DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES IIT-BOMBAY HS 699: COMMUNICATION & PRESENTATION SKILLS =========================================== 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 : Section V 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.) 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 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. 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. TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION: POETIC COMMUNICATION: i. impersonal, objective i. personal, subjective ii. descriptive, denotative ii. expressive, connotative iii. conveys one meaning only; iii. "ambiguous"; allows allows only one interpretation 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. 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. 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 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 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 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 ouses 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. 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 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 stationary, n. writing supplies 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 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.) 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) 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. FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION CONTACT Prof. Vaidya (KRESIT) (contact at Intercom No. 7907) SECTION II Outline of a two-hour lecture delivered by Prof. R. GHADIALLY Department of Humanities & Social Sciences IIT-BOMBAY The lecture essentially followed Satir?s model (1976) of communication. The following ideas were covered. 1. The meaning and goal of communication 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. 4. Communication style of people with low self-esteem. This style is characterized by the following: placating, blaming, computing, distracting. 5. Guidelines for direct, honest communication included the following: a) own your feeling and thoughts, 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! 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 SECTION IV OUTLINE OF LECTURES DELIVERD BY Prof. T. BHATTCHARYA Department of Humanities & Social Sciences IIT-BOMBAY NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION Bodily communication is communication without words Non-Verbal Communication Face --------------------- Organ of Emotion Oculeics----------------- Use of eyes in communication Haptics ----------------- Touching behaviour in different societies Emotionality and Non-verbal communications