UNIT-I

Communication Skills
Session 1: Methods of Communication
The word ‘communication’ comes from the Latin word commūnicāre, meaning ‘to
share’.
Clear and concise communication is of immense importance in work and business
environment as there are several parties involved.
Communication has three important parts:
1. Transmitting — The sender transmits the message through one medium or
another.
2. Listening — The receiver listens or understands the message.
3. Feedback — The receiver conveys their understanding of the message to the
sender in the form of feedback to complete the communication cycle.
Communication Process and Elements
The various elements of the communication cycle are:
Sender: the person beginning the communication.
Message: the information that the sender wants to convey.
Channel: the means by which the information is sent.
Receiver: the person to whom the message is sent.
Feedback: the receiver’s acknowledgment and response to the message.

Methods of Communication
· Face-to-face informal
· communication
· e-mail
· Notices/Posters
· Business Meetings
· social networks, message, phone call for communication, newsletter, blog,
etc

Choosing the right method of communication depends on

• Target audience
• Costs
• Kind/type of information
• Urgency/priority

Session 2: Verbal Communication

Verbal communication includes sounds, words, language, and speech.
Speaking is one of the most effective and commonly used ways of
communicating.
It helps in expressing our emotions in words.

Type of Verbal Communication

Interpersonal Communication:
 This form of communication takes place between two individuals and is thus a one-
on-one conversation. It can be formal or informal.

Written Communication:
i) This form of communication involves writing words.
ii) It can be letters, circulars, reports, manuals, SMS, social media chats, etc.
iii) It can be between two or more people.

Small Group Communication:

This type of communication takes place when there are more than two people
involved.
Each participant can interact and converse with the rest.
Public Communication:
This type of communication takes place when one individual addresses a large
gathering.

Advantages of Verbal Communication

It is an easy mode of communication in which you can exchange ideas by
saying what you want and get a quick response.

Disadvantages of Verbal Communication

Since verbal communication depends on written or spoken words, sometimes
the meanings can be confusing and difficult to understand if the right words are not
used.

Mastering Verbal Communication

Think Before You Speak

 • Think about your topic.

 • Think about the most effective ways to make your listeners

Understand the topic.

 Write or note down whatever you plan to say.

 Concise and Clear
 Speak clearly, loudly and at moderate speed.
 Be sure the information you want to share is to the point.
 Do not repeat the same sentences.
 Confidence and Body Language
 Be confident.
 Maintain eye contact, stand straight and be attentive.
 Be friendly.

Session 3: Non-verbal Communication

Non-verbal communication is the expression or exchange of information or
messages without using any spoken or written word.

Importance of Non-verbal Communication

In our day-to-day communication
• 55% communication is done using body movements, face, arms, etc.
• 38% communication is done using voice, tone, pauses, etc.
• only 7% communication is done using words.

Types of Non-verbal Communication

• Facial Expressions
• Posture
• Gestures or Body Language
• Touch
• Space
• Eye Contact
• Paralanguage : tone, speed and volume of our voice.

Examples of Visual Communication

Session 4: Communication Cycle and the Importance of Feedback

For effective communication, it is important that the sender receives an

acknowledgement from the receiver about getting the message across.
While a sender sends information, the receiver provides feedback on the received
message.

Types of Feedback
• Positive Feedback
• Negative Feedback
• No Feedback

A good feedback is one that is:

• Specific: Avoid general comments. Try to include examples to clarify your
statement.
Offering alternatives rather than just giving advice allows the receiver to
decide what to do with your feedback.

• Timely:
Being prompt is the key, since feedback loses its impact if delayed for too long.
• Polite:
 While it is important to share feedback, the recipient should not feel offended
by the language of the feedback.
• Offering continuing support:
Feedback sharing should be a continuous process. After offering feedback, let
recipients know you are available
for support.

Importance of Feedback
• It validates effective listening:
The person providing the feedback knows they have been understood (or
received) and that their feedback provides some value.
• It motivates:
Feedback can motivate people to build better work relationships and continue
the good work that is being appreciated.
• It is always there:
Every time you speak to a person, we communicate feedback so it is
impossible not to provide one.
• It boosts learning:
Feedback is important to remain focussed on goals, plan better and develop
improved products and services.
• It improves performance:
Feedback can help to form better decisions to improve and increase
performance.

Session 5: Barriers to Effective Communication

What is Effective Communication?
Effective communication follows the basic principles of professional
communication skills.

Barriers to Effective Communication

Physical Barriers:
Physical barrier is the environmental and natural condition that act as a barrier
in communication in sending message from sender to receiver.
Not being able to see gestures, posture and general body language can make
communication less effective.
Linguistic Barriers:
The inability to communicate using a language is known as language barrier to
communication. Language barriers are the most common communication barriers,
which cause misunderstandings misinterpretations between people
Interpersonal Barriers:
Barriers to interpersonal communication occur when the sender’s message is
received differently from how it was intended.
Organisational Barriers:
Organisations are designed on the basis of formal hierarchical structures that
follow performance standards, rules and regulations, procedures, policies,
behavioural norms, etc. All these affect the free flow of communication in
organisations
Cultural Barriers:
Cultural barriers is when people of different cultures are unable to understand
each other’s customs, resulting in inconveniences and difficulties.People sometimes
make stereotypical assumptions about others based on their cultural background

Ways to Overcome Barriers to Effective

Communication
• Use simple language
• Do not form assumptions on culture, religion or geography
• Try to communicate in person as much as possible
• Use visuals
• Take help of a translator to overcome differences in language
• Be respectful of other’s opinions

Session 6: Writing Skills — Parts of Speech

Writing skills are part of verbal communication and include e-mails, letters, notes,
articles, SMS/chat, blogs, etc.

Capitalisation Rules:
Punctuation :
Full stop, Comma, Question mark, Exclamation mark

Basic Parts of Speech:

The part of speech indicates how a particular word functions in meaning as
well as grammatically within the sentence. Some examples are nouns, pronouns,
adjectives, verbs ,adverbs , Conjunctions, Prepositions, Interjections

Session 7: Writing Skills — Sentences Active and Passive Sentences

Types of Sentences:
1. Statement or Declarative Sentence
2. Question or Interrogative Sentence
3. Emotion/Reaction or Exclamatory Sentenc
4. Order or Impe rative Sentence

Unit2: Self Management Skills

Self Management Skills are those skills that help a person to control his thoughts, wants, feelings
and actions.
It allows you to maximize your productivity and performance in various fields of your career.
When we talk about employability, Self-management skills help you to manage a good career path. It
helps you to overcome in many bad situations.
Following are some of the skills you must master to succeed in life:
• Self-awareness:
Ask for honest feedback. Gather insights on your personality and work-specific proficiencies. Think
about your daily interactions and how you handled situations well or could have handled them
differently.
• Responsibility:
Taking responsibility for your tasks is very important. Taking ownership is the step towards self-
development.
Example, if you have been assigned a task by a teacher; ensure you take complete ownership.
Even if you are unable to complete the task on time, you must report it and then correct it.
• Time Management:
Prioritise the things you have to do. Remove waste and redundancy from work. Make a time table
and follow it diligently.
• Adaptability:
Stay current with best practices and read up on new information always. Prepare yourself for new
changes, so that you can transition seamlessly.

Session 1: Stress Management

What is Stress?
Stress can be defined as our emotional, mental, physical and social reaction to any perceived demands
or threats.
These demands or threats are called stressors. Stressors are the reason for stress.

For example,
• you are too close to the exams but feel unprepared.
• you are experiencing a loss of someone close in the family.
• you are worried about what people would think of you if you don’t dress well or cannot speak confidently.

Stress Management
Managing stress is about making a plan to be able to cope effectively with daily pressures.
The ultimate goal is to strike a balance between life, work, relationships, relaxation, and fun.
By doing this, you are able to deal with daily stress triggers and meet these challenges head-on.
Always keep in mind the ABC of stress management
A: Adversity or the stressful event
B: Beliefs or the way you respond to the event
C: Consequences or actions and outcomes of the event
Management Techniques
Here are a few simple stress management techniques.
• Time management:
Proper time management is one of the most effective stress-relieving techniques.
• Physical exercise and fresh air:
A healthy lifestyle is essential for students.
Stress is generally lower in people who maintain a healthy routine.
Doing yoga, meditation and deep breathing exercises help in proper blood circulation and relaxes
the body.
Even taking a walk or playing in the park will help you get a lot of fresh oxygen, which will help you
become more active.
• Healthy diet:
Having a healthy diet will also help you reduce stress. Eating a balanced diet, such as Dal, Roti,
vegetables and fruits will give you the strength to do your daily work efficiently.
• Positivity:
Focussing on negative aspects of life will add more stress. Instead, learn to look at the good
things and stay positive.
Example, Instead of feeling upset over a scoring less in a test, try to maintain a positive attitude and look
at ways to improve the next time.
• Sleep:
We should get a good night’s sleep for at least 7 hours so that your brain and body gets
recharged to function better the next day.
• Holidays with family and friends:
Going to a relative’s place, such as your grandparents’ house or a new place during your summer
vacations can help you break from the normal routine and come back afresh.

Ability to Work Independently

If you can become a calm and relaxed person, you will have the ability to work independently, which
means.
1. Becoming self-aware, self-monitoring, and self-correcting.
2. Knowing what you need to do.
3. Taking the initiative rather than being told what to do.
4. Recognising your mistakes and not blaming others.
 5. Having the ability and the will to learn continuously.

Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of
others.
• Emotional awareness :
The ability to identify and name one’s own emotions.
• Harnessing emotions :
The ability to harness and apply emotions to tasks like thinking and problem solving.
• Managing emotions :
The ability to regulate one’s own emotions when necessary and help others to do the same.

Some steps to manage emotional intelligence are as given below.

• Understand your emotions:
Observe your behaviour and note the things you need to work on. You can then work on the
things you need to improve.
• Rationalise:
Do not take decisions abruptly; be rational in your thinking.
• Practise:
Do meditation and yoga to keep yourself calm.

Session 2: Self-awareness — Strength and Weakness Analysis

Techniques for Identifying your Strengths and Weaknesses
Finding Strengths (or abilities)
 Think of anything that you are always successful at.
 Think about what others like in you.
 Take out time and think about what you do well.

Finding Weaknesses
 Point out the areas where you struggle and the things you find difficult to do.
 Look at the feedback others usually give you.
 Be open to feedback and accept your weaknesses without feeling low about it. Take it as an area of
improvement.

Difference between Interests and Abilities (Strengths)

Interests
1. Things that you like to do in your free time that make you happy. An acquired or natural capacity
2. Things you are curious about or would do even if no one asked you to do it.
3. Things you want to learn or would like to do in the future

Ability
1. An acquired or natural capacity
2. Nable you to perform a particular job or task with considerable proficiency.

Session 3: Self-motivation
Self-motivation is simply the force within you that drives you to do things. Self-motivation is what pushes
us to achieve our goals, feel happy and improve our quality of life.
In other words, it is our ability to do the things that need to be done without someone or something
influencing us.
 Qualities of Self-motivated People
1. Know what they want from life
2. Are focussed
3. Know what is important
4. Are dedicated to fulfill their dreams

Building Self-motivation
 Find out your strengths
 Set and focus on your goals
 Develop a plan
 to achieve your goals
 Stay loyal to your goals

Session 4: Self-regulation — Goal Setting

Goals :
They are a set of dreams with a deadline to get them, for example, saving pocket money to buy a
favourite mobile phone by a particular date.
Goal setting :
It is all about finding and listing your goals and then planning on how to achieve them.
How to Set Goals?
We can use SMART method to set goals. SMART stands for:
• Specific :
A specific and clear goal answers six questions. Who is involved in the goal? What do I want to
do? Where do I start? When do I start and finish? Which means do I use? Why am I doing this?
Not a specific goal:
“I would learn to speak English.”
Specific goal:
“I would learn to speak English fluently by joining coaching classes after my
school everyday, and in six months I will take part in the inter-school debate competition.”
Measureable :
A measureable goal answers the questions “How much?”, “How many?” and “How do I know that
I have achieved results?”
Not measurable goal:
“I want to be rich.”
Measurable goal:
“I want to have 5 times more money than what I have today in my hand at the end of this year.”
Achievable :
Breaking down big goals into smaller parts will make the goal achievable. Bigger Goal: “I want to
become a teacher in my school.”
Realistic :
A realistic goal would be something that we want to achieve and can work towards.
Example of unrealistic goal:
“I will read my entire year’s syllabus in one day and get good marks.”
Realistic goal:
“I spend 3 hours every day of the year after school to revise my subjects to get good marks in the
exams.”
• Time bound :
A SMART goal should have a timeframe by when the goal needs to be achieved.
This encourages us to take actions to completely fulfill the goals.
Not a time bound goal:
 “I want to lose 10 kg someday.”
Time bound goal:
“I want to lose 10kg in the next 6 months.”
Session 5: Self-regulation — Time Management
Time Management and Its Importance
Time management is the thinking skill that helps you to
• Complete tasks on time.
• Make a daily timetable.
• Make a good guess at how long it will take you to do something.
• Submit homework and assignments on time.
• Not waste time during the day.
Four Steps for Effective Time Management Organise
1.Organise: We plan our day to- day activities.
2. Pritortis: We make a to-do list that has all our activities and we rank them in the order of importance.
3. Control: We have a control over our activities and time.
4. Track: We identify and note where we have spent our time.