99 23.50 18.00 34.98 38.44 42.98 41.50

The Results Of Embedding

One-way editing

connection. To edit object, the source program opens within the destination program. Changes in destination document do not affect original source document.

Integration Technique # 3:

Linking

Object To Link

The Object,
an Excel Chart
shown in the

Source Program,
MS Excel

Screen Capture

To Link A File

Link IS checked

Creates a two-way connection Changes in the source program are reflected in destination program and vice versa

Linked File
Holiday Shopping Budget Mother Slippers Writing Paper Compact Discs Gloves Blouse Appointment Book Video Game T-shirt Totals Spent 34.98 47.45 42.98 24.99 9.99 22.45 25.00 26.99 15.99 23.50 18.00 41.50 Father Sister Brother

Mother

The Object, an Excel Table with Chart

in the

Father Sister Brother

Destination Program,
MS PowerPoint

The Results Of Linking

Two-way editing

capability. To edit object, the complete source program launches. Changes in destination are also mirrored in the original source program.

The Similarities

SOURCE PROGRAM

OBJECT

DESTINATION PROGRAM

Each is a means of bringing an object from a source program into a destination program

The Differences
Importing
No remaining link between source and destination program. Edits made in the destination program do not appear in the original document

Embedding

One-way link between source and destination program. In-place editing launches source program within destination program. No changes are reflected in original. Two-way link between source and destination program. In-place edits open the destination program, where they are made Changes appear in source and destination

Linking

Conclusion
Importing, Embedding, and Linking, are

Integration Tools.
Integration tools offer users of integrated software

suites endless opportunities to achieve greater efficiency, productivity and creativity.

ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE WRITING

ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE WRITING

INGREDIENTS OF GOOD STYLE
Concrete Words Avoid Noun string Avoid Jargons Avoid Redundancy Avoid Cliches Avoid Circumlocution Avoid Foreign Words Sentence Structure Paragraph Structure

BUILDING BLOCKS
Words and Phrases
Sentence structure Paragraph structure

Readability

WORDS AND PHRASES

PREFER
Concrete to

AVOID
Clichs Excessive use of

abstract Plain and Familiar jargons to Pompous and Redundancy and unfamiliar circumlocution Verbs to nouns Foreign words and phrases

WORDS and PHRASES Concrete and Specific

A significant loss
In the near future Substantial

53% loss
By noon

amount
This company

Thursday Rs.50,000 ---has brought out 3 newsletters, 2 manuals and 25 reports in 2002.

has produced many publications this year.

Plain and Familiar

1.Sedulously avoid all polysyllabic profundity, pusillanimous vacuity, pestiferous profanity and similar transgressions Please avoid long, unnecessary, bad words and do not deviate. 2. Terminate the illumination

Replace with familiar

Corroborate Antiquated Ramification

Avoid Lengthy Noun Strings

Please revise the current group

member meeting dates scheduling package format to allow us to record

visits for each group member

individually

Revised
In the scheduling package for

group members, please revise the current format of the dates for meetings. This revision would

enable members to record their

visits individually

Clichs
Our universities have today

become the hot-bed of politics which has become part and parcel of their functioning. We must explore every avenue to remove this evil and use the iron hand of law to achieve this sacred purpose

Revised
Now-a-days politics has become

an integral part of the university system and has started influencing its functioning. With the help of law, we must try to eliminate this political influence from our university system.

Keep jargon to a minimum

1.The biota exhibited a 100% mortality rate. All plants and animals died. 2.The responsibility of a person involved in pedagogical pursuit is to impart knowledge to those sent for instruction. The teachers job is to teach his/her students.

It was a futile attempt

and nothing came out of it. It was a futile attempt.

(redundancy)

Redundancy
Basic

fundamentals Repeated again Returned back True fact Adequate enough

Actual

experience Humorous joke Main essentials At a later date Throughout the entire month

 It is not believed that the

proposed design will meet all the required specifications based on the previous test experience obtained in the laboratory Lab tests indicate that the proposed design will not meet all requirements.

Avoid circumlocution

Circumlocution
Due to the fact that (because) Despite the fact that (though) For that reason (because) At a later date (later on)

Foreign words and phrases

Status quo Infra dig Raison detre Modus operandi

Sentence Structure
Use emphatic word order Use parallel constructions Avoid vague subjects Use relatively shorter

sentences Avoid unnecessary passive constructions

Emphatic word order

The new machine despite the various

complexities involved has proved to be effective. I could collect after going through a series of rigorous procedures the data for this report The senior manager spoke to the media along with his subordinates. With a little care a good sentence can be written by a student having all parts in the proper order Being built on solid rock the engineers thought that the building would not settle

Place Important Information at the beginning

1. The equipment will cost Rs. 10 lakhs but save Rs.50,000 annually on administration 2.A new product must be experimentally developed to be successful

Use Parallel construction

The company objectives for

the coming year are to match

last years production, higher

sales, and improving

consumer relations.

 The questionnaire asks for

this information : number of

employees, what is our union

status, and how much do we pay

Revised
The questionnaire asks for

this information : number of employees, union

affiliation,and pay scale.

Avoid vague This subjects

Dont use one word

expressions this, that, these, those, it, as an all purpose subject remedy :

follow these subjects with a

noun this approach, that

strategy etc.

 The next recommendation is to clarify

the rewards structure. This is required to maintain motivation on projects where many extra hours are required and no overtime policy exists. This can be critical for commitment from employees. in order Providing rewards

Use relatively shorter sentences

We solicit any recommendation

that you wish to make and you may rest assured that any such recommendation will be given our careful consideration as to the utilization thereof.

Please give us your

suggestions. We would carefully consider them.

Eliminate Unnecessary Passive

Constructions

It is desired by this office that

this problem be brought by the

secretary before the board

Paragraph structure

Dull and difficult

Well organized effect

Unity
Coherence Adequate development

Use Transitions to relate ideas to each other

Words/phrases
and, or ,nor, indeed, also, furthermore in fact,

in addition, first, for instance, similarly, likewise, there for, thus, hence, consequently on the whole, in short, frequently, occasionally, in particular, however, nevertheless, whereas, in case, unless, on the contrary, when, because

Injuries of this type have become a severe problem for the pharmacy. There is no equipment available on the market for IV admixture.
(because no equipment)

Readability
Robert Gunning Fog index

(Av.sent.length+% of difficult words)x 0.4 5-10---very easy 11-15---difficult 16-20---very difficult

Corporate Communication

HATS
Use HATS to create documents that are easy to access, easy to navigate, easy to remember:
Headings to promote easy navigation Access to promote the finding and understanding

of information Typography to promote ease of reading and clear levels of information hierarchy Space to promote effective document design

HATS
Readers need information quickly, so documents should ensure easy access to important information:
Writing should be clear and concise. But before

audiences read words, they must access the document Documents that are easy to access and understand are more persuasive and user-centered Use HATS: Headings, Access, Typography, Space

HATS: Headings
Headings
Headings are navigation signposts in table of

contents Headings help guide readers through documents Headings announce forthcoming information
Table of Contents
Introduction Background Problem

Introduction
This report overviews the history of air pollution in greater Lafayette, Indiana, and it discusses our ideas for reducing air pollution.

HATS: Headings (cont.)

Adequacy Documents should have an ample

number of headings to serve as navigation signposts Hierarchy Use typeface, size, style, and alignment to show different levels of importance and detail:
Background
This section outlines the history of air pollution in greater Lafayette The Early Years During the industrial growth of the early twentieth century

HATS: Access
Access
Readers should be able to find and understand

important information easily To ensure easy access of important information:

Use bullets or dashes, or for steps, use numbers. Note the

architecture in this presentation Use graphics such as tables, graphs, process charts, and photographs

HATS: Access (cont.)

Graphics Think of yourself as an information

designer not just a wordsmith. Here are some suggestions:

Information Type
Numeric People, objects Processes Geographic Data Nonchronological lists Chronological or prioritized lists

Effective Presentation
Tables, charts Pictures, line drawings Flow charts Maps Bulleted lists Numbered lists

HATS: Typography
Typography
Typeface has persuasive impact and can be

changed to improve design

Avoid using more than two types of font in one document Make sure you can read all the text against the background Unless instructed otherwise, left-justify your body text

HATS: Typography (cont.)

Typography Continued: Fonts
Use Times New Roman for body text Use Arial or other sans serif fonts such as Franklin Gothic

Book for headings. Avoid unusual fonts such as Party LET for professional documents Use 10 or 12 point font for body text. For headings, bold the text or use a different font; bolding and underlining is overkill

HATS: TYPEFACE
SHAPE Shape

Because they have ascend- ers and descenders (on h and p in this example), words in small letters have a more distinctive shape than those in capitals.
We read by recognizing word shapes, rather than letter by let- ter, so text mainly in small letters will be more legible.

HATS: TYPEFACE
Typefaces can be divided into seriffed and sans serif. Serifs are the small strokes at the end of main strokes of characters, which give a horizontal emphasis to a line of type. Seriffed typefaces are therefore best for large amounts of continuous text. Sans serif type- faces have characters which tend to look similar to each other and are best reserved for headings, captions, and short pieces of text.

HATS: Space
Space
Use plenty of space so you dont overwhelm readers

Ensure that appropriate top, bottom, left, and right space margins frame the elements on a page (1 inch margin is good) Allow for space around visuals rather than using frames, unless an edge of your visual bleeds into the white space of the page Do not crowd words. Trust eyes when you step back to view the page at a distance

HATS: Space (cont.)

Here is an overview of how pages look from a distance:
Traditional essay: large blocks of text, information difficult and time consuming to retrieve Report format with small, well-balanced blocks of concise information, easy to access; essay topic sentence becomes heading

HATS: Space (cont.)

Design The first thing readers see is the design of

your document. If your document does not look professional and effective, your ethos will suffer.
Use the elements of design outlined Colors Make sure colors work well together Avoid combinations such as yellow-orange, black-purple Consider cultural expectations and color blind readers Colors on monitors and colors on paper look different Consider that you may not have access to a color printer, so

design documents that look good in black and white

HATS: Space (cont.)

Shapes Avoid awkward shapes or shapes that do not

work well together Spheres, see below, can work well in documents Always look at your document from a distance; turn it upside down, tilt it. Do the shapes conflict?

HATS: Space (cont.)

Placement Cultures reading from left to right move in the Z pattern as they read down a page Place visuals and text accordingly, with the most important information in upper left and bottom right areas Contrast Allow for contrast on your page Do not place a line of circles on the same plane on a page; place visuals and text using the Z pattern so that you create an effective contrast Balance Balance your pages and make sure that your eye is not drawn to any area of the page unintentionally How is your page going to be viewed? By itself, opposite another page? Do the two pages work well together?

HATS: Space (cont.)

Z pattern Contrast: circles arent on same plane Balance: page is balanced

HATS: Recap
To Recap Ask these questions when using HATS:
1. 2.

3.

4.

Headings Are there enough headings? Do they reflect a clear hierarchy? Access Is important information easy to find? Is the information easy to digest? Does the method of presentation enhance readability and clarity? Typography Does the document use the most appropriate typefaces, size, styles, and alignment for both body text and headings? Space Does the document have appropriate white space to make it inviting and easy to read?

WORKING WITH ILLUSTRATIONS

When Why How Types

When Mass of statistics

Complexity of ideas

Why
Distinctive Professional Flavor Clarify, reinforce Present large details in less space and greater

accuracy Make descriptions vivid and eye catching Communicate more effectively and accurately

How (Guidelines)
Neat, accurate, self contained Contents to be closely related to the text To be explained and placed as close to the

1st ref. As possible Size to be clearly visible To be numbered and captioned Tables-Roman& top Figures-Arabic & bottom

Illustrations
Tables
Dependent Phrase Graphs

Figures
Maps Drawings

Independent

Charts Photographs

Dependent Table
contents cant be understood without the help
of the text. e.g. The details of inpatients admitted on 14.11.99 are given below General ward Special ward Maternity ward 35 15 10

Independent Table
Table I Medical Facilities 1951-1997
S.No. Items
1951
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Hospital Dispensaries Beds Beds per lakh population Community Health centres Primary Health centres Sub-centers 2694 5306 117178 32 -

Year
1997
13692 28321 596203 70 2424 21854 132730

Phrase Table
Goods Wires Utensils Durability Long lasting Long lasting Nature/metal Copper Steel Availability Freely Scarce

TABLE I FATAL ROAD ACCIDENTS 1991-95

Year Pedestrians Cyclists Others

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995

2380 2315 2255 2460 2050

830 852 805 750 735

1310 1615 1750 2060 800

TABLE II FATAL ROAD ACCIDENTS 199195 (% wise)

Year 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 Total Percentage Pedestrians Cyclists 2380 830 2315 850 2255 805 2460 750 2050 735 11460 50% 3970 17% Others 1310 1615 1750 2060 800 7535 33% Total 4520 4780 4810 5270 3585 22965 100% % 19.7 20.8 20.9 22.9 15.7 100

GRAPHS
Rectilinear Multiple line Bar Pie

Semi-log
Pictorial

Scatter
Surface

Line graph

40

No. in Thousands

35 30

25

Key -Hospital -Dispensaries

20 15

10 5

0 1951 1997 Hospital Dispensaries

Fig.1 Growth of Hospitals & Dispensaries 1951-1997

30 25

No. in Thousands

20 15 10 5 0

Key 1951 1997

Hospital

Dispensaries

Fig.2. Growth of Hospitals & Dispensaries

2500 2000

No. of fatal accidents

1500 1000 500 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995

others cyclists pedestrians

Year
Fig.2 Bar graph showing the number of Fatal Accidents category-wise during 1991-

1.50% 14% sub centre comm. Health Primary Health 84.50%

Fig.3. Centers in 1997

3970 17% 7535 33%

11460
50%

Pedestrians others Cyclists

Fig. 1 Percentage Graph showing the Fatal

Road Accidents during 1991-95

16% 20% 23% 20%

21%

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995

Fig. 1.1. Percentage Graph showing the fatal

Road accidents year-wise from 1991-

95

Scatter Graph

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Others Educational inst. Teacher's coloney

Fig.4 Water consummation from Jul Dec 1993

Thank You.