FUNDAMENTALS OF

COMMUNICATION
syllabus
Semester I CIE Marks : 40

Course code 18EGH18 SEE Marks : 60

Teaching hours /week(L.T.P) 0:2:0 Exam hours : 03

Credits : 01
 Module I
Introduction to Technical Communication
• Fundamentals of Technical Communication Skills,
• Barriers to Effective Communication,
• Different styles in Technical Communication.
• Interpersonal Communication Skills
• How to improve Interpersonal Communication Skills,
• Developing Interpersonal Skills.
• Grammar : Basic English Grammar and Parts of Speech _ Nouns,
Pronouns, Adjectives, Verbs, Adverbs, Prepositions, Conjunctions and
Interjection.
 Module II
Introduction to Listening skills and Phonetics I
• Introduction to Phonetics,
• Sounds Mispronounced,
• Silent and Non silent Letters
• Homophones and Homonyms,
• Aspirations
• Pronunciation of ‘The’ and words ending ‘age’ some plural forms.
• Grammar: Use of Articles, Definite and Indefinites articles.
 Modules – III
Developing Listening Skills ( Phonetics and
Vocabulary Building) II
• Speech sounds: Vowels and Consonants – exercises on it.
• Preposition, and Prepositions often confused
• Word Accent – Rules for word accent, Stress shift,
• Question Tags, Question Tags for Assertive Sentences (Statements) –
Some Exceptions in Question Tags and Exercises
• One Word Substitutes and Exercises.
• Vocabulary – Synonyms and Antonyms Exercises on it.
 Module – IV
Speaking Skills (Grammar and Vocabulary) – I
• Syllables, Structures,
• Strong and Weak form words
• Words formation,
• Prefixes and suffixes (Vocabulary)
• Contractions and Abbreviation
• Spelling Rules and Words often Miss pelt
• Word Pairs (Minimal pairs)
• Grammar: The Sequence of Tenses
 Module – V
Speaking Skills (Grammar and Vocabulary) -II
• Extempore/Public Speaking, Difference between Extempore/Public
Speaking, and Guidelines for Practice.
• Mother Tongues Influence (MTI) South Indian Speakers,
• Various Techniques for Neutralization of Mother Tongue Influence
• Listening Comprehension
• Information Transfer : Oral Presentation
FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION ?
 COMMUNICATION IS IMPORTANT. WHY ?
• The present era is also known as the “Age of Communication and
information”
Man is, by nature, an animal.
Man is, by nature, a social animal.
Man is a social and Political animal.
Man is a social, political and rational animal. Aristotle.
• Success in the highly competitive environment of today will depend
not just on your professional knowledge and skills but on the ability
to analyze, organize and present essential information effectively.
 ETYMOLOY
• The word ‘communication’ is originated from the Latin word Communico
or communicare, which means ‘to share’, impart, or to commune’ .
• Literal meaning is ‘giving or sharing information’
• ‘Communication essentially means the transfer of ideas, feelings, plans,
messages or information from one person to another ‘
• Communication is an exchange of meaning and understanding. Meaning is
central to communication, and transmission of meaning is the central
objective of communication.
• Communication is an interactive process. There are two agents involved in
the process : the sender (S) and the receiver (R)
 DEFINITIONS COMMUNICATION
• ‘Communication is any behavior that result in an exchange of meaning’
American Management Association
* Effective Communication is purposive symbolic interchange resulting in workable understanding
and agreement between the sender and the receiver.
George T Vardaman
* “Communication serves as the lubricant, posturing for the smooth operations of the management
(institutional) process” George R Terry

•We can define Communication as a multidimensional interactive process of sharing common sets
of sings, symbols and language from one person to another so that a suitable response results.
•Communication essentially means the transfer of ideas, feelings, plans, messages, or information
from one person to another.
•However communication is considered effective only when it gets the desired action or response.
•The most important management (institutional) problem at the present society faces is
‘miscommunication’ or communication gap.
 PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

• Any situation if it is an informal or formal, academic or professional

we need to share information, ideas and knowledge with others.
• This process of sharing information is a symbolic interchange, which
is both dynamic and interactive and results in an exchange of
meaning and understanding.
• Communication is a dynamic interactive process that involves the
effective transmission of facts, ideas, thoughts feelings and values.
• Communication is not passive but active and consciously engage in
communication to develop the information and understanding.
 PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

Sender (S) Receiver (R)

Converts Message
Receiver
Sender ideas into travels Receiver
decodes
has idea words or over responds
message
questions channel

Ideation Encoding Transmission Decoding Feedback

 IDEATION

The process of communication begins with ideation. It refers to

the formation of the idea or selection of message to be communicated.

Scope of ‘ideation’ is generally determined by the sender’s

knowledge, experiences, and abilities, as well as the purpose of
communication and the context of the communicative situation.
Message generally have two kinds of content : logical and
emotional.
Logical : messages consists of factual information, while
Emotional: messages consists of feelings, emotions.
 ENCODING
• Encoding is a the process of changing the information into some form
of logical and emotional coded message.
• It involves.
a. Selecting a language
b. Selecting a medium of communication
c. Selecting an appropriate communication form.
if the receiver is not able to decode or understand the message,
communication will fail.
For example: if a person does not understand Kannada cannot decode
a message encoded in Kannada.
 TRANSMISSION
• Transmission refer to the flow of message over the chosen channel.
• Transmission confirms the medium selected during the process of encoding
and keeps the communication channels free from interference or noise so
that the message reaches the receiver without any disturbance.
• It is one of the most basic aspects of communication because it also
involves choosing the proper time(when to communicate), proper place
(where to communicate), and a proper way (how to communicate ).
• For example: when you want to tell your teacher that you will not be able
to attend his or her next class, you decide whether you should tell him/
her before the class or after the class; in the class room itself or in his/ her
chamber.
 DECODING
• Decoding is the process of converting a message into thoughts by
translating the received stimuli into and interpreted meaning in order to
understand the message communicated.
• It is important to note that it is the message that is transferred, as meaning
cannot be transferred from one person to another. The receiver has to
assign meaning to a message in order to understand it.
• The process of decoding involves interpretation and analysis of a message.
• Effective decoding is very important for successful communication as any
misinterpretation of a message leads to communication breakdown and
creates confusion and misunderstanding.
 RESPONSE/FEEDBACK
• Response is the last stage in the communication process. It is the
action or reaction of the receiver to the message. It helps the sender
know that the message was received and understood.
• Thus the key to communication as the effectiveness of
communication depends on how congruent a receiver’s response is
with the meaning intended by the sender.
 FORMS OF COMMUNICATION
Forms Examples
Inter personal face to face communication Casual conversations, formal interactions, student –
student negotiations , job interviews
Group communication Meetings , conferences , group discussions, panel
discussions
Intrapersonal communication Meditation, self interaction
Speaker-audience communication Speeches, debates, seminars, workshop, oral
presentations.
Telephonic communication Personal interactions, business deals, telephone
interviews
Mass Media communication News papers, journals books, cinema,
Written communication Reports, proposals, memos letters, emails,
METHODS OF COMMUNICATION
Advantage Disadvantage
1. Verbal between people, understand each This method of communication is
other better, immediate feedback, given less preference over written
a personal touch, the aspects like communication in business
gestures, facial expressions, voice scenarios because any mistake
modulation, tone, sender can make during a conversation , is
change his or her message based difficult to correct.
on the feedback
A. Written Permanent record, preferred in No instant feedback , no personal
business scenarios because it touch
leaves a proof of the
communication for formal
communication
B. Non Verbal This types of communication is
done through gestures, facial
expressions eye contact, touch ,
tone of voice, dress, space
 2. VARIOUS FORMS OF NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATIONS
• A. Kinesics : Kinesics refers to the communication through the body
language of the parties communicating. For example: a boss gestures a
thumbs up, pound the table to show agreement or disagreement. A stare
of your teacher/ father, nodding of head, shivering while you speak/during
interview, etc.

B. Paralinguistic : Spoken communication through changes in the rate of

speech, accent, volume, voice modulation, pitch, and fluency. It is not only
what is being said is important but also how it is said plays a role n
communication. For example :”come here” can be said authoritatively or
endearingly, depending on the tone of voice of the sender..
 2. VARIOUS FORMS OF NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATIONS
• C. Proxemics: Ever wondered how some people stand very close to
another person while talking. Some people may be okay with it, while
others may take offence. This aspect of communication is called
proxemics.

• D. Chronemics : chronemics refers to communication using time as a

factor. Example: your boss come to duty every on time. This subtly
communicate to his /her employees too expected to be on time.
• To conclude we can say that non-verbal messages are as important or
sometimes even more important than their verbal or written
counterparts.
 3. FORMAL AND INFORMAL
COMMUNICATION
Formal Informal
1. Formal communication refers to It refers to casual conversations in personal
communication taken place through pre- setting or even in formal settings.
planned channel in an organized setting
Example: communication between team At the sometime these teams members
members during meeting is formal from sub-groups and discuss about the
communication meeting casually, it is informal
communication.
2 It may consume more time than informal May not take more time, and it has no
communication, but it has the advantage of proof
having a proof later on unlike its informal
counterpart.
 4. INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL
COMMUNICATION
• Communication can be categorized on the basis of location or the
relationship with a person or an organization.
• Internal : Any communication is done within an organized set up like an
organization or a department or even a team, is called internal
communication.
• Internal communication can be both formal and informal.
• External: The communication is done with people outside and organize
setup i. e., an organization, is called external communication.
External communication is always formal because in these types of
communications, a person deals with external parties that may quote the
person later on.
 TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION
• Technical communication is one of the different varieties of
professional communication. In the professional world, individuals
engage in technical communication in a variety of contexts and with
varied professional interests. For instance, technocrats, scientists ,
engineers, architects, and doctors as communicators are often
required to send the information related to their technical sphere or
field of work in the form of technical reports, proposal, technical
research papers, emails, webpage, digitally stored texts etc. Technical
communication is considered effective when some scientific,
engineering, medical, or some other technical information is
successfully conveyed, exchanged, or transferred from one expert to
another.
 MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GENERAL
COMMUNICATION AND TECHNICAL
COMMUNICATION
Aspects General Communication Technical Communication
Content Contains general message Contains a formal and technical message
Nature Informal in style and approach Mostly formal and objective
Structure No set pattern of communication Follow a set of pattern such as sequence
of elements in a report or formal letter
Method Mostly oral Both oral and written
Audience Not always for a specific audience Always for a specific audience
Language Does not normally involve the use of technical Frequently involves technical jargon,
vocabulary , graphics , etc. graphs, tables , charts, pictures, images,
designs, algorithms, etc. for achieving
specific professional purposes.
Body Language Allow s flexibility with regard to sitting and In professional contexts, technocrats'
standing posture touch, facial expressions, walk, need to follow the decorum of the
body movement, etc. occasion, gestures, and manners
paralinguistic Allows flexibility in term of In professional contexts,
employing vocal cues such as technocrats need to be careful
voice modulation, volume, about maintaining appropriate
pauses, articulation etc. volume , rate, pitch,
articulation, etc.
Tone and Style Varies from context to context, Follow a factual and formal
and changes from situation to style and tone; mostly objective
situation; hence, subjective in in nature.
nature
 SITUATIONS OF ORAL AND WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
Written Communication Oral Commuicationn
Emails / blogs Meetings
Letters/ journals Group discussions
Memorandum/Memos Interviews
Notices and Circulars Presentations
Technical reports Seminars/Conferences
Technical proposals Teleconferencing/Videoconferencing
Technical research papers Speeches/ Talks
Itineraries (a detailed plan for a journey) Telephonic conversations
Minutes Brainstorming sessions
Appraisal forms interactions
 CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION
Communication is essential for the internal functioning of any organization.
The interaction between the different individuals working in a company or
organization takes pace through different channels.
Informal channels transmit official news through unofficial and informal
communicative interactions known as the “grapevine”.
It includes tea time gossip, casual gatherings, lunch time meetings and so
on.
The grapevine is not always negative for an organization and can, in fact, be
helpful as it helps in positive group building by acting as a safety valve for
pent-up emotions. It my help in building up organizational solidarity and
harmony.
A formal communication channel, on the other hand refers to the formal
methods of communication that are followed in management.
 THERE ARE FOUR DIFFERENT CHANNELS OF
COMMUNICATION.
• Downward Channel
• Upward Channel
• Horizontal Channel
• Diagonal Channel

Communication Communication Communication Communication

from the from employees among workers flows in all
decision makers to management at the same level directions
to workers
Senior Subordinate Seniors No protocol
Subordinate employees Seniors
employees seniors employees
employees
 1.DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION
• The main function of downward communicate is to provide direction and control
to the communication from the higher level in managerial hierarchy to the lower
ones. Downward communication include annual confidential report, performance
appraisals, notices, project feedback, announcements of company policies,
official instructions, and so on.
• Forms of downward communication may include notes, notices, memos,
telephone conversations, voice mails, emails, or face- to face conversations.
• It is essential for the smooth functioning of any organization as it involves the
transfer of information, instruction advice, request, feedback and ideas to
subordinate staff.
• It also increases staff awareness and facilitates implementation of new policies,
guidelines, decisions and evaluation and appraisal of the performance of
employees.
 2.UPWARD COMMUNICATION
• The main purpose of upward communication is to provide feedback
on several areas of organizational functioning, and it also refers to
communication from subordinates to superiors. A business report
from the branch manager of a company to the managing director of
the company is an example of upward communication. The other
examples of upward channels of communication includes business
proposals, suggestion box exit interviews, grievance committees, and
so forth.
• The importance of upward channels of communication is to promote
better working relationships, within an organization by giving
subordinate staff opportunities to share their views and ideas with
their supervisors.
 3.HORIZONTAL COMMUNICATION
• The main objective of horizontal communication is to develop
teamwork , and promote group coordination within an organization.
it generally takes pace between professional peer group or people
working on the same level of hierarchy.
• it is less formal and structured than both downward communication
and upward communication, and may be carried out through informal
discussions, management gossip, telephone calls, teleconferencing,
videoconferencing, memos, routine meetings and so on.
 4.DIAGONAL COMMUNICATION
• Diagonal communication is the product of modern changes in
information technology and management and is result of the growing
realization of fraternity and equality in the corporate sector. It is
basically a response to the market needs that demand speed and
efficiency. Since the diagonal channel occurs between people who do
not have to follow rigid norms o communication protocol, it flows in
all directions.
 NETWORKS OF COMMUNICATION
• The network of communication can be divided on the basis of
channels of communication in to two:
• A. Centralized communication and
• B. Decentralized communication.
 A. Centralized communication

A
B
C
D
E
The centralized communication is always centralized with a leader, who directs the
flow of communication. As it is shown in the picture ’A’ is the leader from whom
the communication flows down in the hierarchy. In such network, communication
channel can be both, upward and downward. This means ‘E can give some
information to ‘C’ through ‘D’. However, it is only the leader, ‘A’ decides what
messages should be passed and how.
 DECENTRALISED COMMUNICATION
• Unlike the centralized communication, every body is a leader and can
communicate freely with other members of the group.
A

E B

C
 BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
• As communication is a complex process, it is desirable to take care of
communication interference and the barriers in communication that
may hamper the smooth flow of effective communication. These
barriers may emanate from either the sender/receiver or the
circumstances of communication. However, we need to avoid them to
become effective communicators. Communication barriers arise
during the communication process and may confuse the listener or
leader create misunderstanding and confusion and may sometime
lead to communication breakdown.
 BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
• There are several factors which commonly found barriers to communication in
organization or in general.
A. Improper encoding
B. Bypassing
C. Frame of reference
D. Physical distractions
E. Psychological and emotional barriers
F. Cultural differences
G. Perceptual barriers
H. Listening barriers
I. Language barriers
 A. IMPROPER ENCODING
• Improper encoding is a recurrent barrier in the process of
communication. Since there is a lack of understanding on the part of
the receiver, it leads to confusion and misunderstanding. Messages
should be presented in a linguistic code familiar to one’s audience. If
the audience is not able to follow the language/dialect, a
communication breakdown will definitely occur. In addition to that
selection of an inappropriate medium or linguistic form also leads to
communication breakdown due to misunderstanding or confusion.
 B. BYBASSING
The term Bypassing’ refer to misunderstanding resulting from missed
meanings because of the use of abstract words and phrases on which both
senders and receivers do not agree. Words mean different things to different
people. Age , education and cultural background are three of the more
obvious variables that influence the language a person uses. In order to
avoid bypassing, you should use familiar word with concrete meanings so
that there is no scope for confusion.
For instance, an Indian asked to his Arab colleague why he was a bachelor at
the age of forty. The Arab replied innocently, “because of dowry…”. The
Indian responded immediately said, “you should not have been so greedy.”
The Arab was upset and confused because he could not understand why his
Indian friend considered him greedy. There was a communications
breakdown.
“Dowry’ for an Indian is the money that the groom takes from the family of
the bride while “dowry” for an Arab is the amount of ‘mehar’ that the groom
has to pay to the father of the bride.
 C. FRAME OF REFERENCE
• Your weakness in view in others within our frame of reference may
also leads confusion and misunderstanding. The moment you
interpret others’ point of view from our angle, you allow your
preconceived notions and prejudices to start working for you. Your
frame of reference in individual to you as it is based on your
experiences exposure, education, personality, and several other
elements peculiar to you. In order to avoid communication failure.,
you have to sensitive to this fact and try to put yourself in to other
person's position.
 D. PHYSICAL DISTRACTIONS.
Physical distractions can easily disrupt communication. For example,
you are trying to give an oral presentation in the classroom but the
room temperature is very high and there is no air-conditioner or fan in
the room. Your discomfort may cause communication failure because a
person who is physically uncomfortable can be neither a good speaker
nor a good listener. You should avoid any physical discomfort during
communication.
E. PSYCHOLOGICL AND EMOTHIONL ITERFERENCE
• Any psychological or emotional turbulence or disturbance can prove
to be a barrier to effective communication because it leads to lack of
interest and concentration. Feelings of sadness, fear, anger anxiety, or
jubilation influence our reception and receptivity to others’ idea.
Communication is a purposeful activity based on rationality and
reason and one must assure that one is not emotionally charged
before one takes part in a communicative interaction. One may find it
difficult to concentrate the content of the message if one is
emotionally charged. Over arousal of emotions may adversely affect
both encoding and decoding .
• Whether you are a sender or a receiver, it is necessary that you try to
focus on the content of the message.
 F. INTER CULTURAL INTERACTIONS
• It is the receiver who assigns meaning to message cues and meanings
are assigned in terms of receiver's frame of reference. This
interpretation of meaning can create misunderstandings during
intercultural communication because the sender and the receiver
belong to different cultures and share different values. In fact, out
values re our personal guides thought and behavior, and exert a
strong influence on us. We should be sensitive to cultural differences
and take into account the values of our listeners/readers while
communicating with them
 G. PERCEPTUAL BARRIERS
Different people have different perceptions about the same reality.
For instance, one room could be big for one teacher but the same
room could be small for another as she/he has more number of
students to teach. This kind of difference in the perception leads to
miscommunication .
 H. LISTENING BARRIERS
• Poor listening often results in incomplete, incorrect, and inconsistent
responses. Sometimes people do not listen to others properly and
patiently because rather than listening to others’ views, they may just
be waiting anxiously for the speaker to keep quiet so that they may
articulate their own views.
 I. LANGUAGE BARRIERS
• Language is a vehicle to effective communication and when two
communicators do not share the same language, they encounter
difficulty in understanding each other. This problem further
aggravates when the second language learners do not use the
language with accuracy in a given context. For instance, what is called
sidewalk in the US, in Britain is called pavement, whereas in India, it is
called platform. Similarly, it is apartment in the US, flat in Britain, and
house in India.
Thank you