Unit 1: Fundamentals Of Technical Communication

1.1COMMUNICATION

Communication skills comprise the ability to convey thoughts, ideas, and information effectively,
involving both verbal and non-verbal elements. These skills are vital for successful social interaction in
various settings.

Communication skills are important for both professional and personal success. It helps everyone work
together and makes the workplace a positive and friendly space. Clear communication prevents
confusion and mistakes, ensuring everyone receives accurate information. Having good
communication skills is especially crucial when it comes to solving problems and making decisions in a
team. It lets everyone share their thoughts and concerns in a way that helps the team work well
together. Plus, it helps build strong relationships between co-workers , managers, and clients, creating
a good vibe at work. This positive atmosphere leads to better teamwork, happier employees, and a
workplace that runs smoothly.

Communication skills are important when you're talking to others. It is not just about the words you
say, but also how you say them and how you listen. Being able to communicate and comprehend
others helps in various situations and promotes good relationships. Imagine having a conversation
where you can clearly say what you mean and get what the other person is saying. That's what good
communication is all about! It involves both speaking and listening and even how you use your body to
express yourself. Good communication skills are important in daily life, work, social situations, and
school. When you practice and get better at communicating, you can build good relationships and
make things go smoothly in different parts of your life. Good communication skills are important for
improving things when talking to friends, working on a project, or in class.

How to Improve Your Communication Skills

Here are five practical tips that can help you improve your communication skills.

• Identify your communication strengths and use them more often in daily interactions.
• Request honest feedback from your friends or colleagues to obtain valuable insights. Focus on
specific aspects of your communication style. Use the feedback to pinpoint areas for improvement.
• Develop positive habits like eye contact and responsiveness. Practice these habits regularly to make
them second nature.
• Attend communication-focused classes or workshops. Invest in learning opportunities for personal
and professional growth.
• Participate in meetings, presentations, and social events. Improve your communication by applying
your skills in different situations.
How To Include Communication Skills In Your Resume-

Highlighting your communication skills on your resume is key to making a positive impression. Stand
out in the job market by placing and tailoring your resume strategically, and highlighting measurable
achievements.

1. Strategic Positioning

• Place communication skills prominently in the resume summary or objective.

• Ensure consistent integration throughout the document, emphasizing its importance.

2. Tailor to Job Requirements

• Align communication skills with the specific demands of the job description.
• Use targeted keywords to optimize visibility in applicant tracking systems.

3. Quantify Achievements

• Showcase measurable examples of successful communication experiences.

• Use action verbs to describe communication-related accomplishments.

4. Highlight Interpersonal Skills

• Emphasize social abilities like active listening and conflict resolution.

• Provide examples of positive contributions to team dynamics or client relationships.

5. Technology and Soft Skills

• Showcase proficiency in communication tools and platforms.

• Integrate soft skills like flexibility and teamwork, which are crucial for effective communication.

Tips to Improve Communication at the Workplace

Good communication at work makes everything run smoother. It helps teams work together, reduces
misunderstandings, and makes everyone feel more connected. Here are some easy tips to make
workplace communication even better. The freshers also face hurdles when they join the workplace.
You can check the tips to improve communication skills for freshers.Whether you're part of a small
team or a large organization, improving communication skills can lead to increased productivity,
stronger teamwork, and overall job satisfaction. Here are some practical tips to enhance
communication in the workplace:

• Active Listening: Actively listen to your colleagues without interrupting. This not only shows respect
but also ensures you fully understand their perspectives, ideas, and concerns. Make eye contact,
nod, and provide feedback to signal that you are engaged in the conversation.
• Choose the Right Communication Channel: Different situations may call for different
communication channels. While face-to-face meetings are valuable for discussions, quick updates
might be more suited to email or messaging platforms. Choose the appropriate method to convey
your message effectively.
• Encourage Open Communication: You must foster an environment where the team members can
easily communicate their thoughts, views, opinions and ideas. Foster an open-door policy, and
actively seek feedback. When employees feel heard, they are more likely to contribute positively to
discussions.
 • Use Constructive Feedback: When providing feedback, focus on specific behaviors and their impact.
Be constructive rather than critical, offering suggestions for improvement. This helps in creating a
positive and growth-oriented atmosphere.

1.2Technical communication-
Technical communication involves the delivery of clear, consistent, and factual information—often
stemming from complex concepts—for safe and efficient use and effective comprehension by users.
Technical communication is a user-entered approach for providing the right information, in the right
way, at the right time so that the user’s life is more productive. The value that technical
communicators deliver is twofold: They make information more usable and accessible to those who
need that information, and they advance the goals of the companies and organizations that employ
them.
Technical Communication is a form of communication that largely relies on the clear and consistent
delivery of factual information for successful understanding by the user. It helps users to accomplish a
defined goal or complete a task. The language of technical communication is clear, concise, and
accurate.Technical communication is a communication that conveys complex technical information in
an easy to understand manner.
The following examples show the value of technical communication with respect to the products and
services that technical communicators provide:
• Technical procedures and illustrations that clarify steps and identify parts of a product allow users to
focus on getting tasks done efficiently, accurately, and safely.
• Training and instructional materials that teach people new skills make them more employable and
productive in their organizations.
• Medical instructions that are informative and comprehensive ensure regulatory compliance and help
patients and care providers manage treatment, improve health, and reduce the costs and risks
associated with care.
• Well-designed websites that are user-focused make it easier to find information and increase user
traffic and satisfaction.

Features of Technical communication –

Any form of communication that can assist users in accomplishing a specific task or goal is
considered technical communication.A technical communication’s main goal is to assist users
who need specific information on how to complete tasks, use products, or operate
equipment.Consider the different types of technical communication you have encountered. It
could be a manual, video, proposal, or report. Each of them aims to get the reader to take action.
While instructions work to complete the actions, proposals work to move the reader forward on
some type of proposal.

Each of these features is characterized by several key features, each of which plays a crucial role
in ensuring effective and efficient communication.

1)Clarity:

In technical communication, clarity is one of the most important aspects, which means that the
message being presented must be as clear as possible and easy to understand by the audience as
a whole.This involves using clear and straightforward language, avoiding jargon or unnecessary
complexity.Organizing information logically, with a clear beginning, middle, and end, helps
readers follow the content easily.
2) Conciseness:

Technical communication requires the ability to convey the necessary information without using
unnecessary words or filler text to achieve conciseness.It involves removing ambigu ity and
redundancy from the text to make it more efficient and easier to absorb.Long -winded
explanations or overly verbose writing should be avoided.

3)Objectivity:

To be objective, you must present information in a way that is unbiased, impartial, and free of
personal opinions and emotions.Technical communication should rely on facts, data, and
evidence, allowing readers to make their own judgments.Avoiding emotional language or
subjective statements ensures credibility.

4)Detail-oriented:

Providing detailed and accurate information is a key requirement of technical communication. It

requires a high level of attention to detail.This includes specifying measurements, providing data
sources, and explaining procedures with precision.Overlooking details can lead to
misunderstandings or errors.

5)Use of visuals:

To enhance the understanding of technical content, visual representations, such as graphs, charts,
diagrams, and images are crucial.They can simplify complex concepts, illustrate processes , and
make data more accessible.Properly labeled and referenced visuals can aid comprehension.

6)Audience-specific:

In technical communication, one of the most important things to do is to tailor the content to the
audience’s needs and background.Different audiences may require different levels of technical
detail or different explanations.Understanding the audience’s knowledge and expectations is key
to effective communication.

7)Format and layout are precise and standardized:

The format and layout of technical documents should be consistent and follow established
conventions.This includes using standard fonts, headings, margins, and citation styles.A
standardized format helps readers navigate and locate information easily.

Overall, technical communication is the art of presenting detailed information clearly, concisely,
and objectively, using visual aids whenever necessary, while also considering the specific needs of
the audience and adhering to the appropriate standards and formats.
1.3Distinction between General and Technical communication:-
1.Technical Writing:

Technical writing is a piece of writing which focuses on factual and straight forward content and
technical papers are published to inform and instruct and educate the user about some specific
topic. There exists specific readers who prefers technical papers. It gives readers information about
some technical topics or it gives directions on how to do something.
For example writing any articles on GeeksforGeeks related to computer science field comes under
technical writing.

2. General Writing :

General writing refers to any piece of writing which focuses in general subjects of writing and
general papers are published for amusement of the reader. But sometimes many general topics also
gives life lessons, moral, inspiration etc. There is not such specific set of audience or readers like
technical writing. It is written on subjective tone and purely personal style.
For example writing any prose or story which will be published in a local magazine comes under
general writing.

Difference between Technical Writing and General Writing :

S.No. TECHNICAL WRITING GENERAL WRITING

Technical writing focuses on factual and General writing focuses on general

01.
straight forward content. subjects of writing.

Technical writing aims to impart information,

02. General writing aims at amusement.
instructions and explanations.

General writing is based on subjective

03. Technical writing is based on objective tone.
tone or personal style.

04. It follows standard structured format. It follows artistic unstructured format.

It may be formal or informal way of

05. It is usually based on a formal way of writing.
writing.

The voice used in technical writing is 3rd The voice used in general writing is 1st
06.
person. person.

In technical writing specialized vocabulary is In General writing evocative vocabulary is

07.
required. required.

Technical writing has its specific set of General writing has no specific set of
08.
audience or readers. audience or readers.
 09. Technical writing is archival. General writing is non-archival.

10. It is accurate and more precise in manner. It is decorative and bombastic in manner.

Technical writing is related to any specific General domain is related to any life in
11.
area or domain. general.

It focuses on more technical words specific It focuses on more common words

12.
to the area. suitable to the general topic.

For example writing any articles on For example writing any prose or story
13. GeeksforGeeks related to computer science which will be published in a local magazine
field comes under technical writing. comes under general writing.

1.4.Language : A Tool of Communication

Since the beginning of time, people communicated in various ways, yet, language is the main and most
important tool of expression humanity has ever had.

In order to express ones’ feelings, needs or even actions, language is the only and first tool used to
convey such messages. At first, words were invented. It is important to know that language itself
never had a meaning however, we gave it one. Language is actually a conventional thing; people
gathered and agreed to name the “Table”, “Table” and not something else. Then, grammar rules were
elaborated, language was, at that time, seen as science, nothing can go wrong with its rules, it was the
ultimate and most important way of communication and tool of expression that undergoes a specific
set of rules and guidelines in which no one should cross.Language was and is used every single day in
transmitting millions and millions of messages in all fields of life. Without it, nothing would be possible,
without it the world wouldn’t evolve. If presidents were not able to talk and communicate, wars would
never have ended, and if scholars didn’t communicate to share their findings, discuss them and analyze
them, knowledge would never been universal.

However, this tool developed throughout the ages and became even stronger, more powerful than we
thought it would be. We discovered that language has the ability to shift, change and become
something else, and as it changed, Humanity changed along with it.

Language is the main and strongest tool of communication throughout history but as it developed, it
became the most manipulative as well. Different and flexible, we speak today of Irony, Paradox,
Similes, Metaphors and many other figures of speech used.The messages are not as clear as they used
to, languages can convey different messages while using the same expression and we see that today
repetitively not only in literature and poetry but also in our everyday language usage. It is becoming
harder and harder to decode the meaning of what is being said, the recipient often finds himself in a
dilemma where he simply can’t understand.

Through language, we can show our perspective, our understanding of the matter, the origin of the
nation and our state, our education level, and even our character. Language becomes a mirror of us,
both as a nation and as a self. In order for the communication goes well with both, the sender and
receiver must have to master their own language. According Gorys Keraf (1997:1), language is a means
of communication between members of the community in the form of a symbol of sound produced by
the speech organ. Perhaps there is an objection by saying that the language is not the only tool for
communication. They argue that two persons or parties communicating by means of specific ways that
have been agreed such as through paintings, smoke, sound of drum or casks and so on. But they
should also recognize that when compared with the language, all communication devices before
contains many weak aspects. Basically, the language has certain functions that are used according to
the needs of a person, i.e, as a tool for self-expression, as a means to communicate, as a tool to
organize and adapt to social integration in the environment or circumstances, and as a tool for social
control .

Here are presented the role of language as a communication tool:

1) Language as a tool to interact with others. Condition for the communication occurred is need
involvement of two or more persons conducting talk to each other. In this case interaction process is
emphasized in order to allow interchange feedback between the speaker to his interlocutor, and vice
versa.

2) Language reflects a person's level of education. An educated would be recalled better than
uneducated people. The higher a person's education, the higher their speech wisdom. The emergence
of this opinion because the interaction is often done by people who are well educated, influenced by
the environment of residence, as well as the school environment or the working environment. So that
educated people tend to interact with the environment that supports the use of language quality, than
those who are less educated.

3) Indicates authority. A leader would have to be able to speak well rewarded subordinates. This is
related to one's mastery of the language, if a leader can speak well, then he can express his ideas in a
clear and straightforward so that shows the authority of the leader.

4) As the force of law. With language, a person can identify the language of selfdefense or rival.
Someone who speaks, even to escape easily from the case addressed to him. This suggests that
language can be implemented as an ability / skill in communicating.

5) Attract the customer. Language of good and interesting ads will make consumers interested in trying
your product. In communications, advertising language is included in the scope of advertising. In an
effort to convey the benefits and efficacy of the product, the process of communication can not be
released from the distribution of a product to consumers.

6) Indicates a person's social standing. With the language, one can reflect on his position in society.
Diversity of languages mastered one will certainly differ from one to another, it is influenced by the
language acquisition from the environment. So people who have a high diversity of languages, and be
able to communicate well be seen as the privileged in society

The link between communication and culture, could be seen from our daily practice of communication
or interaction between individuals and groups. The language we use must have been influenced by
where we live, as well as the ethnic neighborhoods around us. In this case, culture in regard to human
being way of life. Humans learn, think, feel, believe, and seek what is appropriate according to the
culture. Language, friendship, custom, practice communication, social action, economic activity,
politics, and technology, all these were based on cultural patterns. As for who speak Makassarese,
Gorontalonese, Sundanese, Javanese, Malay, and English.

This is all because they have been born or at least raised in a culture that contains these elements.
What they do, how they act, a response to cultural functions. (Porter & Samovar in Mulyana and
Grace, 2006). This means that communication and culture cannot be separated, because culture not
only determines who is talking whom, about what, and where the communication takes place, but the
culture also helped determine the encode messages, the meaning and the message he had for the
conditions to send, pay attention, interpret the message. Actually, the whole repertoire of behavior we
are very dependent on, the culture we grew up, in line with previously disclosed at the beginning of
the discussion. Consequently, culture is the foundation of communication. If cultural diversity, it is also
a variety of communication practices.

1.5 DIMENSIONS OF COMMUNICATION: Reading and Comprehension

Reading is important because it develops your mind and gives you excessive knowledge and lessons of
life. It helps you understand the world around you better. It keeps your mind active and enhances your
creative ability. Communication Skills: Reading improves your vocabulary and develops your
communication skills.

Comprehension refers to the ability to understand written words. It is different from the ability
to recognize words. Recognizing words on a page but not knowing what they mean does not
fulfill the purpose or goal of reading, which is comprehension. Imagine, for example, that a
teacher gives a child a passage to read. The child can read the entire passage, but he or s he
knows nothing when asked to explain what was read. Comprehension adds meaning to what is
read. Reading comprehension occurs when words on a page are not just mere words but
thoughts and ideas. Comprehension makes reading enjoyable, fun, and informative. It is
needed to succeed in school, work, and life in general.

Reading comprehension is the ability to read text, process it and understand its meaning. It relies on
two, interconnected abilities: word reading (being able to decode the symbols on the page) and
language comprehension (being able to understand the meaning of the words and sentences).

Reading comprehension is the ability to process written text, understand its meaning, and to integrate
with what the reader already knows Reading comprehension relies on two abilities that are connected
to each other: word reading and language comprehension.Comprehension specifically is a "creative,
multifaceted process" that is dependent upon four language skills: phonology, syntax & semantics

Some of the fundamental skills required in efficient reading comprehension are the ability to:

• know the meaning of words,

• understand the meaning of a word from a discourse context,
• follow the organization of a passage and to identify antecedents and references in it,
• draw inferences from a passage about its contents,
• identify the main thought of a passage,
• ask questions about the text,
• answer questions asked in a passage,
• visualize the text,
• recall prior knowledge connected to text,
• recognize confusion or attention problems,
• recognize the literary devices or propositional structures used in a passage and determine its tone,
• understand the situational mood (agents, objects, temporal and spatial reference points, casual
and intentional inflections, etc.) conveyed for assertions, questioning, commanding, refraining,
etc., and
• determine the writer's purpose, intent, and point of view, and draw inferences about the writer
(discourse-semantics).
Comprehension is the process of understanding what is being read or heard. It involves decoding the
text or audio and making sense of it. Comprehension can be difficult but can be improved on with
practice.
 Generally speaking, there are three primary levels of comprehension, and they include:

1. Literal level comprehension

2. Inference level comprehension
3. Evaluative level comprehension
When we talk about comprehension, it goes beyond reading; it also includes listening to an audio,
video, or being present in an event and comprehending the situation in that particular event. However,
in this article, we will focus more on reading comprehension.

Comprehension is an essential skill that students and working professionals need to understand events
or reading materials, etc. When a student or professional comprehends a text or a situation accurately,
they can understand, identify the main points and provide answers to questions from a textbook or
events.

Levels of comprehension vary from person-to-person depending on their level of education,

experience, and the complexity of the subject.

i)Level One: Literal Comprehension

Literal comprehension means understanding a text, including facts, ideas, vocabulary, events, and
stated information.

It involves getting specific answers to questions or information gathering for questions that start with
“what, where, when, who,” etc.

For example:

• Who took Sandra’s pen?

• What did Sandra do when she realized that her pen was missing?
• Where did Ariel go to live at the end of the story?
Literal comprehension requires direct and explicit answers to questions extracted from a text.

Literal comprehension is an essential ability because it serves as a building block to the more advanced
levels of comprehension.

The literal level of comprehension requires some abilities that are necessary for comprehending any
text or statement in general, and they include:

• The ability to understand what a sentence is saying without analyzing it.

• The ability to understand the literal meaning of words.
• The ability to understand the literal meaning of sentences.
To develop the above-highlighted abilities and extract answers from any document seamlessly, as a
student or working professional, you have to develop literal comprehension skills such as keywording,
skim reading, and scanning. These skills will enable you to locate and use information more quickly.

At the literal level, you can recall the information explicitly stated in the material.

The ability to quickly skim and scan a large volume of materials and extract or recall essential
information from the document is a vital productivity skill that literal comprehension offers.

At Iris Reading, we have speed reading courses that can help you acquire the ability to extract
information and answers from a large volume of materials faster. Feel free to check it out here.
 ii)Level Two: Inference Comprehension
Inferential comprehension is the ability to make valid inferences from the facts and information
received or found in a text. At this level, you must read between the lines to understand the texts in
the reading material. It involves understanding the facts even if not explicitly stated in the reading
material.

It explores answers to questions that begin with “Why and How” because such questions have to get
their implied meaning answered or comprehended.

There are several different types of inferences, categorized as generalizations, comparisons,

conclusions, assumptions, predictions, inferences of cause and effect, etc.

For example:

• Why did Mike want to be awarded the most productive worker of the year?
• How did Mike react when he saw that the recognition of the most productive worker of the year was
awarded to Thomas?
The answer to the first question highlighted above requires inferences based on assumptions on why
Mike wants to be the most productive worker of the year.

Now such inferences or conclusions may be based on facts or opinions.

The second question requires comparing how Mike acted when he thought he would be the year’s
most productive worker and how he reacted when he lost the recognition to Thomas.

iii)Level Three: Evaluative Comprehension

Evaluative comprehension requires a deeper understanding of the topic or event. It involves
analyzing and weighing an event or an author’s intent, opinion, language, and style of presentation.

It also includes evaluating the appropriateness of the author’s devices in achieving his aim and then
making inferences based on the fact or idea implied in the event or reading material.

For example:

• How did Mike feel about losing the recognition award to Thomas?
• If you were Mike, how would you have reacted?
Evaluative comprehension can be applied to one’s performance at work or school, including others, in
case you hold a supervisory role.

It involves making extrapolations or conclusions on material or events. The evaluation can be positive,
negative, or neutral.

Evaluative comprehension also involves understanding the implications of the evaluation. For example,
Thomas was evaluated as the most productive worker of the year, so he might understand that the
assessment is positive and take pride in it.

However, if Thomas had been evaluated as unproductive, he might have realized that the review was
negative and felt embarrassed.
1.6Technical writing
It is sometimes defined as simplifying the complex. Inherent in such a concise and deceptively simple
definition is a whole range of skills and characteristics that address nearly every field of human
endeavour at some level. A significant subset of the broader field of technical communication,
technical writing involves communicating complex information to those who need it to accomplish
some task or goal.

In fact, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics defines technical writers as those who “…put technical
information into easily understandable language. They work primarily in information-technology-
related industries, coordinating the development and dissemination of technical content for a variety
of users; however, a growing number of technical communicators are using technical content to
resolve business communications problems in a diversifying number of industries.”

The Goal of Technical Writing

Good technical writing results in relevant, useful and accurate information geared to specifically
targeted audiences in order to enable a set of actions on the part of the audience in pursuit of a
defined goal. The goal may be using a software application, operating industrial equipment,
preventing accidents, safely consuming a packaged food, assessing a medical condition,
complying with a law, coaching a sports team, or any of an infinite range of possible activities. If
the activity requires expertise or skill to perform, then technical writing is a necessary
component.

Only a small proportion of technical writing is actually aimed at the general consumer audience.
Businesses and organizations deliver vast amounts of technical writing to explain internal
procedures, design and produce products, implement processes, sell products and services to
other businesses, or define policies. The leading professional association representing technical
writing, Society for Technical Communication, hosts a number of special interest groups for these
different aspects of the profession.

What Is a Sentence? –
A sentence is an array of multiple words arranged in a particular order. It has to be complete in itself
and should convey meaning. It can express a general idea, pose a question or argument, provide a
suggestion, make an order or request, and so much more.

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines a sentence as “a set of words expressing a statement, a
question or an order, usually containing a subject and a verb”. According to the Cambridge Dictionary,
a sentence is defined as “a group of words, usually containing a verb, that expresses a thought in the
form of a statement, question, instruction, or exclamation”.

paragraphs are the building blocks of papers. Many students define paragraphs in terms of length: a
paragraph is a group of at least five sentences, a paragraph is half a page long, etc. In reality, though,
the unity and coherence of ideas among sentences is what constitutes a paragraph. A paragraph is
defined as “a group of sentences or a single sentence that forms a unit” (Lunsford and Connors 116).
Length and appearance do not determine whether a section in a paper is a paragraph. For instance, in
some styles of writing, particularly journalistic styles, a paragraph can be just one sentence long.
Ultimately, a paragraph is a sentence or group of sentences that support one main idea. In this
handout, we will refer to this as the “controlling idea,” because it controls what happens in the rest of
the paragraph.
How do I decide what to put in a paragraph?

Before you can begin to determine what the composition of a particular paragraph will be, you must
first decide on an argument and a working thesis statement for your paper. What is the most
important idea that you are trying to convey to your reader? The information in each paragraph must
be related to that idea. In other words, your paragraphs should remind your reader that there is a
recurrent relationship between your thesis and the information in each paragraph. A working thesis
functions like a seed from which your paper, and your ideas, will grow. The whole process is an organic
one—a natural progression from a seed to a full-blown paper where there are direct, familial
relationships between all of the ideas in the paper.

The decision about what to put into your paragraphs begins with the germination of a seed of ideas;
this “germination process” is better known as brainstorming. There are many techniques for
brainstorming; whichever one you choose, this stage of paragraph development cannot be skipped.
Building paragraphs can be like building a skyscraper: there must be a well-planned foundation that
supports what you are building. Any cracks, inconsistencies, or other corruptions of the foundation can
cause your whole paper to crumble.

So, let’s suppose that you have done some brainstorming to develop your thesis. What else should you
keep in mind as you begin to create paragraphs? Every paragraph in a paper should be:

• Unified: All of the sentences in a single paragraph should be related to a single controlling idea
(often expressed in the topic sentence of the paragraph).
• Clearly related to the thesis: The sentences should all refer to the central idea, or thesis, of the
paper (Rosen and Behrens 119).
• Coherent: The sentences should be arranged in a logical manner and should follow a definite
plan for development (Rosen and Behrens 119).
• Well-developed: Every idea discussed in the paragraph should be adequately explained and
supported through evidence and details that work together to explain the paragraph’s
controlling idea (Rosen and Behrens 119).

How do I organize a paragraph?

There are many different ways to organize a paragraph. The organization you choose will depend on
the controlling idea of the paragraph. Below are a few possibilities for organization, with links to brief
examples:

• Narration: Tell a story. Go chronologically, from start to finish. (See an example.)

• Description: Provide specific details about what something looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or
feels like. Organize spatially, in order of appearance, or by topic. (See an example.)
• Process: Explain how something works, step by step. Perhaps follow a sequence—first, second,
third. (See an example.)
• Classification: Separate into groups or explain the various parts of a topic. (See an example.)
• Illustration: Give examples and explain how those examples support your point. (See an
example in the 5-step process below.)

Illustration paragraph: a 5-step example

From the list above, let’s choose “illustration” as our rhetorical purpose. We’ll walk through a 5-step
process for building a paragraph that illustrates a point in an argument. For each step there is an
explanation and example. Our example paragraph will be about human misconceptions of piranhas.
Step 1. Decide on a controlling idea and create a topic sentence

Paragraph development begins with the formulation of the controlling idea. This idea directs the
paragraph’s development. Often, the controlling idea of a paragraph will appear in the form of a topic
sentence. In some cases, you may need more than one sentence to express a paragraph’s controlling
idea.

Controlling idea and topic sentence — Despite the fact that piranhas are relatively harmless,
many people continue to believe the pervasive myth that piranhas are dangerous to humans.

Step 2. Elaborate on the controlling idea

Paragraph development continues with an elaboration on the controlling idea, perhaps with an
explanation, implication, or statement about significance. Our example offers a possible explanation
for the pervasiveness of the myth.

Step 3. Give an example (or multiple examples)

Paragraph development progresses with an example (or more) that illustrates the claims made in the
previous sentences.

Step 4. Explain the example(s)

The next movement in paragraph development is an explanation of each example and its relevance to
the topic sentence. The explanation should demonstrate the value of the example as evidence to
support the major claim, or focus, in your paragraph.

Continue the pattern of giving examples and explaining them until all points/examples that the writer
deems necessary have been made and explained. NONE of your examples should be left unexplained.
You might be able to explain the relationship between the example and the topic sentence in the same
sentence which introduced the example. More often, however, you will need to explain that
relationship in a separate sentence.

Notice that the example and explanation steps of this 5-step process (steps 3 and 4) can be repeated
as needed. The idea is that you continue to use this pattern until you have completely developed the
main idea of the paragraph.

Step 5. Complete the paragraph’s idea or transition into the next paragraph

The final movement in paragraph development involves tying up the loose ends of the paragraph. At
this point, you can remind your reader about the relevance of the information to the larger paper, or
you can make a concluding point for this example. You might, however, simply transition to the next
paragraph.

Sentences for completing a paragraph — While the trope of the man-eating piranhas lends
excitement to the adventure stories, it bears little resemblance to the real-life piranha. By
paying more attention to fact than fiction, humans may finally be able to let go of this
inaccurate belief.
1.7 .Technical style:

Technical writing is a style of writing that is used to communicate complex technical information to a
specific audience. It is used in a wide range of industries, such as engineering, computer science,
medicine, and finance. Technical writing can take many forms, and the style used will depend on the
type of document being written and the intended audience. The following are the different styles of
technical writing.

1. Instructional style

The instructional style of technical writing is used to provide step-by-step guidance on how to perform
a specific task. This style is commonly used in user manuals, how-to guides, and other instructional
documents. The writing is typically clear, concise, and straightforward, with a focus on providing
information in an easy-to-follow format.

2. Persuasive style

The persuasive style of technical writing is used to convince the reader to take a specific action or
adopt a particular point of view. This style is commonly used in proposals, white papers, and other
documents where the writer is trying to persuade the reader to agree with a particular argument or
proposal. The writing is typically structured to present arguments and evidence in a logical and
persuasive manner.

3. Descriptive style

The descriptive style of technical writing is used to provide an objective description of a particular topic
or subject. This style is commonly used in technical reports, research papers, and other documents
where the writer needs to provide an in-depth analysis of a topic. The writing is typically structured to
provide a detailed description of the topic, including its history, development, and current state.

4. Reference style

The reference style of technical writing is used to provide information about a particular topic or
subject. This style is commonly used in technical dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference
materials. The writing is typically structured to provide definitions, explanations, and examples of
technical terms and concepts.

5. Explanatory style

The explanatory style of technical writing is used to explain complex technical information in a way
that is easy to understand for non-technical readers. This style is commonly used in technical articles,
blogs, and other documents where the writer needs to explain technical concepts to a general
audience. The writing is typically structured to provide clear explanations of technical terms and
concepts, using analogies and examples to help readers understand the information.

In conclusion, technical writing can take many different styles, and the choice of style will depend on
the type of document being written and the intended audience. By understanding the different styles
of technical writing, writers can choose the appropriate style to communicate their message effectively
to their target audience.
1.8 Methods of technical style –

1)Understanding the audience –

In case of research writing the audience is mostly technical and knows core concept. in case of user
manual the audience is mostly non-expert.in case of reports the audience may be expert but of other
field. depending upon the type of audience we adjust the level of difficulty. this includes changes in the
no. of technical terms, pictures and examples.

Communicating involves the translation of your thoughts and ideas to words. Speaking or writing
involves sharing your perspective with others. If you talk to yourself, the action is a reflection of the
communication process, but you play the role of audience. In your head, you may make sense of your
words and their meaning, but when I hear what you said, what you meant may escape me. I might not
“get it” because I don’t know you, your references, your perspectives, your word choices, or your
underlying meaning and motivation for speaking in the first place. In this chapter we’ll discuss
perspectives, and how people perceive information, as we learn how communication is an imperfect
bridge to understanding. It requires our constant attention, maintenance, and effort.

Knowing your audience involves understanding others, and their perspectives, to see if they
understand your words, examples, or the frames of reference you use to communicate your
experiences, points, and conclusions. Ask yourself when you last had a miscommunication with
someone. No doubt it was fairly recently, as it is for most people.It’s not people’s fault that language,
both verbal and nonverbal, is an imperfect system. We can, however, take responsibility for the utility
and limitations of language to try to gain a better understanding of how we can communicate more
effectively. As a communicator, consider both the role of the speaker and the audience and not only
what and how you want to communicate but also what and how your audience needs you to
communicate with them in order to present an effective message

2) Understanding the goal-

Goals are your desired results that you or your team are committed to achieving within a specific
time frame. It involves setting long-term and short-term objectives that help you stay focused on
your goals, track your progress, and attain the desired result.
 GOAL=Junction point of all 3 style

Technical document try either to instruct,inform or persuade

e.g-A resume will persuade an HR to hire you

A report will inform the audience of fact about an issue after investigation.

A manual will instruct people to handle a machine or software.

3)Follow 7 C’s-

There are 7 C’s of effective communication which are applicable to both written as well as oral
communication. These are as follows:

1. Completeness - The communication must be complete. It should convey all facts required by
the audience. The sender of the message must take into consideration the receiver’s mind set
and convey the message accordingly. A complete communication has following features:
▪ Complete communication develops and enhances reputation of an organization.
▪ Moreover, they are cost saving as no crucial information is missing and no additional
cost is incurred in conveying extra message if the communication is complete.
▪ A complete communication always gives additional information wherever required. It
leaves no questions in the mind of receiver.
▪ Complete communication helps in better decision-making by the
audience/readers/receivers of message as they get all desired and crucial information.
▪ It persuades the audience.
2. Conciseness - Conciseness means wordiness, i.e, communicating what you want to convey in
least possible words without forgoing the other C’s of communication. Conciseness is a
necessity for effective communication. Concise communication has following features:
▪ It is both time-saving as well as cost-saving.
▪ It underlines and highlights the main message as it avoids using excessive and needless
words.
▪ Concise communication provides short and essential message in limited words to the
audience.
▪ Concise message is more appealing and comprehensible to the audience.
▪ Concise message is non-repetitive in nature.
3. Correctness - Correctness in communication implies that there are no grammatical errors in
communication. Correct communication has following features:
▪ The message is exact, correct and well-timed.
▪ If the communication is correct, it boosts up the confidence level.
▪ Correct message has greater impact on the audience/readers.
 ▪ It checks for the precision and accurateness of facts and figures used in the message.
▪ It makes use of appropriate and correct language in the message.
4. Clarity - Clarity implies emphasizing on a specific message or goal at a time, rather than trying
to achieve too much at once. Clarity in communication has following features:
▪ It makes understanding easier.
▪ Complete clarity of thoughts and ideas enhances the meaning of message.
▪ Clear message makes use of exact, appropriate and concrete words.
5. Consideration - Consideration implies “stepping into the shoes of others”. Effective
communication must take the audience into consideration, i.e, the audience’s view points,
background, mind-set, education level, etc. Make an attempt to envisage your audience, their
requirements, emotions as well as problems. Ensure that the self-respect of the audience is
maintained and their emotions are not at harm. Modify your words in message to suit the
audience’s needs while making your message complete. Features of considerate
communication are as follows:
▪ Emphasize on “you” approach.
▪ Empathize with the audience and exhibit interest in the audience. This will stimulate a
positive reaction from the audience.
▪ Show optimism towards your audience. Emphasize on “what is possible” rather than
“what is impossible”. Lay stress on positive words such as jovial, committed, thanks,
warm, healthy, help, etc.
6. Courtesy - Courtesy in message implies the message should show the sender’s expression as
well as should respect the receiver. The sender of the message should be sincerely polite,
judicious, reflective and enthusiastic. Courteous message has following features:
▪ Courtesy implies taking into consideration both viewpoints as well as feelings of the
receiver of the message.
▪ Courteous message is positive and focused at the audience.
▪ It makes use of terms showing respect for the receiver of message.
▪ It is not at all biased.
7. Concreteness - Concrete communication implies being particular and clear rather than fuzzy
and general. Concreteness strengthens the confidence. Concrete message has following
features:
▪ It is supported with specific facts and figures.
▪ It makes use of words that are clear and that build the reputation.
▪ Concrete messages are not misinterpreted.

Awareness of these 7 C’s of communication makes you an effective communicator.

1.8 Flow of communication-

Official communication taking place in an organisation is known as formal communication. It is

related to the status or position of the sender and receiver. It generally takes place either between
employees of different levels as in the case of superior-subordinate or at the same levels as in the
case of two managers from different departments. It is used to communicate official information,
such as orders, instructions, and other organisational information. It can be oral or written, but it is
generally recorded and filed for future reference.
On the basis of direction, formal communication can be of four types:
1. Downward Communication
2. Upward Communication
3. Horizontal Communication
4. Diagonal Communication
It must be kept in mind that Downward and Upward Communication are vertical in nature. Vertical
communication flows either downwards or upwards.
1. Downwards Communication-The flow of information from a higher level (superior) to a lower
level (subordinate) in an organisation is known as downwards communication.
Communication of policies, procedures, orders, instructions, notices for meetings, circulars, manuals,
etc., is the main objective of downwards communication. The speed of downward communication is
very fast.

2. Upward Communication -The flow of information from a lower level (subordinates) to a higher
level (superior) of an organisational hierarchy is known as upward communication.
The main objective is to communicate reports, suggestions, complaints, grievances, progress reports,
applications for grant of leave, etc., to the superior. The speed of upward communication is
comparatively less than downward communication.

3. Horizontal Communication or Lateral Communication-

The flow of information between people of different departments working at the same level in an
organisation is known as Horizontal Communication.
The main aim of Horizontal Communication is to coordinate different activities of two or more
departments. It also aims to resolve the interrelated problems between the departments. For
example, a finance manager may discuss the promotional cost of new products with the marketing
manager.
This type of communication can adversely affect the productivity and efficiency of the organisation if
there is a difference in the approach and vision of people of different departments. Differences in
approach can lead to conflicts between the departments.

4. Diagonal Communication-
The flow of information between persons holding different levels of authority in different
departments is known as Diagonal Communication.
The main aim of Diagonal Communication is to increase the efficiency of the organisation by
speeding up the communication process and cutting across departmental barriers. For example, a
discussion between Designing manager and a salesperson regarding the liking and disliking of people
regarding a product.
This type of communication violates the principle of unity of command, and sometimes the superior
may feel ignored when his subordinate talks directly to the managers of different departments.

Merits of Formal Communication

• Orderly flow of information is ensured in formal communication.
• Responsibilities can be fixed as the source of information can be located.
• Authority responsibility relationships can be maintained easily with the help of formal
communication.
• Control over the work performance of different employees can be exercised with the help of
formal communication.
Demerits of Formal Communication
• This type of communication channel can be time-consuming.
• It acts as a hindrance to the free and uninterrupted flow of information.
• An impersonal manner is used to convey the information in the case of formal communication.

1.9 Barriers of communication

Communication is defined as the act of expressing our views to others through the use of signs,
expressions, symbols, spoken words, or any activity to reach a common understanding. We can
communicate with a person or a group of persons.But, barriers can affect the message quality reaching
the receiver. Sometimes the message sent may not be interpreted correctly by the receiver. Here, we
will also discuss the steps to overcome the barriers of communication. We will discuss types of barriers
to communication, which are listed below:

1)Physical or environmental barriers:

These are environmental factors which limit the sending and receiving of messages. Often the term
Noise is used as a blanket term to refer to this kind. They include distance, noise, breakdown of
communication media, faulty mechanical equipments, etc.

i. Environment or climate : Adverse or extreme weather conditions like, too hot or too cold, their
surroundings do have a direct effect on the effectiveness of communication. As environment causes a
psychological effect like, too hot weather will cause restlessness and humididity, whereas too cold
weather makes a person feel lazy to communicate. v Inadequacy of message design/Poorly expressed
message: No matter how clear the idea in the mind of the sender, it may still get affected by use of
poorly chosen words, long sentences, complex words, poor organization of ideas, use of jargonIt is the
first major barrier to communication. Communication gets disturbed by noise that occurs at the
transmission level. For example, the noise of traffic around a school obstructs the flow of information
between a student and a teacher. Similarly poor signal while talking over cell phone or using public
address system or watching TV also disrupts communication. Bad weather conditions may also
sometimes cause barrier to communication.
ii. Time and distance: These may also obstruct the smooth flow of information. For example time
difference between two different countries may affect communication between two people. Another
example will be two people working in two different shifts may face problems in communicating
effectively. Improper seating arrangement in a class also may act as a barrier to the process of
communication.

iii. Wrong choice of medium: This can cause a barrier to communication if the sender uses the wrong
chnnel for the transmission of the message with is improper for the audience. For example, if an
expert uses an power point presentation for the uneducated factory workers then they will be unable
to understand it.

iv. Workspace design-Although the team members work from the same room, their desk are separated
by cubicles. whenever an emergency arises they need to go from cubicle to cubicle to pass on
information. They face similar difficulties when they want to ask answer a question. This practice slow
down their response time for customers and lowers their overall efficiency.

2) Language barrier/semantic/linguistic-

Language barriers can be difficult to avoid, especially if you are living in a country where the language
you speak is not the first language. Language barriers usually occur when two people who speak
different languages cannot understand one another, and there is a breakdown in language and
communication. They can also come from physical language disabilities which include stuttering,
articulation disorder and hearing loss. People who travel a lot or live in an area which has a lot of
foreigners might experience language barriers. They can cause unnecessary misunderstandings, and
many people get frustrated or irritated easily which can even lead to conflict. Language Barriers limit
the knowledge of individuals too. Indeed, they cause a big impact on our lives, and getting rid of them
completely might be impossible. However, language barrier one of the major problems that most
people are facing, now that the world is getting more globalized.

The term ‘semantic’ refers to the systematic study of meaning of the words. Semantic barriers are
barriers related to language. They cause obstructions in the process of receiving or understanding of
the message during the process of encoding or decoding ideas and words. The most common semantic
barriers are listed below:

i. Different languages :Different languages and dialects act as significant language barriers to
communication. According to Ethnologue, over 7,000 languages are spoken worldwide, leading to
significant language diversity. Therefore when individuals speak different languages or even different
dialects within the same language, understanding each other becomes challenging. The differences in
grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure present a significant hurdle when it comes to accurately
conveying messages.
This can result in communication breakdowns due to the lack of mutual intelligibility, making it
necessary to find alternative means of communication, such as translation to facilitate understanding
between parties who don’t share a common language or dialect.
Language barriers from different languages and dialects can affect effective communication in various
contexts, including personal interactions, business negotiations, and cross-cultural exchanges.Different
people mean different meaning while using the same word.

ii. Use of technical language (Jargons): It is often found that technical people use technical language,
which is related to their profession which is known as jargon. For eg: A manager handed over an
important document to a new assistant and told him to burn it( here burn means copy in another
computer.) But the new assistant took a different meaning to the word burn and literally burn it with a
match stick. Doctors, lawyers, etc. uses a language which a layman cannot understand that, due to lack
of knowledge of that language.
 iii. Vocabulary deficiency of both the sender and the receiver may cause semantic barrier to
communication. iv Multiple meaning of the words in different context: Different words are used in
different ways as per the need/ message. For instance consider the word, ‘out’ in following sentences:
• Get out of here • Something is out of order in my car • The truth got out at last • He really stands out
in his class. • The workers are going out on strike Thus the word ‘out’ conveys a different meaning
when used in different situations and thus miscommunication occurs.It differs dramatically from
denotative meaning. Eg: depart, go, leave, get out, etc

iv.Grammar and spelling: Language barriers may arise when the sender makes errors in grammar and
spelling. These mistakes can create communication problems in written communication. For example,
aperson makes a mistake of typing "done"," don" " buy" "bye" "meet" " meat" "Lead" "lead" "red"
"Read". They are understood by their context or pronunciation. The spelling and grammar checker of
the computer does not label it as wrong as "don " is also a correct word. But the word can change the
whole meaning of the sentence or make the sentence not understandable.

v.Using Slang Words:Informal words and phrases used in communication that often exclude specific
groups. Avoid idiomatic expressions or slang. American English is full of idioms. An idiom is a
distinctive, often colorful expression whose meaning cannot be understood. From the combined
meaning of its individual words, for example, the phrase “to kill two birds with one stone.” Slangs leads
to the misunderstanding of the message. The sender must not use slang in order to reduce
misunderstanding.

3)Cultural Barriers:

Culture shapes the way we think and behave. Each group categorized on the basis of nationality,
ethnicity, race, religion, etc. has its own distinctive culture. Cultural differences often cause
communication differences. It arises when individuals in one social group have developed different
norms, values, or behaviors to individuals associated with another group. The same category of word,
phrases, symbols, actions colors mean different things to different cultures. For eg: In western
countries black color is associated with mourning, while in the far east white is the color of mourning.
In U.S people love to be called by their first name, while in Britain, people are addressed by their last
name.

Every culture has its own set of accepted behaviours , thoughts, rules, standards, and beliefs that are
accepted. These factors make up part of a culture's identity. How one communicates is also affected
by their culture. Therefore, it varies among people from different cultural backgrounds. Therefore,
when people from different cultures interact, there is bound to be miscommunication because of
cultural barriers.

Cultural barriers prevent people from different cultures from effectively communicating and working
with each other. Cultural barriers can be caused by differences in languages, beliefs, or values.
As humans, we grow with a certain mindset and have an understanding of the world around us. It's
mostly our surroundings and the people we surround ourselves with that teach us their thoughts and
beliefs. Therefore, people have different ways of thinking and understanding, owing to their cultural
influences. It can give rise to communication barriers between people from different cultures. As it is
one's culture that gives rise to the communicational barrier, they are known as cultural barriers of
communication.Let's look at the key factors that lead to cultural barriers in communication. Six main
factors give rise to communicational barriers, and they are:

• Ethnocentrism,
• Stereotyping,
• Psychological barriers,
• Language barriers,
• Geographical distance,
 • Conflicting values.

Ethnocentrism

The first cultural barrier to communication is ethnocentricism.

The belief that one's culture is superior to another's is known as ethnocentrism.

It makes a person feel that only their way of doing things is right. Ethnocentric people look down on
people from other cultures, making them feel undervalued. It hinders conversations between people
as they would not be comfortable with each other holding a conversation. Ethnocentrism can be a
conscious act or unintentional.

Stereotyping

People have preconceived notions about others based on their nationalities. It is the belief that people
from a country or region will behave a certain way. But people tend to forget that every individual is
different and may not or will not behave the way we would expect them to, based on our limited
knowledge and judgments. Stereotyping a person can be insulting and unhealthy in a working
environment. The person can feel unfairly judged, making them unnecessarily conscious. Such
situations also act as communication barriers.

4)PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

Think back to a time when you learned a new skill quickly. Now, consider what was going on in your life
at that time. Were you in good physical, mental, and emotional health? Was life just going your way?
Your mood, attitude, and motivation can affect how easily you can pick up a new skill- for example.,
learning a new language:
Definition: Psychological BarriersThe psychological barrier of communication is the influence of
psychological state of the communicators (sender and receiver) which creates an obstacle for effective
communication.’

Causes of Psychological Barriers

Lack of Attention:When a person’s mind is distracted or preoccupied with other things, the person is
not able to form proper messages, listen to what others tell him/her, interpret the message as
required and give proper feedback. The communication will face problems and becomes ineffective.
Examples:1) A person in tragedy, for instance, does not want to listen to other people giving advice.

2) A person might be preoccupied by the problems of his/her professional life or personal life, which
affects both.

3)Poor Retention:Retention of information is the capacity of the memory of the brain to store
information. The Brain does not store all the information it comes across, but only the ones it deems
useful for future. So, half the information is lost in the retention process.Similarly, brain also loses
information that is old and not taken as useful with time. Extracting the information is also a process in
the formation of message. Here, the brain tries to remember the required information, the fragments
of which have already been lost.For example, you were told about a friend coming to meet you before a
month and had been given the person’s name, address, phone number, etc. Now, you have to
communicate the information to somebody else. At the time, you only remember the name and
address and forget the phone number. The truth can change or distort due to poor retention which acts
as barrier to communication.

4)Distrust and Defensiveness:Communication is successful when the communicators trust each other.
Lack of trust makes them derive negative meaning of the message and they ignore the message. When
a person tries to force his/her own ideas and opinions, then receiver does not listen. If the receiver
does not agree to the message provided or thinks of it as a threat, he/she will not listen to it. Similarly,
when the message is not transferred across to the receiver, the communication fails. For example, I
don’t trust a friend, I will only give the details, of what is happening in my personal life which I think are
harmless.

5)Perception, Viewpoint, Attitudes and Opinions:Perception is the mindset using which people judge,
understand and interpret everything. Each person has his/he own perception of reality which is shaped
from mental and sensory experiences.Likewise, viewpoint is also a mindset to look at the world.
Sender might have a particular viewpoint that is not shared by the receiver. The sender does not
explain the viewpoint but takes the viewpoint as granted. The message is not understood by the
receiver as must have been understood, creating a barrier to effective communication.

Attitude is the established way in which we think and feel about things and ideas which also creates a
psychological communication barrier. For example, a person takes females to be weak which is the
person’s perception. He/she tells that to someone who does not think so. This causes a
misunderstanding between the two. Everything they communicate after that becomes unsuccessful
that the view of the person is already set.
 6)Emotions:-Anyone who isn’t in a good mood is likely to talk less or talk negatively. A preoccupied
mind is not good at communicating. For example, when a person is angry, he/she might say things they
regret later. Even when listening to someone else speak, an angry person might easily misinterpret the
message.Various other emotions like fear, nervousness, confusion, mistrust and jealousy affect
communication process. For example, a person having extreme moods of happiness will laugh at
anything at all said to him/her. The same person when sad will cry or get angry at insignificant
situations.

7)Premature Evaluation:Some people are always in a hurry by habit. These kinds of people most
likely make quick judgments and jump into conclusions. They do not consider all aspects of the
information such as social, cultural, economic, etc., and often end up taking quick and wrong
decisions.It is important to hear the whole message to make proper judgments because they are not
changed easily after they are once made.

For example, a person who is in a hurry and is talking on the phone does not listen to half the message
and makes the decision which is wrong in the situation.Psychological barriers affect communication
more as information is formed in the brain and is sent by people with various psychological condition
which differs from one moment to another. Information is as effective as the people involved make it.
Similarly, the psychological condition of the receiver also has as much importance as the sender’s.
Communication is ineffective if psychological aspects of communication acts as a barrier to
communication.

5)Organizational Barriers
Definition: The Organizational Barriers refers to the hindrances in the flow of information among the
employees that might result in a commercial failure of an organization.

The major Organizational Barriers are listed below:

1. Organizational Rules and Policies: Often, organizations have the rule with respect to what message,
medium, and mode of communication should be selected. And due to the stringent rules, the
employees escape themselves from sending any message.
 Similarly, the organizational policy defines the relationship between the employees and the way they
shall communicate with each other maintaining their levels of position in the organization. Such as, if
the company policy is that all the communication should be done in writing, then even for a small
message the medium used should be written. This leads to delay in the transmission of the message
and hence the decision making gets delayed.

2. Status or Hierarchical Positions in the Organization: In every organization, the employees are divided
into several categories on the basis of their levels of the organization. The people occupying the upper
echelons of the hierarchy are superior to the ones occupying the lower levels, and thus, the
communication among them would be formal. This formal communication may often act as a barrier
to the effective communication. Such as the lower level employee might be reluctant in sending a
message to his superior because of a fear in his mind of sending the faulty or wrong message.
3. Organizational Facilities: The organizational facilities mean the telephone, stationery, translator, etc.,
which is being provided to employees to facilitate the communication. When these facilities are
adequately offered to the employees, then the communication is said to be timely, accurate and
according to the need. Whereas, in the absence of such facilities, the communication may get
adversely affected.
4. Complex Organizational Structure: The communication gets affected if there are a greater number of
management levels in the organization. With more levels, the communication gets delayed and might
change before reaching the intended receiver.
Thus, communication is the key factor in the success of any firm, and the communication is said to be
effective when the employees interact with each other in such a way that it results in the overall
improvement of the self as well as the organization.

----------------------End----------------
 UNIT 2.Forms of Technical Communication

2.1.Technical Report-
A technical report is described as a written scientific document that conveys information about technical
research in an objective and fact-based manner. This technical report consists of the three key features of
a research i.e process, progress, and results associated with it.

Some common areas in which technical reports are used are agriculture, engineering, physical, and
biomedical science. So, such complicated information must be conveyed by a report that is easily
readable and efficient.

Now, how do we decide on the readability level?

The answer is simple – by knowing our target audience.

2.2.Importance of Writing a Technical Report

1. Efficient communication

Technical reports are used by industries to convey pertinent information to upper management. This
information is then used to make crucial decisions that would impact the company in the future.Examples
of such technical reports include proposals, regulations, manuals, procedures, requests, progress reports,
emails, and memos.

2. Evidence for your work

Most of the technical work is backed by software.However, graduation projects are not.So, if you’re a
student, your technical report acts as the sole evidence of your work. It shows the steps you took for the
research and glorifies your efforts for a better evaluation.

3. Organizes the data

A technical report is a concise, factual piece of information that is aligned and designed in a standard
manner. It is the one place where all the data of a project is written in a compact manner that is easily
understandable by a reader.

4. Tool for evaluation of your work

Professors and supervisors mainly evaluate your research project based on the technical write-up for it. If
your report is accurate, clear, and comprehensible, you will surely bag a good grade.A technical report to
research is like Robin to Batman.Best results occur when both of them work together.So, how can you
write a technical report that leaves the readers in a ‘wow’ mode? Let’s find out!
2.14. 7C’s of effective business writing-
There are 7 C’s of effective communication which are applicable to both written as well as oral
communication. These are as follows:

1. Completeness –

The communication must be complete. It should convey all facts required by the audience. The
sender of the message must take into consideration the receiver’s mind set and convey the
message accordingly. A complete communication has following features:

▪ Complete communication develops and enhances reputation of an organization.

▪ Moreover, they are cost saving as no crucial information is missing and no additional cost is
incurred in conveying extra message if the communication is complete.
▪ A complete communication always gives additional information wherever required. It
leaves no questions in the mind of receiver.
▪ Complete communication helps in better decision-making by the
audience/readers/receivers of message as they get all desired and crucial information.
▪ It persuades the audience.
2. Conciseness –

Conciseness means wordiness, i.e, communicating what you want to convey in least possible
words without forgoing the other C’s of communication. Conciseness is a necessity for effective
communication. Concise communication has following features:

▪ It is both time-saving as well as cost-saving.

▪ It underlines and highlights the main message as it avoids using excessive and needless
words.
▪ Concise communication provides short and essential message in limited words to the
audience.
▪ Concise message is more appealing and comprehensible to the audience.
▪ Concise message is non-repetitive in nature.
3. Correctness –

Correctness in communication implies that there are no grammatical errors in communication.

Correct communication has following features:

▪ The message is exact, correct and well-timed.

▪ If the communication is correct, it boosts up the confidence level.
▪ Correct message has greater impact on the audience/readers.
▪ It checks for the precision and accurateness of facts and figures used in the message.
▪ It makes use of appropriate and correct language in the message.
4. Clarity –

Clarity implies emphasizing on a specific message or goal at a time, rather than trying to achieve
too much at once. Clarity in communication has following features:

▪ It makes understanding easier.

▪ Clarity demands the use of simple language and easy sentence structure in composing the
msg. when there is clarity in presenting ideas, it easy for the receiver to grasp the meaning.
▪ Complete clarity of thoughts and ideas enhances the meaning of message.
▪ Clear message makes use of exact, appropriate and concrete words.
▪ Choose short, familiar, conversational words.
▪ Achieve appropriate readability
5. Consideration –

Consideration implies “stepping into the shoes of others”. Effective communication must take the
audience into consideration, i.e, the audience’s view points, background, mind-set, education
level, etc. Make an attempt to envisage your audience, their requirements, emotions as well as
problems. Ensure that the self-respect of the audience is maintained and their emotions are not at
harm. Modify your words in message to suit the audience’s needs while making your message
complete. Features of considerate communication are as follows:

▪ Emphasize on “you” approach.

▪ Empathize with the audience and exhibit interest in the audience. This will stimulate a
positive reaction from the audience.
▪ Show optimism towards your audience. Emphasize on “what is possible” rather than “what
is impossible”. Lay stress on positive words such as jovial, committed, thanks, warm,
healthy, help, etc.
6. Courtesy –

Courtesy in message implies the message should show the sender’s expression as well as should
respect the receiver. The sender of the message should be sincerely polite, judicious, reflective
and enthusiastic. Courteous message has following features:

▪ Courtesy implies taking into consideration both viewpoints as well as feelings of the
receiver of the message.
▪ Courteous message is positive and focused at the audience.
▪ It makes use of terms showing respect for the receiver of message.
▪ Omit expression that irritate, hurt or belittle.
▪ Grant and apologize good naturally.
▪ It is not at all biased.
7. Concreteness/cohesion –

Concrete communication implies being particular and clear rather than fuzzy and general.
Concreteness strengthens the confidence.Communicating concretely means being specific,
definite and vivid rather than general. Concrete message has following features:

▪ It is supported with specific facts and figures.

▪ Put action in your verbs.
▪ Logical arrangement and linking.
▪ Choose vivid, image-building words.
▪ It makes use of words that are clear and that build the reputation.
▪ Concrete messages are not misinterpreted.

Awareness of these 7 C’s of communication makes you an effective communicator

 Unit 3: Technical Presentation

3.1.Presentation
A presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically
demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate,
build goodwill, or present a new idea/product.Presentations usually require
preparation, organization, event planning, writing, use of visual aids, dealing with stress, and
answering questions. “The key elements of a presentation consists of presenter, audience, message,
reaction and method to deliver speech for organizational success in an effective
manner.” Presentations are widely used in tertiary work settings such as accountants giving a
detailed report of a company's financials or an entrepreneur pitching their venture idea to
investors.

The term can also be used for a formal or ritualized introduction or offering, as with the
presentation of a debutante. Presentations in certain formats are also known as keynote address.
Interactive presentations, in which the audience is involved, are also represented more and more
frequently. Instead of a monologue, this creates a dialogue between the speaker and the audience.
The advantages of an interactive presentation is for example, that it attracts more attention from
the audience and that the interaction creates a sense of community.

Presentation means to put forward information and ideas before the audience in a very systematic
manner and a predefined purpose with the help of visual aids.

#Audio-Visual aids :
Audio-visual aids are instructional devices which are used to communicate messages more
effectively through sound and visuals. Audio-visual aids help in stimulating the sensory organs like
ears and eyes and facilitate quick comprehension of the message by the audience. These may be
used for literate as well as illiterate people.
Audio visual aids classification is based on the idea of sensory experience; relatives derive learning,
chiefly through direct sensory contact. Keeping this seeable, these are often classified into three main
groups:

Audio Aids: These embody Radio, Tape-recorder, Audio electronic equipment, Language laboratory,
etc.

Visual Aids: It includes charts, Black and Whiteboard, Maps, Pictures, Models, textbooks, a projector,
Transparency, Flash-cards, Print materials, etc.

Audio-Visual Aids: Includes LCD projector, projector, TV, Computer, VCD player, Virtual schoolroom,
Multimedia, etc.
 #Audio-Visual Aids: Advantages
• To Challenge the Attention of the Pupils-The teacher who uses devices can usually see that the
attention of the whole classroom is on the lesson and that they should not be distracted.

• To Stimulate Imagination and Develop the Mental Imagery-Devices stimulate and increase the
imagination of the pupils. Intellectual imagery can be used as a vehicle of thought and as a means of
clarifying ideas and concepts. As imagination plays a vital role in any innovation and any learning,
almost all the innovations are in the form of imagination, and they evolved to be theories and
principles.

• To Facilitate the Understanding of the Pupils

The most widely acknowledged use of aids, whether visual or audio-visual, is useful in aiding
understanding. As we learn everything and anything after understanding otherwise, there can be any
learning without understanding. Language learning can be acquired by using models, filmstrips,
movies, and pictorial material to supplement textbooks and printed materials. Material devices give
significance, importance, colour and imagery body to the idea presented by the instructor.

• To Provide Incentives for Action

The use of devices in education, such as pictures and objects, will arouse emotion and incite the
individual to act or learn. The teacher must select the right kind of device to excite the students to a
worthwhile intellectual activity during the class.

• To Develop the Ability to Listen

The ability to listen can be developed best through the use of audio-visual materials. It is also the
responsibility of the schools, colleges, and other educational institutions, to provide training for our
students to be good listeners first.

#Audio-Visual Aids: Disadvantages

• Technical Problems
• Student distraction
• Expenses
• Time
• Space
• Convenience

#Goal / Aim / Motive / Purpose / Objectives ofPresentation

1. To Inform or Educate
2. To Persuade
3. To Motivate or Inspire
4. To Entertain
3.2.Forms/Types of Presentations:

According to the purpose presentations are classified as:

1. Informative Presentations: Informative presentations teach , demonstrate or instruct

an audience on some topic or process such as policies and rules. These are also called ‘tell’
presentations.

2. Persuasive Presentations: Persuasive presentations are designed to induce an audience to

accept a belief or action. These are also called ‘sell’ presentations.

3. Motivational Presentations: Motivational presentations are designed to reassure the

audience. These are also called ‘join’ presentations.

4. Internal Presentations: These presentations are made to internal audience. The audience
consists of the employees or students and can be known or unknown to the presenter.

5. External Presentations: These presentations are made to external audience. It consists of

prospective clients, vendors or partners and are generally unknown to the presenter.
Based on the time available to prepare, presentations canbe categorized as:
6. Impromptu Presentations: These presentations are made without any planning or preparation.

7. Planned Presentations: The presentations are made with careful planning and preparation.

Based on the number of participants, presentations can be categorized as:

8. Individual presentations: A Individual is responsible for preparation, research, and delivery. He
rightfully take all the credit for the final product he produced.

9. Group presentations: In contrast, often involve more complicated tasks and therefore require
more participants to make them.

#Characteristics of good presentation

1. The presentation ideas should be well adapted to the audience. Relate the presentation
message/idea to the interests of the audience.
2. A good presentation should be concise and shouldbe focused on the topic.
3. A good presentation should have the potential toconvey the required information.
4. A good presentation must be planned.
5. Rehearse and practice the presentation.
6. Smile and Make Eye Contact with your Audience
7. The speaker should encourage more questions from the audience.
8. Try to use 10-30 Slides in Slideshows.
9. Tell Stories.
10. Use your Voice Effectively.
11. Summarize the presentation at the end.
12. The speaker must have a presentable appearance while giving a presentation.
13. Try to gain and maintain audience interest by using positive quotes, humour, or remarkable
fact.
 3.3.Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal communication involves the information, ideas, and feelings being exchanged verbally
or non-verbally between two or more people. Face-to-face communication often involves hearing,
seeing, and feeling body language, facial expressions, and gestures.

In other terms, Interpersonal communication is exchanging information, meaning, feelings, and

opinions between two or more people via verbal and non-verbal means. Although we mentioned
“face-to-face” communication previously, today’s technology compels us to expand its definition to
include media such as phone calls and online messaging.

What About Intrapersonal Communication?

You may have heard the term “intrapersonal communication” and wondered if it’s related to
interpersonal communication. The words are opposites, actually. “Inter” refers to dealings between
people, groups, or other entities (e.g., intercontinental, international). “Intra,” on the other hand,
describes actions within a person or a group. For example, an intranet is a private digital network that
exists solely within a company or organization.

Intrapersonal communication describes how we communicate with ourselves, including an accurate

idea of our perceptions, expectations, and concepts.Interpersonal communication refers to the
sharing of information among people.This form of communication is advantageous because direct
and immediate feedback is possible. If a doubt occurs, it can be instantly clarified.Interaction among
friends and interaction with sales executives are examples of interpersonalcommunication.

Building interpersonal communication skills can help you improve your relationships, increase your
ability to collaborate effectively with others, and enhance your overall success in life. Here are some
tips to help you develop them:

1. Practice active listening: One of the most important aspects of interpersonal communication is
active listening. This involves fully concentrating on what the other person is saying, without
interrupting or judging them. You can practice active listening by maintaining eye contact,
nodding, and asking questions to clarify their message.

2. Use clear and concise language: Communication is most effective when it is clear and concise. Use
simple language and avoid jargon or technical terms that others may not understand.

3. Be aware of nonverbal communication: Nonverbal communication, such as body language and

facial expressions, can also convey messages. Be aware of your own nonverbal cues and try to
read others' body language to better understand their message.

4. Show empathy: Empathy involves understanding and sharing the feelings of others. When
communicating with others, try to put yourself in their shoes and show understanding and
compassion for their perspective.
5. Build rapport: Building rapport involves finding common ground and establishing a connection
with others. This can help to build trust and enhance communication. Look for common interests
or experiences, and use humor or other forms of positive reinforcement to build a positive
relationship.

6. Be open to feedback: Be open to constructive criticism and feedback from others, and use it as an
opportunity to learn and grow.

#Interpersonal Communication Tips for Remote Workers

As more people are working remotely, developing interpersonal communication skills becomes even
more important to maintain relationships and collaboration. Here are some tips for remote workers
to enhance their interpersonal communication skills:

1. Use video conferencing: Use video conferencing as much as possible instead of just relying on
phone calls or emails. This will help to establish a better connection with your colleagues by seeing
their facial expressions and body language.

2. Schedule regular check-ins: Make an effort to schedule regular check-ins with your colleagues to
stay connected and up-to-date on projects. This can be a quick call or a virtual coffee break to chat
about work and life.

3. Practice active listening: When on a call or video conference, practice active listening by giving
your full attention to the speaker, asking questions, and clarifying their message. This will help to
build better communication and understanding.

4. Use appropriate tone and language: When communicating in writing, use an appropriate tone and
language to convey your message clearly.

5. Be flexible: As remote work can be more fluid than a traditional office environment, be flexible
with communication methods and schedules to accommodate different time zones or work styles.

By practicing these interpersonal communication skills, remote workers can build strong relationships
and collaboration with their colleagues, even if they are not in the same physical space.

#Elements of Interpersonal Communication

• The Communicating Parties: There’s no communication without a sender and a receiver. However,
many people mistake assigning only one speaker and one listener to the conversation. Effective
interpersonal communication requires all parties to assume both roles, sending and receiving the
message at the appropriate time.

• The Message Itself: This element covers the information in all possible forms, including speech and
non-verbal communication.

• Extraneous Noise: Noise includes anything that interferes with, distorts, or overpowers the
message. This element comprises everything from physically-based noises (e.g., traffic sounds, a
screaming baby at the next table over) to more abstract difficulties such as cultural
misunderstanding, overblown corporate jargon, showing disinterest, or inappropriate body
language.
• Feedback: This element blurs the line with the “sender and receiver” idea, but it’s distinct enough
to be considered separate. Feedback is limited to immediate reactions to a sent message.
Feedback could be anything from verbal (e.g., “I agree,” or “I’m confused; what do you mean?”) to
non-verbal (e.g., facial expressions, changes in body language/stance).

• Context: Have you ever heard the phrase “Read the room!”? That means the speaker should be
paying attention to the general mood and atmosphere of the listeners and where they are.
Context includes physical location, the mood/emotional climate of the audience, and social
context.

• The Channel: This element covers moving the message from the sender to the receiver and refers
to vision and speech.

#Interpersonal Communication Examples

Here are some common examples of interpersonal communication. You will notice how they
reference the different interpersonal communication types.

• Emails: This example is a ubiquitous form of interpersonal communication in our era of increased
online usage. Unfortunately, we can't always communicate nuance and tone, leading to
misunderstandings. Consequently, you need good written communication skills.

• Phone calls: Yes, people still use their smartphones for actual speaking! However, since most
phone calls lack visual cues, you should have strong verbal communication skills.

• Presentations: You know what this involves if you've ever heard a lecture or been in a business
meeting. Presentations typically incorporate every type of interpersonal communication. The
speaker needs good verbal skills, uses gestures and expressions effectively, refers to written texts
and other visual aids, and understands how the audience feels and receives the message.

• Texting: You knew we’d touch upon this one, right? Texting is less formal and structured than
emails, so the communicator should grasp casual conversation skills.

#Difference Between Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Communication

Interpersonal communication and intrapersonal communication are two different types of
communication. Interpersonal communication refers to communication between two or more
people. It involves the exchange of messages, ideas, and information between individuals. This can
take many forms, including face-to-face conversations, phone calls, emails, and video conferences.

Intrapersonal communication, on the other hand, refers to communication within oneself. It involves
the internal dialogue or self-talk that occurs in our minds. This type of communication is essential for
self-reflection, self-awareness, and personal growth.

The Importance of Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal communication is a valuable "soft skill" in many job descriptions. Strong interpersonal
communication skills help people better express their emotions and thoughts and cultivate a stronger
sense of empathy for others.
Interpersonal communication is also a vital part of being a team player or a group leader, things that
recruiters are always looking for.
If you have solid interpersonal communication skills, you can clearly express your intentions and
thoughts, enriching your professional relationships and personal life.

So many conflicts stem from simple misunderstandings. Strong interpersonal communication skills
help reduce the likelihood of these misunderstandings, which subsequently lowers the risk of
arguments, hurt feelings, grudges, and problems with morale.

#Characteristics of interpersonal communication

Interpersonal communication is continuous, we constantly share or send verbal and non-verbal

messages.
Interpersonal communication is irreversible; once the exchange takes place, it can never be
ignored or taken back.
Interpersonal communication is situated; it occurs within a specific communication setting that
affects how the messages are produced, interpreted, and coordinated.

3.4.Classroom Presentation-

Class-room presentation is a way to building confidence among the students. They help the students
to inculcate the basics for communication skills—reading, writing, listening and speaking. It helps
students to share their views with their classmates and also to expand their understanding.
Presentation skills are extremely useful both in and outside the classroom. After completing a
project, a presentation is a channel for students to share with others what they have learned.

It is also a chance to challenge and expand on their understanding of the topic by having others ask
questions. Presentations can also form a natural part of task based learning. By focussing on a
particular language point or skill, the presentation is a very practical way to revise and extend book,
pair and group work. The audience can also be set a task, for example, a set of questions to answer
on the presentation, which is a way of getting students to listen to each other.

Classroom presentations means team teaching or assisting in teaching guidance curriculum learning-
activities or units by counselors in classrooms, the guidance center, or other school facilities.
Presentations allow teachers and students to connect deeply, not only because they are conducted at child
level.

The lessons are usually short in consideration of the young students ability to focus and they are based on
a mutual level of respect for another. Presentations are expressions of knowledge, purpose, and
excitement towards learning and growth.

#Methods of Classroom Presentation

1. Verbal and Non-verbal mode of communication can be used.
2. Classroom should be taken as the podium for Presentation.
3. Voice should be clear and loud.
4. Maintain right tone, pitch and also speed.
5. Appropriate facial expressions and gestures should be loud.
#Presentation Skill Tips for Students
1. The main points are your backbones of yourpresentation.
2. Do not read from your notes.
3. Prepare cue cards with key words on them.
4. Use visual aids like slides, charts and graphs to illustrate your points.
5. Dress appropriately for your presentation.
6. Speak clearly and loud.
7. Follow 7c’s

3.5.Mode of Presentation
Below are the four modes of presentation, or presentation Delivery Style or Nuances of delivery.
1. Memorizing the Manuscript: This method of presentation can be one of the most effective
methods of presentation. But it requires an extra ordinary power to memorize because if the
presenter forgets his text, his speech will sound stilled / unnatural / too formal.

2. Reading the Manuscript: It means read out the written material aloud. This method is often
used whenever a complex or technical presentation is made such as the description of some
machine or the policy matters of an organization. In this, the reader and listener contact is often
interrupted.

3. Extemporaneous / Speaking from Notes: The speaker prepares notes on a sheet or cards and
then with the help of appropriate audio visual aids, he makes his presentation. This process
makes the delivery easy and impressive.

4. Impromptu Speaking: The words Impromptu means done without preparation or planning. So,
this is the presentation delivered without any preparation done beforehand i.e. unrehearsed
delivery in speech.

3.6.Individual Conferencing
The individual conferences are designed with a purpose. The main purpose of individual
conferencing is to help an individual achieve his goal.

For Students, the individual conferences are designed to help the student explore his/her goals and
aspirations as well as reasons that he/she may choose to achieve or underachieve in school or
college.

The skill of conferencing or oral presentations play a decisive role in enhancing the stature and
influencing decisions.It can elevate the status of a person with bigger assignments and
responsibilities. The individual conferences are designed to help the student explore his/her goals
and aspirations as well as reasons that he/she may choose to achieve or underachieve in school.

#Essentials for Individual Conferencing

It should be conducted in privacy.
The person who conducts the individual conference should have a positive outlook.
 The conferencing sessions should be conducted from time to time according to the need of the
hour.

3.7.Public Speaking
Public speaking is the process of communicating information to an audience.It is usually done
before a large audience, like in school/college, the workplace and even in our personal lives. Public
speaking, also called oration or oratory, is the process of communicating information to a live
audience. The type of information communicated is deliberately structured to inform, persuade,
and entertain. Many people fear they suffer from a public speaking weakness and lack the will to
master the skill.The benefits of knowing how to communicate to an audience include sharpening
critical thinking and verbal/non-verbal communication skills.

Public speaking helps to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners. Traditionally, public speaking
was considered to be a part of the art of persuasion.

The best public speakers maintain proper posture, make eye contact with the audience, and move in
ways that look natural. Good body language improves your performance and helps the audience take
in and remember what you say. Avoid putting your hands in your pockets or crossing your arms. A
public speaking skill is any quality that helps candidates maintain a positive presence, engage with
their audience and communicate clearly to convey their ideas. These skills allow public speakers to
transform a standard presentation into an engaging and exciting event for their guests. These skills
are essential in the workplace, as candidates may host public speaking events such as presentations,
conferences, trade shows or special events.

Public speaking can refer to engaging with an audience you already know or speaking to hundreds of
unknown individuals.While public speaking is a skill, it comprises multiple communication skills that
allow public speakers to connect with an audience. These skills calm the speaker, reduce boredom in
the audience and ensure that they absorb the message of the speech. For roles where employees
deliver regular speeches or presentations, such as project management roles, hiring managers may
actively seek candidates with the best public speaking abilities to ensure they can perform under
pressure.

#The Importance of Public Speaking

Even if you don't need to make regular presentations in front of a group, there are plenty of
situations where good public speaking skills can help you advance your career and create
opportunities. For example, you might have to talk about your organization at a conference,
make a speech after accepting an award, or teach a class to new recruits. Speaking to an
audience also includes online presentations or talks; for instance, when training a virtual
team, or when speaking to a group of customers in an online meeting.
Good public speaking skills are important in other areas of your life, as well. You might be
asked to make a speech at a friend's wedding, give a eulogy for a loved one, or inspire a group
of volunteers at a charity event.

In short, being a good public speaker can enhance your reputation, boost your self-
confidence, and open up countless opportunities.However, while good skills can open doors,
poor ones can close them. For example, your boss might decide against promoting you after
sitting through a badly-delivered presentation. You might lose a valuable new contract by
failing to connect with a prospect during a sales pitch. Or you could make a poor impression
with your new team, because you trip over your words and don't look people in the eye.

#Strategies for Becoming a Better Speaker

The good news is that speaking in public is a learnable skill. As such, you can use the following
strategies to become a better speaker and presenter.

1.Plan Appropriately

First, make sure that you plan your communication appropriately. Use tools like
the Rhetorical Triangle, Monroe's Motivated Sequence, and the 7Cs of Communication to
think about how you'll structure what you're going to say.

When you do this, think about how important a book's first paragraph is; if it doesn't grab
you, you're likely going to put it down. The same principle goes f or your speech: from the
beginning, you need to intrigue your audience.

For example, you could start with an interesting statistic, headline, or fact that pertains to
what you're talking about and resonates with your audience. You can also use story telling as
a powerful opener; our Expert Interviews with Annette Simmons and Paul Smith offer some
useful tips on doing this.

Planning also helps you to think on your feet. This is especially important for unpredictable
question and answer sessions or last-minute communications

2.Practice

There's a good reason that we say, "Practice makes perfect!" You simply cannot be a confident,
compelling speaker without practice.If you're going to be delivering a presentation or prepared
speech, create it as early as possible. The earlier you put it together, the more time you'll have
to practice.Practice it plenty of times alone, using the resources you'll rely on at the event, and,
as you practice, tweak your words until they flow smoothly and easily.Then, if appropriate, do a
dummy run in front of a small audience: this will help you calm your jitters and make you feel
more comfortable with the material. Your audience can also give you useful feedback, both on
your material and on your performance.

3.Engage With Your Audience

When you speak, try to engage your audience. This makes you feel less isolated as a speaker
and keeps everyone involved with your message. If appropriate, ask leading questions targeted
to individuals or groups, and encourage people to participate and ask questions.Keep in mind
that some words reduce your power as a speaker. For instance, think about how these
sentences sound: "I just want to add that I think we can meet these goals" or "I just think this
plan is a good one." The words "just" and "I think" limit your authority and conviction. Don't
use them.

Also, pay attention to how you're speaking. If you're nervous, you might talk quickly. This
increases the chances that you'll trip over your words, or say something you don't mean. Force
yourself to slow down by breathing deeply. Don't be afraid to gather your thoughts; pauses are
an important part of conversation, and they make you sound confident, natural, and authentic.

Finally, avoid reading word-for-word from your notes. Instead, make a list of important points
on cue cards, or, as you get better at public speaking, try to memorize what you're going to say
– you can still refer back to your cue cards when you need them.

4.Pay Attention to Body Language

If you're unaware of it, your body language will give your audience constant, subtle clues about
your inner state. If you're nervous, or if you don't believe in what you're saying, the audience
can soon know.

Pay attention to your body language: stand up straight, take deep breaths, look people in the
eye, and smile. Don't lean on one leg or use gestures that feel unnatural.

Many people prefer to speak behind a podium when giving presentations. While podiums can
be useful for holding notes, they put a barrier between you and the audience. They can also
become a "crutch," giving you a hiding place from the dozens or hundreds of eyes that are on
you.Instead of standing behind a podium, walk around and use gestures to engage the
audience. This movement and energy will also come through in your voice, making it more
active and passionate.

5.Think Positively

Positive thinking can make a huge difference to the success of your communication, because it
helps you feel more confident.Fear makes it all too easy to slip into a cycle of negative self -talk,
especially right before you speak, while self-sabotaging thoughts such as "I'll never be good at
this!" or "I'm going to fall flat on my face!" lower your confidence and increase the chances that
you won't achieve what you're truly capable of.

Use affirmations and visualization to raise your confidence. This is especially important right
before your speech or presentation. Visualize giving a successful presentation, and imagine
how you'll feel once it's over and when you've made a positive difference for others. Use
positive affirmations such as "I'm grateful I have the opportunity to help my audience" or "I'm
going to do well!"
 3.7.Methods or Nuances of Public Speaking

1.Memorizing the Manuscript: This method of presentation can be one of the most effective
methods of presentation. But it requires an extra ordinary power to memorize because if the
presenter forgets his text, his speech will sound stilled / unnatural / too formal.

2.Reading the Manuscript: It means read out the written material aloud. This method is often used
whenever a complex or technical presentation is made such as the description of some machine or
the policy matters of an organization. In this, thereader and listener contact is often interrupted.

3.Extemporaneous / Speaking from Notes: The speaker prepares notes on a sheet or cards and then
with the help of appropriate audio visual aids, he makes his presentation. This process makes the
delivery easy and impressive

4.Impromptu Speaking: The words Impromptu means done without preparation or planning. So, this
is the presentation delivered without any preparation done beforehand i.e. unrehearsed delivery in
speech.

#Importance of Public Speaking in Business

In business, public speaking falls into several major categories:

1. External Speeches – these are delivered to investors, suppliers, and other parties that don’t
directly work for the company.
2. Internal Speeches – theses are delivered to employees if the form of a Town Hall kind of
address or an All-Hands meeting.
3. Meetings & Presentations – meetings and presentations are much less formal than the above
two types of speeches and occur more frequently. Having good public speaking skills at an
internal meeting can be very important for your career.

Public speaking is important in a business context for several reasons:

• Gathering employees, shareholders, customers, or the public together requires time – there
should be a good reason to do so. Therefore, this is an important opportunity to inspire,
inform, persuade, and re-excite the audience about a certain idea.
• The public speaking skill of an individual gives an impression of the company. For example, if a
CEO delivers a bad speech, the audience may conclude that the company has lackluster
leadership, the company is a waste of time, or that the company is not putting in the effort to
be successful.
• Good public speaking sparks innovation and opportunities. For example, a well-delivered
speech in a board meeting room can inspire organizational change and push the company in
another direction. Every major business decision starts with a good public speech or group
discussion.

#Ways to Improve Public Speaking Skills

With preparation and practice, any individual can be great at public speaking. Here are some things
to take into consideration when preparing for your public speech:
1. Plan accordingly- starting with something interesting, such as storytelling, can be a powerful
opener in public speaking.Understand the structure of your public speech and the impact you want it
to make on your audience. A strong public speech is not something that is written and delivered in a
day – it takes days to prepare and plan an effective oration.

2. Practice public speaking

A good speech cannot be delivered without practice. Record yourself delivering your speech and
notice your tone of voice, body language, and body stance. When you are practicing, ask yourself the
following questions:

• Is your tone of voice controlled?

• Are you putting greater emphasis on important words?

3. Engage with the audience

A good oration should not be one-sided. It is important to get your audience engaged. The audience
should be able to feel your power and presence. For example, words such as “I think” or “maybe”
limit the power that the speaker has. Instead, use words such as “actually” or “in fact.”Introduce
pauses in your oration to not only slow yourself down, but to give the audience a chance to think
about what you have said. An oration that is delivered too fast incites confusion and ambiguity.

4. Maintain a confident mindset

Public speaking in front of others can understandably be nerve-racking. We often envision something
terrible happening, such as an awkward pause or forgetting what you were going to say.However, it
is important to know that these thoughts cause us to be more nervous than we really should be. Stop
thinking about your nervousness and fear and instead develop a winning mindset. Be confident in
yourself, and do not self-sabotage.

#Effective Public speaking techniques

1. Remember your speaking goal

2. Entertain the audience with stories.
3. Give Examples
4. Use Presentation tools
5. Tell the audience exactly what they are going to gain.
6. Use Gestures and maintain eye contact.
7. Do QnA.
8. Have clarity of substance
9. Connect the audience with emotion
10. Add Humour

3.8.Clarity of Substance in Public Speaking

Clarity means clearness.A speaker’s meaning must be immediately understandable; it must be so
clear that there is practically no chance of misunderstanding.Many speakers despite having a
complete control of what they were speaking find it very difficult to speak clearly.A speech may lack
clarity, if the speaker :
 1. Speaks either very fast or very slow.
2. Does not articulate the words properly.
3. Pronounces incorrectly or does not follow the standard pronunciation.
4. Gives wrong emphasis on words.
5. Does not have a well-organized material.
6. Uses too many unfamiliar words

3.8.1. Public Humor in Speaking

What is humor? We all know it when we see it. It is actions, or words, that are meant to induce
laughter. Laughter is a universal response to something funny: everyone laughs. What people laugh
at is another matter. We all find different things humorous.

Often, beginner speakers think that starting a speech by using humor is the best way to go. It can be
but not always. Using humor is tricky. You really have to know who your audience is and what makes
them laugh in order to employ humor. What you think is funny another person might not. So before
you choose to use humor, there are many things to consider: audience demographics, number of
people, type of event, cultural context, or organizational characteristics. So, reserve humor for
speeches where you know the audience well!If you decide to incorporate humor, here are some tips.
Humor should be used sparingly and only if you have a good relationship with the person or group.
You should make sure that the humor you use is something that will resonate with the person or
group and is appropriate for the special occasion.

Humor is one of the key communication skills of a public speaker. Humour can be used as a powerful
tool by the speaker for;
1. Injecting energy into a room
2. Grabbing the audience attention
3. Making people attentive
4. Developing interpersonal relations
5. Making speech interesting
6. Enabling the speaker to persuade as well as givedelights.
7. Strengthening personal and organizational relationships.

3.8.2.Emotions in Public Speaking

Using emotion in speaking is everything. It's important to be genuine when sharing personal stories
or experiences that evoke strong emotions. However, be careful not to overdo it or force emotions
that aren't natural. Your audience will be able to tell if you're not being authentic. Emotion is the
cornerstone of human interactions. In fact, the manner in which something is said can convey just as
much information as the words being spoken. Emotional cues in speech are conveyed through vocal
inflections known as prosody. For example, an angry speaker is likely to talk with a higher intensity
and pitch, while a sad emotional state may cause her to speak softer and lower

Emotions matter when we speak. Showing emotions makes the speaker able to connect himself
with his audience.
 1. Helps to connect with the audience
2. Make people more receptive
3. Audience feel the heart of the speaker
4. Enthusiasm and high earnestness penetrate the heart of the audience by overwhelming and
transforming them.
5. Energizes the audience
6. Keep the audience engaged

3.9.Overcoming Stage Fear

The fear of public speaking or performance is called stage fear.
The fear of public speaking is often called stage fear or stage fright.
Stage fright may cause nervousness and spoil the entire presentation.
Hence, it is necessary that the speaker should learn how to overcome his stage fear. Below are
certain tips to overcome stage fear:
1. Shift the focus from yourself and your fear to your true purpose—contributing something
valuable to your audience.
2. Stop scaring yourself with thoughts of failures.
3. Refuse to think thoughts that create self-doubt and low confidence.
4. Practice ways to calm and relax your mind and body– such as deep breathing relaxation
exercises, yoga and meditation.
5. Eat well and practice other healthy lifestyle habits. Avoid caffeine, sugar and alcohol.
6. Focus on your strength and ability to handle challenging situations.
7. Visualize your success.
8. Prepare your materials in advance and read it aloud.
9. Be self-confident. Remain warm and make eye contacts.
10. Be natural, be yourself.

3.10.Audience Analysis
Audience analysis involves identifying the audience and adapting a speech to their interests, level of
understanding, attitudes, and beliefs.An audience is not just a group of individuals rather it has a
collective personality of its own.The audience play a significant role in making a presentation
successful.The speaker should design his presentation after a doing a proper research and analysis
on audience.The audience can be evaluated on these given criteria: Age Group, Location, Gender,
Size of Audience, Educational background, Interest, Income, Religion.

Audience analysis involves identifying the audience and adapting a speech to their interests, level of
understanding, attitudes, and beliefs. Taking an audience-centered approach is important because a
speaker’s effectiveness will be improved if the presentation is created and delivered in an
appropriate manner. Identifying the audience through extensive research is often difficult, so
audience adaptation often relies on the healthy use of imagination.

As with many valuable tools, audience analysis can be used to excess. Adapting a speech to an
audience is not the same thing as simply telling an audience what they want to hear. Audience
analysis does not mean ‘grandstanding’ or ‘kowtowing’ to a public. Rather, adaptation guides the
stylistic and content choices a speaker makes for a presentation. Audience adaptation often involves
walking a very fine line between over-adapting and under-adapting – a distinction that can be greater
appreciated by understanding the general components of this skill.

#Audience Analysis Factors

1.Audience expectations

When people become audience members in a speech situation, they bring with them expectations
about the occasion, topic, and speaker. Violating audience expectations can have a negative impact
on the effectiveness of the speech. Imagine that a local politician is asked to speak at the memorial
service for a beloved former mayor. The audience will expect the politician’s speech to praise the life
and career of the deceased .If the politician used the opportunity to discuss a piece of legislation, the
audience would probably be offended and the speaker would lose credibility. Of course, there may
be some situations when violating the audience’s expectations would be an effective strategy.
Presenters that make political statements at the Academy Awards do so precisely because the
message’s incongruity with the occasion increases the impact of the proclamation.

2.Knowledge of topic

Audience knowledge of a topic can vary widely on any given occasion, therefore, communicators
should find out what their audience already knows about the topic. Never overestimate the
audience’s knowledge of a topic. If a speaker launches into a technical discussion of genetic
engineering but the listeners are not familiar with basic genetics, they will be unable to follow your
speech and quickly lose interest. On the other hand, drastically underestimating the audience’s
knowledge may result in a speech that sounds condescending.

Try to do some research to find out what the audience already knows about the topic. Giving a brief
review of important terms and concepts is almost always appropriate, and can sometimes be done by
acknowledging the heterogeneous audience and the importance of ‘putting everyone on the same
page.’ For example, even if the audience members were familiar with basic genetics, a brief review of
key term and concepts at the beginning of a speech refreshes memories without being patronizing.

3.Attitude toward topic

Knowing audience members’ attitudes about a topic will help a speaker determine the best way to
reach their goals. Imagine that a presenter is trying to convince the community to build a park. A
speaker would probably be inclined to spend the majority of the speech giving reasons why a park
would benefit the community.

However, if they found out ahead of time that most neighbors thought the park was a good idea but
they were worried about safety issues, then the speaker could devote their time to showing them
that park users would be safer in the park than they currently are playing in the streets. The
persuasive power of the speech is thus directed at the most important impediment to the building of
a park.
4.Audience size-Many elements of speech-making change in accordance with audience size. In
general, the larger the audience the more formal the presentation should be. Sitting down and using
common language when speaking to a group of 10 people is often quite appropriate. However, that
style of presentation would probably be inappropriate or ineffective if you were speaking to 1,000
people. Large audiences often require that you use a microphone and speak from an elevated
platform.

3.11.Retention of audience interest or Audience Participation

Audience retention is the measurement of how long someone engages with your content. Essentially,
it shows how long a person reads, views, or listens to your content before they click away. Most
often, marketers associate audience retention with video engagement.

It can be difficult to hold your audience’s attention for the entire presentation.
Boring presentations can make everyone to sleep.
The following are the techniques to capture and hold your audience’s attention throughout your
presentation or speech.
1.Keeping presentaion visual.
2.Use of Bullet points in PPT.
3.Be Confident while presenting.
4. Tell a story.
5.Give Examples.
5. Share a personal experience.
6. Relate to a recent event.
7. Add Some Humour

#Interpersonal and Impersonal

Interpersonal communication is also relational, meaning that it is aimed towards building and
sustaining relationships among people. In contrast, impersonal communication is merely
transactional, and people are viewed as objects. Verbal communication is a common form of
interpersonal communication.

Interpersonal communication is the process of exchange of information, ideas and feelings

between two or more people through verbal or non- verbal methods.This form of communication is
advantageous because direct and immediate feedback is possible. If a doubt occurs, it can be
instantly clarified.

Impersonal communication:

In this type of communication you do not personally know the person you are speaking to.Impersonal
communication occurs when people aretreated as objects and people assume superficial
roles.Impersonal communication is based on social roles, such as communication between a sales
representative and a potential customer.The manner of communication is informal and superficial,
covering only necessary topics.Impersonal communication is most common in business, where a
personal relationship and emotion are not required.
4.8 Nuances

1. Exposition: A writing that attempts to inform the reader about something important or explain
something to him/her (a process, a set of rules, the benefits of an activity, etc.). For example: business
or technical writing, process writing, compare and/or contrast essays, and research-based essays, etc

2. Narration: writing that tells the reader about a particular event(s) that took place. Common
narration
writings: personal essays, short stories, novels, poetry.

3. Description: writing that uses vivid language to describe a person, place, or event so that the reader
can picture the topic clearly in his/her mind. Fiction and poetry often use large amounts of descriptive
writing, and sometimes only attempt to serve this descriptive purpose.

4.9 Effective Business Communication Competence

Communication competence refers to the knowledge of effective and appropriate communication

patterns and the ability to use and adapt that knowledge in various contexts.ita Ability to do things
with language. Communicative competence is the ability to achieve communicative goals in a socially
appropriate manner. It is organized and goal-oriented, i.e. it includes the ability to select and apply
skills that are appropriate and effective in the respective context. It includes verbal and non-verbal
behaviour.

Communicative competence refers to both the implicit knowledge of a language and the ability to use
it effectively. It is also called communication competence. In effective business communication the
required competences are:

1) Grammatical Competence

It refers to the knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. The communicator should have the knowledge
of the sounds and their pronunciation, the formation of words, the structure of sentences and also the
way meaning is conveyed through language. Use of grammar rules develop a habit of thinking logically
and clearly among the learners. This helps a learner to organize and express the ideas in his mind
without difficulty.

2) Discourse Competence

It is the knowledge of how to produce or comprehend oral or written texts in the modes of speaking/writing
respectively. It is knowing how to combine language structures into a cohesive and coherent oral or written text
of different types. It deals with organizing words, phrases and sentences in order to create conversations,
speeches, poetry ,email messages, newspaper articles etc.
Cohesive refers to linking expressions, such as conjunctions or adverbial phrases, to connect ideas.
For Example: In other words, As a result, For this
A Coherent text is one that makes sense. For Example: “Air pollution is a serious problem. It
causes health problems and harms environment.”

3)Socio-linguistic competence
It includes the knowledge of socio-cultural rules i.e. knowing how to use and respond to language appropriately.
It indirectly means that the communicator has to know the codes of the other culture. Moreover, being
appropriate depends on knowing what the restriction of the other culture are, what politeness indices are used
in each case, what the politically correct term would be for something, how a specific attitude (authority,
friendliness, courtesy, irony etc.) is expressed etc.
4)Strategic competence

It is ability to recognize and repair communication breakdowns before, during, or after they occur.
If the communication was unsuccessful due to external factors (such as interruptions); or due to the message
being misunderstood, the speaker must know how to restore communication. These strategies may be requests
for repetition, clarification, slower speech, or the use of gestures, taking turns in conversation etc.

#Here's a list of six strategies you can use for improving communication competence:

1.Develop flexibility-You can improve your communication competency by becoming flexible in your
social interactions. There are six factors you can use to help you be adaptive in your communication
based on the context of your surroundings:

• Experience: If you've taken part in various social experiences, you can use your past
interactions as a guide for your current ones. For example, think about if there was a time a
social interaction you've been a part of that went over well and use that to help you improve
your communication competency.
• Composure: When you're in social interactions, notice how you're feeling and reacting to the
situation. It's helpful to remain calm and accurate in most situations when you're
communicating because it can help those around you understand your message better.
• Confirmation: If you're listening to others in a social interaction, you can acknowledge their
communication goal when they're speaking. For example, when someone else is speaking, you
can occasionally nod to let them know you're listening, ask them clarifying questions or share
your thoughts when they're finished.
• Disclosure: In a social interaction, either a conversation with another person or a presentation
to an audience, it's helpful to remain sensitive to the information you're sharing, including how
much you're sharing. If you're speaking on a subject with a copious amount of information, you
can construct the conversation or presentation with the basics of the topic to help the audience
gain a general understanding.
• Articulation: Working on the articulation of your ideas and opinions when you're sharing with
others can help improve your social competency. Your vocabulary, the way you construct your
sentences and your nonverbal cues while speaking can help you with your articulation.
• Wit: You can use your wit or appropriate humor to help ease tensions in a conversation if they
were to arise. Adapting your type of humor based on the social situation can help you diffuse
conflict and help develop your interpersonal relationships.

2. Remain involved
When you're trying to improve your communication competency, you can take notice of how you're
involving yourself in social interactions. Identifying your strengths when you're having a conversation,
such as you maintaining eye contact with the other person, can help you understand what to continue
doing when socializing. It's also helpful to notice where your weaknesses are so you can make a
conscious effort to improve them. Here are three factors you can notice in yourself when you're having
a conversation with others:

• Response: Understand your role in the conversation, what to say to the other person and
how to interact with the other person.
• Perception: Consider how the other person you're speaking with is perceiving you and if it's
the perception you want to exhibit.
• Attention: Recognize where your attention is during a conversation. Make sure you're
listening to the other person and hearing what they're saying.
3. Conduct your conversation management-
Conversation management is how well you're able to maintain a conversation, such as how you handle
topic changes and how you adapt to the surrounding environment. For example, if you're having a
conversation with someone and then the surrounding room becomes louder than it was before, notice
how you react to it. The more you're exposed to different social situations and learn how to handle
them, you may see an improvement in your communication competence.

4.Shoe Empathy-

Empathy is a person's ability to understand the emotions of other people. When you're having a
conversation with another person, you can show empathy to how they're feeling based on what
they're saying or their nonverbal communication. It's about understanding the person's emotions
rather than trying to help them solve their challenges. Offering empathy can help strengthen the
interpersonal relationship and develop trust between you and the other person.

5.Use appropriateness vocabulary

You can measure the appropriateness of your communication during and after the conversation. You
can determine this by assessing nonverbal cues, facial expressions and the actual words the other
person is saying. Additionally, you can determine the appropriateness of your vocabulary and
nonverbal gestures based on the surrounding environment. For example, you can use professionally
appropriate language if you're attending a professional convention, which differs from the language
you may use at an office holiday party.

4.10 Solution of communication problems with verbal and non verbal means.

#Solution of communication problems with verbal means-

1. Think before speaking

People often feel uncomfortable with silence, but pausing before answering a question can improve
your response. Taking time to reflect allows you to organize your thoughts into a concise, clear
statement. If you feel rushed to answer, that feeling will get reflected in how you respond, so your
message may not come out as intended. Pauses convey a sense of thoughtfulness, so your audience
will gain the impression that you considered the best response before speaking.Similarly, if your
counterpart pauses for a moment, do not feel the need to jump in and counter the silence. The person
will appreciate that you gave them the time to contemplate their response, rather than interrupting
their thought process. Not only does this show professionalism, but it also demonstrates your interest
in hearing what they have to say

2. Use concise language

Being succinct when speaking not only make your message easier to understand but also gets your
main points across to the audience sooner. Before speaking, ask yourself how you can present the
information as clearly and in as few words as possible. Whether you are writing or speaking, avoid
using complicated words and sentences or including irrelevant information. Taking these steps will
ensure your audience clearly understands your primary points and can respond accordingly. This skill is
especially beneficial when providing instructions or expectations to colleagues, as your directness
ensures there is little confusion.
3. Understand your audience-

To effectively communicate messages, you need to understand your audience and put yourself in their
position. Not everyone has the same knowledge or background as you, so ensure you explain
information in a manner easily understood by anyone—especially when discussing complex or
technical topics. Also, try to take your audience's culture or personality into consideration, as different
demographics have their own communication preferences. For example, you would speak to a close
friend much differently than you would to an executive at a company.Before presentations, ask
yourself what your audience wants and needs to know and what their knowledge base is. When you
understand who you are speaking to, it makes it easier to tailor your message to their needs. Taking
this tailored approach also ensures your audience stays interested because you provide only the most
relevant information they want to hear.

4. Be mindful of your Tone-

Your tone plays a crucial role in verbal communications, and how you use it can affect the way your
audience engages with you. Combing a friendly and warm tone with a smile makes a positive
impression. Meanwhile, speaking in a flat or monotone manner can make you appear uninterested,
which can put off an audience. Also, try to vary your tone and use inflection to emphasize important
points. This technique is an easy way to focus the attention of your audience.You can also use the
verbal modeling method, in which you try to copy the tone of another person. For example, during a
conversation, speak softly when they speak softly or if they have excited energy, try to match it. People
feel drawn to voices that sound like theirs, making this a helpful method of increasing engagement.

5. Pay attention to your body language-

Your body language can affect how you deliver messages despite it being a nonverbal method of
communication. Ways to convey confident body language include maintaining eye contact and having
relaxed body language. You can also use gestures or facial expressions to emphasize points and grab
audiences' attention or focus.

6. Employ active listening-

Listening is as essential as speaking during conversations because it demonstrates a genuine interest in
the other speaker and guarantees you understand their needs. As a result, you will find it easier to
build rapport and relationships. To apply active listening skills, give the other person your full attention
to ensure you not only hear the words they say but also the message they want to convey. When the
other person feels heard, they feel more interested in reciprocating and hearing what you have to
say.Some effective active listening techniques include:

• Avoid making judgments about or stereotyping others.

• Remove any potential distractions, such as a noisy setting.
• Focus on what the other person is saying, rather than thinking about what you want to say
next.
• Ask clarifying questions to ensure you fully understand the information or message.
• Wait until the other person finishes speaking before responding.

7.Speak with confidence-

Confidence is crucial because if you sound like you do not believe in what you are saying, neither will
your audience. You want to establish that you have credibility or authority, which makes people trust
you and feel more interested in listening to you. There are a variety of ways to convey confidence,
including the way you hold yourself during conversations and the tone of voice that you use.One way
to build confidence before planned conversations, presentations or speeches is to make mental or
physical notes about what you will discuss. These notes do not have to be a script but should highlight
the main points you want to make. Your notes provide a direction for your verbal interaction, showing
you know what you need to focus on or where you need to steer the conversation. Having a plan will
make you feel much more prepared, boosting your confidence.

8.Show your authentic self-

While you can gain inspiration from other communicators to improve your skills, always bring your
honest self to interactions. People feel more drawn to speakers who seem genuine and act
transparently. For example, if you do not have the answer to a question, it is okay to admit it. Your
colleagues will respect your honesty more than if you pretend to know something and provide a
response that ends up inaccurate. Furthermore, showing your authentic self during a conversation or
presentation helps you build relationships because your audience gets to know you as a person. It
conveys a sense of comfort and ease that lets them genuinely engage with you. If they feel like you are
faking your personality or putting on a show, it can create distance between you. As a result, it may
make it harder to build trust because they cannot tell how real the conversation is.

9. Practice your skills-

Now that you know the various ways to improve verbal communication skills, you must practice them.
Not only will this develop these skills, but it can also help you feel more confident in your speaking
abilities. Apply these techniques as often as possible in your daily work and personal interactions to
ensure you feel comfortable using them.Practice alone by speaking in front of a mirror or recording
yourself doing a presentation or speech. When watching yourself, you can study your body language
and take steps to improve it—for example, by using or limiting your gestures and maintaining a smile
or friendly demeanor. When you record yourself, assess your voice and tone. Again, you can use these
recordings to determine which areas you need to work on to speak more clearly and concisely.

10. Gain feedback-

You can also practice your verbal communication skills in more realistic settings, such as in front of
friends or family. Not only will this help you feel more comfortable speaking in front of others, but it
also allows you to gain feedback. If you have a speech or presentation planned, perform it as you
would in front of the actual audience and ask these friends and family to judge your verbal
and nonverbal communication abilities. Their insights will instruct you on what you already do well and
where you need improvement. Seeking feedback does not strictly apply to practice situations. After
you make a presentation at work, ask a trusted colleague or a supervisor for their opinion on your
performance. Asking a supervisor can provide added benefits, as it shows them that you strive to
develop yourself professionally. Once they know about your interest in building these skills, they can
watch your future performances and gauge your progress or provide you with more opportunities for
verbal communication development. Nonverbal communication is one of many tools that can help you
make a good impression in interviews and in your professional life. However, candidate assessments
should be based on skills and qualifications, and workplaces should strive to be inclusive and
understanding of individual differences in communication styles.

# Solution of communication problems non verbal means.

1. Proper Eye Contact-

Co-workers will often feel valued and appreciated if they know they’re being heard. You can help them
feel this way by making eye contact while they’re speaking. Keeping your eyes on the person rather
than on your computer, paperwork or cell phone lets them know you’re listening to their input.
Maintaining eye contact while you’re replying to them also keeps the conversation engaging, and
turning your camera on for video chats can build a respectful relationship between
coworkers.Example: A coworker approaches you with an idea to increase collaboration in your
department. Show that you are actively listening by maintaining eye contact and nodding in
agreement.

2.Positive Tone Of Voice-

Though the act of speaking is a part of verbal communication, how you speak can be considered
nonverbal communication. Whether you are communicating in person or participating in a video
conference call, always be aware of your tone of voice so it reflects your intended message.
Maintaining a positive tone while talking with a coworker or supervisor can affect the energy of your
whole conversation.Example: An employee is giving a presentation proposing a new client engagement
plan. They use an energetic and positive tone to spark enthusiasm for the project. This increases the
level of interest from senior management as they notice the employee express excitement and passion
for the project.

3.Personal Appearance –
The way you present yourself can create an impact greater than words might say. Your workplace
appearance such as looking neat and prepared—even if you are in the comfort of your own home
office—or keeping a tidy workstation can convey your self-confidence and make a positive impression
on coworkers.Example: You hope to speak with a supervisor to ask for a raise or promotion, so dress in
business attire to showcase your dedication to both the position and professionalism in the workplace.

4.Good Posture-
The way you stand or sit at work can often display your attitude or attentiveness toward certain
situations. Sitting or standing up straight can show you’re engaged in the conversation while also
portraying a confident appearance during an interview.Example: You are tasked with presenting a new
idea to your supervisor and want to communicate effectively. You can sit or stand with your shoulders
back to convey your confidence and why you believe your idea will benefit the company.

5.Appropriate Touch-
Communicating through touch has evolved from the pre-COVID workplace. Even without social-
distancing protocols, people have always varied in their comfort levels with touch. Developing
your cultural intelligence can be a useful, rapport-building skill in the workplace.Example: In the United
States, shaking a person’s hand firmly shows respect or that you’re pleased to meet them. In other
cultures, it might be misconstrued as a sign of aggression. If you sense that it’s appropriate, a slight
touch on the arm or pat on the shoulder can also be a way to show your support or encouragement
without vocally expressing it.

6. Facial Expression –
As people communicate with you, they often anticipate a nonverbal response by watching your facial
expressions. Keep in mind that even during a virtual interview, your face can communicate what you’re
feeling or thinking without using any words. Smiling, nodding and using your eyebrows can indicate a
positive reaction when having a conversation.Example: A coworker is telling you about their recent
vacation, so you can smile and nod along while you listen to show you’re enjoying their story.

7.Personal Space
During one-on-one conversations, you may move closer to the person you're speaking with. This shows
that you’re interested in having a conversation and want to hear them clearly. Try to make sure you’re
allowing enough space to maintain a comfortable environment for both of you.Example: Before you sit
down for a meeting, you can select a seat closer to a coworker to hear them better.
8.Hand Gesture –
The way you gesture or position your hands during conversations can convey how you’re feeling. If you
move your hands to build expression throughout stories, people can become more engaged in what
you’re saying. Hand gestures can also express friendliness or appreciation.Example: A coworker is
giving a presentation but they are uncertain about how others are receiving the information. A casual,
yet discreet "thumbs up" can show them that it's going well.

9.Body Language-
Your overall body language can showcase your feelings during a meeting or while carrying on a
conversation. Keeping your arms relaxed at your sides expresses openness and a willingness to listen,
but crossing your arms might indicate that you’re closed off. You can also express politeness and
undistracted attention by leaning forward in your seat.