DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES
HS 699: COMMUNICATION & PRESENTATION
SKILLS
Reading Material Autumn Semester 2007.
Reading Material July-Nov 2006.
HSS Test Result April 2008
Syllabus: HS 699
Contributions by
Prof. MILIND MALSHE : Section I
Prof.
R. GHADIALLY :
Section II
Prof. S. BHARGAVA : Section III
Prof. T. BHATTACHARYA: Section IV
Prof. M. GUPTA: Section IV
Prof. D. Parthasarathy 2004: Section V
Prof. G.R. Kamath-2004-2005- Sem II
Prof. G.R. Kamath-2005-2006 Sem I
Prof. G.R. Kamath-2005-2006 Sem II
Prof. M. S. Malshe-2005-2006 Sem II
Prof. Pooja Purang-2005-2006 Sem II
Prof. Seema Murugan:Non-Verbal Communication
Prof. Seema Murugan:Body-Sports Links with : Prof. P. Vaidya (KRESIT) (contact at Intercom No.
7907) (See Section VIII: PUNCTUATION) Prof. G. K. SURESHKUMAR (Dept of Chemical Engg)
(contact at Intercom No. 7208) (See Section VII:
COHESION) SECTION I NOTES PREPARED BY Prof. MILIND MALSHE Department
of Humanities & Social Sciences IIT-BOMBAY OUTLINE I. WHAT IS COMMUNICATION? II. WHAT IS TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION? III.
TECHNIQUES OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION IV.
VARIETIES OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION V. ORGANIZING THE TECHNICAL REPORT VI.
VOCABULARY VII.
PRESENTATION, READABILITY AND STYLE (This
material is based on a Handbook of Technical Communication which is in
preparation.) Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H&SS Dep, IIT-Bombay I. WHAT IS COMMUNICATION? Roman
Jakobson’s model: Any communication involves SIX basic elements: CONTEXT CODE [ENCODING] [DECODING] SENDER
———————————— RECEIVER CONTACT MESSAGE The nature of
communication changes, depending upon which element we want to emphasize. Thus,
we have SIX corresponding types of communication. CONTEXT:
REFERENTIAL / DESCRIPTIVE CODE:
METALINGUAL SENDER:
———————————— RECEIVER: EXPRESSIVE
/ EMOTIVE CONATIVE /
PERSUASIVE CONTACT: PHATIC / R1TUAUSTIC MESSAGE:
POETIC / AESTHETIC 1 Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H&SS Dep, IIT-Bombay FEEDBACK: It is important to
remember that this is NOT a one-way process; the RECEIVER is also the ENCODER
AND SENDER of FEEDBACK (e.g. clapping, yawning, etc.) which the SENDER must
RECEIVE AND DECODE. NOISE: This includes all
those elements that interfere with or hamper the process of communication:
e.g., (i) in oral
communication, faulty pronunciation
or a very high speed of utterance; (ii) in written
communication, long documents without paragraph
breaks; (iii) verbal overload: compare 1a. Students who get
involved at school and college learn best. 1b. The amount of
student learning and personal development associated with any educational
programme is directly proportional to the quality and quantity of student
involvement in that programme. 2a. Good schools and
colleges try to get students involved. 2b. The effectiveness
of any educational policy or practice is directly related to the capacity of
the policy or practice to improve student involvement in learning. 2 Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H&SS Dep, IIT-Bombay II.
WHAT IS TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION? Technical Communication (TC) a.
primarily consists of reporting specialized information; b. it
is for the practical use of readers/listeners who need that information; c. the information is needed to perform a task, answer a question,
solve a problem, or
make a decision. The need is definite; the information is to be used. If we contrast poetic
communication with technical communication, certain features of TC can easily
be noted. Compare the poems with the
technical descriptions from an encyclopaedia: Passage (a1): Tender-handed touch a
nettle, And it stings you for
your pains, Grasp it like a man of
mettle, And it soft as silk
remains. So it is with human natures, Treat them gently,
they rebel, But be as rough as
nutmeg graters, And the rogues obey
you well. Passage (a2): The stinging nettle is
one of the two species of the family Urticaceae
that grows in temperate regions. Each plant bears both male and female flowers.
There are 35 species of Urtica and
all of them have bristle-like stinging hairs, which are long, hollow cells. The
tips of these are toughened with silica and they are easily broken off. When
the plant is touched the hairs penetrate the skin like surgical needles, the
tips are lost and the poison contained in cells is released. Passage (b1): The Eagle: A Fragment (by Tennyson) He clasps the crag
with crooked hands; Close to the sun in
lonely lands Ringed with the azure
world he stands. The wrinkled sea
beneath him crawls; He watches from his
mountain walls And like a thunderbolt
he falls. Passage (b2): The eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, is named for
its snow-white head. One of the sea-eagles, it nests along fresh or salt waters
in polar regions of the northern hemisphere, throughout most of the United
States and south into Mexico, In recent years the number of eagles has been
much reduced, and they are now most numerous in Alaska. The adult is blackish
brown, with a snow-white head and tail. It has unfeathered feet and toes. It is
30 to 40 inches long, and has a wingspan of 6 to 8 feet. It feeds mainly on
fish; however, it catches very few itself, either pirating its food from other
birds or picking up dead fish on the shore/ In 1782, Congress adopted a design
displaying the bird for the Great Seal of the United States, and the eagle
became the national bird. 3 Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H & SS DEPT, IIT-BOMBAY TECHNICAL
COMMUNICATION: POETIC COMMUNICATION: i.
impersonal, objective i. personal,
subjective ii.
descriptive, denotative ii. expressive, connotative iii. conveys one meaning only; iii. "ambiguous";
allows only one interpretation allows different interpretations; Technical communication 1. is the product of a writer/speaker who fully understands the subject; 2. focuses on the subject, not the writer/speaker 3. conveys one
meaning only; 4. is
tailored to the specific needs of an
audience; 5. is at
the level of technicality that will
be understood by the specified audience; 6. is efficient and readable. 4 Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H&SS Dep, IIT-Bombay III. TECHNIQUES OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION a. Analyzing b. Defining c. Describing d. Illustrating e. Researching f. Abstracting These techniques are used in all the varieties
of technical communication, but they are particularly important in preparing TECHNICAL
REPORTS . 5 Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H&SS Dep, IIT-Bombay IV.
VARIETIES OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION 1.
Technical Writing: i. Technical Reports ii. Proposals iii. Business Letters iv. Journal Articles 2.
Oral Presentation: Pronunciation of Words: (a) vowel and consonant sounds (compare with letters a-z); (b) word-stress Use of the phonetic script and the
(Pronouncing) Dictionary [cf. English Pronouncing Dictionary by Daniel
Jones] Pronunciation of Sentences: intonation and rhythm 6 Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H&SS Dep, IIT-Bombay V.
ORGANIZING THE TECHNICAL REPORT Main types of organization: a. Chronological b. Cause-Effect c. Comparison-Contrast d. Listing e. Deductive / general-to-particular
Inductive / particular-to-general 7 Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H&SS Dep, IIT-Bombay VI.
VOCABULARY a. use
simple words; avoid inflated diction : (also
keep in mind the formal/informal distinction) multiplicity of - many of considerable magnitude - big, large, great on account of the fact that - because terminate
- end to be cognizant - to know to endeavor
- to try utilize
- use b. avoid
needless jargon : (keep
in mind the audience) Compare: 1a. Unless all parties to the contract interface
within the same planning framework at an identical point in time, the project
will be rendered surplus. 1b. Unless we coordinate our efforts, the
project will fail. c. avoid
overused, trite expressions or cliches : as a matter of fact as you already know first and foremost for all intents and purposes in my opinion it is interesting to note that it may be said that last but not the least needless to say that the statement may be made that 8 Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H&SS Dep, IIT-Bombay d. Words often
confused: accede, v. to agree to, to give in exceed, v. to be greater than expected accept, v. to receive except, v. to leave out except, prep. but access, n., adj. the opportunity to approach or reach excess, n., adj. more than needed adapt, v. to change in order to make suitable adept, adj. skillful adopt, v. to accept without change affect, v. to change or influence effect, v. to bring something about effect, n. a result canvas, n. a heavy cloth canvass, n. a study or a solicitation canvass, v. to examine or solicit capital,
n. financial
resources, the city as the seat of government capital, adj. outstanding, foremost capital, n.. the building which houses a
legislative body cite, v. to
refer to or quote from sight, n. vision or view site, n. a location suitable for building coarse, adj. rough, unrefined course, n. method or plan, a path moving from
one point to another course, v. to move through quickly complement, v. to complete or make whole complement, n. that which makes something complete compliment, n. an expression of approval compliment, v. to express approval or congratulations comprise,
v (more formal; preposition used only in passive) The
class comprises mainly foreign students. /The class is comprised mainly of
foreign students. consist
of, v+prep The class consists mainly of foreign students. 9 Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H & SS DEPT, IIT-BOMBAY conscience, n. a sense of right and wrong conscious, adj. aware, capable consul, n. an official stationed in a foreign
country council, n. a governing body counsel, n. one who advises (such as attorney) counsel, v. to give advice or to recommend continual, adj. frequently repeated continuous, adj. occurring without interruption cue, n. a hint or a signal queue, n. a waiting line queue, v. to forma line defer, v. to delay, to yield differ, v. to be unlike device, n. an invention, a scheme devise, v. to think out or invent die, dying, v. passing from life, to stop living die, n. a mold for shaping or stamping dye, n. a colouring segment dyeing, v. colouring something another colour elicit, v. to derive or draw out illicit, adj. not lawful eminent, adj. distinguished, famous immanent, adj. inherent, indwelling imminent, adj. impending, ready to take place envelop, v. to surround with envelope, n. a container for a letter farther, adj., adv. refers to physical, measurable
distance further, adj., adv. additional, moreover fewer, adj. used to modify a plural noun; fewer
people less,
adj., adv. used to modify quantity or bulk;
cannot be used to modify a plural;
less wealth; less flour it's, pron.. & v. contraction for it is its, pron.. to
guide 10 Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H & SS DEPT, IIT-BOMBAY later, adv after some time: I'll join you later (on). latter, adj towards the end of something: the latter half of the century n opposite of "former": the latter letter, n lead, n. a metal lead, v. to separate by metal strips led, v. past tense of the verb to lead lean, adj. thin and spare lean, v. to bend or incline lien, n. a legal claim or property lessen, v. to make less; to reduce lesson, n. a
division of a course of instruction loose, adj. not securely fastened loose, v. to release lose, v. to part with, to misplace moral, adj. relating to ethics morale, n. the mental and emotional condition
of a person or group personal, adj. private, not public personnel,
n. the
group of people employed by an organization; staff personnale,
adj. pertaining to employees precede,
v. to
come before proceed,
v. to
move forward or to continue principal,
adj. the most important principle,
n. a
rule, as in mathematics, or ethics role,
n. an
assigned character, as in a play; an expected behaviour pattern roll,
n. a
list of names; an official record roll,
n. a sound on a
drum; or a swaying motion roll,
v., to cause to sway or
revolve stationary,
adj. fixed, unchanging stationery,
n. writing supplies 11 Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H & SS DEPT, IIT-BOMBAY statue,
n., a sculptural figure stature,
n. height,
achievement statute,
n. written law their,
pron. possessive
personal pronoun there,
adv. in
that place they're,
pron & v. contraction of they
are thorough,
adj. finished through, adv. from
one side to another, to completion through, prep. by
means of; indicating movement into and out of waive,
v. to
give up, to dismiss wave,
v. to
signal with the hand, to flutter weather,
n. atmospheric
conditions whether,
conj. a conjunction used to make a comparison e) Technical
vocabulary comes into existence by many different word-forming processes: 1. taking words in
ordinary use and giving them specific technical meaning: e.g. Physics: current, energy, particle, power Chemistry: compound, element, reaction, salt, solution Biology: cell, evolution, sponge Computer & IT: bit, drive, monitor, mouse, programme 2. taking entire words
from Classical languages: Greek: larynx Latin: focus, cortex, quantum 3. using affixes (i.e. prefixes and suffixes)
from Classical languages to form new words: aeronautics (Greek aer = air +
Greek nautikos = sailor) biology (Greek bios = life + Greek logos =
knowledge, discourse) photosynthesis (Greek photo = light +
Greek syn = together + thesis = a placing) pyrometer (Greek pyr = fire +
Greek metron = measure) 4. deriving from names
of scientists: ampere (unit of electric current), newton (unit of force), ohm (unit of electrical resistence), volt (unit of electromotive force) (named
after the Italian Physicist A. Volta), watt (unit of power) 5. forming acronyms
(i.e. a formation from the initial letters of other words): Aids (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) laser
(light amplification by stimulated
emission of radiation) (Note the difference
between an acronym and an abbreviation: OPEC (Organization of Petrolium Producing
Countries) is a new word pronounced /oupek/, and is therefore an acronym USA (United States of Americs) is not a new
word; it is NOT pronounced /usa:/, but as /ju: es ei/ as a series of letters;
it is therefore an abbreviation. f) Affixes commonly used in technical
discourse: Prefixes: a- : (Greek not) atom, achromatic an- : (Greek not, without) anaerobic,
anaesthesia, anhydride, anti- : (Greek opposite to, against) antibiotic,
antibody, antilog/antilogarithm, antiseptic dia- : (Greek through) diameter (dia- + metron) epi- :
(Greek upon) epicentre, epidiascope (epi
+ dia + skopeeon=look at) micro- : (Greek little, (in unit) one millionth part) microgram (micro + gramma=a small
weight) poly- : (Greek many,several) polymer (poly + meros=part) trans- : (Latin across, beyond) transmit (trans + missum=to send) ultra- : : (Latin beyond) ultra-violet Suffixes: -ics (Greek -ikos=a branch of study) physics, mathematics, electronics -meter (Greek
metron = measure) spectrometer -scope (Greek skopeeon=look at) microscope -(o)logy (Greek logos=knowledge, discourse) biology, geology
(Greek ge=earth) -mer (Greek meros=part) isomer (Greek isos=equal),
polymer 12 Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H & SS DEPT, IIT-BOMBAY VII.
PRESENTATION, READABILITY AND STYLE OF THE TECHNICAL REPORT 1.
PRESENTATION: a. Developing the Theme Sentence b. Patterns of Organizing the Data c. The Outline d. Formal Mechanics e. Documentation 2.
READABILITY a. Efficient use of words: vocabulary b. Efficient use of sentences: syntax c. Making the communication accessible: COHESION
paragraph
and discourse organization; information structuring FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION OF COHESION CONTACT Prof. G. K. SURESHKUMAR (Dept of
Chemical Engg.) (Intercom No. 7208) d. Adjusting the tone: style 3.
STYLE: Appropriate use of a. the PASSIVE VOICE b. the THIRD-PERSON CONSTRUCTION c. the IMPERSONAL CONSTRUCTION d. the TENSES e. the AUXILIARY VERBS (particularly the MODALS,
i.e. will-would, shall-should
can-could, may-might, have to, ought to, etc.) 13 Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H&SS Dep, IIT-Bombay VIII. PUNCTUATION Is punctuation important? Compare: 1a. A newspaper headline Father of Boy murdered on Ship in Court 1b. Boy
murdered on Ship; Father in Court Spoken
and Written: Speech
: pitch, volume, tone, speed, pauses, body
movements, facial expressions Writing/Printing:
punctuation, capitalization, spacing, margins Exercise: Try to read the
following paragraph aloud Passage 2a. because technical
communication is always tailored to a specific need it should be presented with
the audiences background in mind will one person be the recipient of the
information or will many will the audience have the same background as the
presenter or will it be at a much different technical level will the
information appear before the general public e g time newsweek or a book intended for a broad audience
or before a specialized group e g journal of the american chemical society or
science Now rewrite the
paragraph with appropriate corrections of capitalization
and punctuation. Passage 2b
:The original paragraph: Because technical
communication is always tailored to a specific need, it should be presented
with the audience's background in mind. Will one person be the recipient of the
information or will many? Will the audience have the same background as the
presenter or will it be at a much different technical level? Will the
information appear beforre the general public (e.g., TIME, Newsweek, or a book intended for a broad audience) or before
a specialized gropu (e.g., Journal of the
American Chemical Society or Science)? (From: B. Edward Cain, The Basics of Technical Communicating.Washington: American Chemical
Society, 1988, pp. 5-6)
14 Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H & SS DEPT, IIT-BOMBAY PUNCTUATION
MARKS: 1. Apostrophe ('): indicates
possessive, contraction, plural 2. Colon ( : ) : introduces
a list or a quotation; before a clause or phrase that gives more information about the mail clause 3. Comma (,): separates
words in a list, phrases or clauses, long main clauses from the other clauses 4. Dash (-) (Cf
Hyphen) 5. Dots (…) 6. Exclamation mark
(!) 7. Full Stop (.) (US Period) 8. Hypen (-) (Cf
Dash) 9. Parentheses ( ) (Brit also Brackets) 10. Question mark (?) 11. Quotation marks
(' '
" " ) 12. Semicolon (;) 13. Slash (/)
(Brit also oblique) (US Virgule) 14. Square brackets
[ ] For information
about the use of these punctuation marks, see: Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English (4th edition: 1989) Appendix 3. CONTACT Prof. > 15 Prof. M.S.MALSHE: H & SS DEPT, IIT-BOMBAY SECTION II Department
of Humanities & Social Sciences IIT-BOMBAY The lecture essentially followed Satir’s model (1976) of
communication. The following ideas were covered. 2. How true communication can be
attained. This can be attained by inviting to make contact, arranging
yourself physically for contact, being prepared to take risks to
express your authentic thoughts, making your statement beginning with an
“I”, asking questions for clarification and finally thinking
of interpersonal difficulties as opportunities rather than threats. 3.
How effective
communication promotes freedom to speak, to see, to feel, to say and to take
risks instead of opting for being secure. b) address the other person
directly, c) make statements rather than ask
questions, d) don’t suppress your negative
feelings, e) do not
be accusatory, f) be
generous in giving positive feedback to others, g)
practice active listening, speak only for yourself and not for others 6.
This was followed by an exercise in which
each student was asked to rate how often he/she currently practices each of the
eight effective communication guidelines that were discussed in class. 7.
Finally the class was provided with a short introduction on one element of
communication namely listening. Listening tips included the following: a)Showing
Attentiveness b)
Clarifying Content of
Sender’s Message c)
Verifying Non-Verbal
Messages d)
Inviting More
Information and Expression of Feeling Reference: Satir, V. (1976) Making Contact. Berkeley:
Celestial Arts. SECTION III OUTLINE OF LECTURES DELIVERD BY Prof. S. BHARGAVA Department
of Humanities & Social Sciences IIT-BOMBAY 1.Communication
at Work •Transference of meaning from one (SENDER), to be understood,
to the other (RECEIVER). This means the following for you •Communication, a process that involves other •Meaning is in the mind
of each communicator •Communication
stimuli can consist of almost everything within our environment.
2. Miscommunication: Dangerous
Consequences •Lack of meaningful information •Problem of control
(managing people) •Lack of motivation •Lack of attachment
towards organization 3. An example: I have yet not seen your seminar paper Ms.
Ruby Chhabda, asked Dr. Subrato Chattopadhya, her M. Tech guide. I will submit it tomorrow evening. That’s very good. Ruby, the Director of the institute has expressed concern over the
deteriorating involvement of the PG students on the departmental academic
affairs through the Heads. I hope you will put your best efforts on the
academic activities of the department as well. Does department need our involvement, Ruby asked? Why do you think so and how did you develop doubt on it? It is reality. Head always imposes the orders, without listening
students, and expects implementation, which is practically impossible, said
Ruby. He also protects weak faculty and gives importance to undeserving
students. How do you know? This is what I have been told, said Ruby. Who told you? Everybody knows about it and you may also be knowing, Sir. He is known Professor, told the
guide. Did I challenge? But why should students come to the lab/department if
they are able to do their work at the room, asked Ruby? What will happen to the department if all students will think and
do in this way, Ruby? It is up to the department to think. You are also a part of the department. Ruby, you are young and it
is expected from you to be critical but it is equally important to see the
problem from Head’s perspective also. Then Head should also be
objective, impartial, and concerned for the students, which he is not. Oh Ruby!
You are not right. What happened Ruby, asked Mr. Rameshan, her classmate? Nothing.
OK. What happened Ruby, asked Ms. Savita, her classmate; did you not
meet your guide today? You see Savita,
he is also taking the side of Head. All are like that only, I told you long
back, when you were highly appreciating your guide. Yahhh! Good
morning, Sir. Morning Ruby. I have gone through your paper. You have done lots
of work. However, paper lacks direction and requires careful analysis. Ruby, in
comparison to your previous paper, I did not find rigorousness in this paper.
Take care!
SECTION IV OUTLINE OF LECTURES DELIVERD BY Prof. T. BHATTCHARYA Department
of Humanities & Social Sciences IIT-BOMBAY Bodily communication is communication without words Face --------------------- Organ of Emotion Oculeics----------------- Use of eyes in communication Haptics ----------------- Touching behaviour in different
societies Emotionality and Non-verbal communications
FOR
FURTHER DISCUSSION
Outline of a two-hour lecture delivered by
Prof. R. GHADIALLY
4. Communication Process
•Source (sender)
•Message (what is to be
communicated)
•Encoding (converting message to
be understandable: Your skills, attitudes, awareness or knowledge, and
socio-cultural system or beliefs and values affect encoding process)
•The channel (The
medium through which message travels)
•Decoding (re-translating
senders message)
•Feedback
5. Communication
•Intrapersonal
Communication
•with
in one person
•Interpersonal
Communication
•between
two people
•Small
Group
•groups
up to 25 people
•Large
Group
•groups
of 25 or more
•Organizational
Communication
•within
business, administration
•Public
or Mass
•special
media directed to a large audience
•International
•involving
cross cultures
6. Communication Skills
Writing
Reading
Speaking
Listening
7. Sender (Guide)
Message
•Words
•Vocabulary
•Language
•Phrases
•Sentence
structure
•Sentence
clarity
•Paralanguage
•Rate
of speech
•Tone
•Rhythm
•Volume
•Nonverbal
behavior
•Gesture
•Facial
expression
•Eye
contact
•Body
language
•Positioning
8. Receiver (student)
Interpretation
Perception
Mental set
9. Communication Effectiveness: How Does it Help You
•Information
•Relationships
•Persuasion
•Power
•Decision making
•Self expression
•Making sense of world
•Enhances productivity
10.
INDIVIDUAL FACTORS (of sender/receiver) OF COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVENESS
Personal
Personality
Innate characteristics
Social/learned
characteristics
Role characteristics
Situational
Characteristics
Personal Philosophy
Personal style
Energy and skill level
11. Group and Organizational Factors
Structure
Your department
Interpersonal relationship
Organizational culture
12. Ten variables in a communication content
•Formality
•Interaction level
•Purposiveness
•Proximity
•General atmosphere
•Duration of interaction
•Potential effect
•Feedback possible
•Flexibility
•Personal involvement
NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Non-Verbal Communication