Communication Skills for IV Semester Basic English Students (Part - 1)

Communication Skills for IV Semester  Basic English Students (Part -1)

There are two chapters namely

Presentation skills and Personal Conduct and Appearance

are prescribed for IV Semester B.A. / B. Sc. / B. Com. / BBM Basic English

each chapter contains 4 topics

There is a possibility of asking each question on each topic. There will be eight questions given in the question paper out of which you are asked to write any six of those. Each question carries 6 marks. Total 36 marks are allotted for Communication Skills for Basic English students.

Before starting the first chapter Presentation Skills for IV Semester let us recall what we had learnt in the last III semester.

In III Semester we had learnt about some important aspects of different types of Communication Skills

Those are broadly Oral Communication and Written Communication  

In connection with Oral Communication we had learnt

§  Face-to-face communication in informal situations

§  Communication over a telephone

§  Communication to a group

within this topic we have learnt

·      Facing an interview

·      Informal discussions

·      Group discussions

·      Debates making public speeches etc.

And in Written Communication we had learnt

·      Communication through E-mails

·      Writing about product and service specifications

·      Resume writing

·      Covering letters for Job applications

·      Compering an event etc.

The present chapter Presentation Skills contains the following topics

They are….

·      Synchronized Body Language

·      Use of appropriate Media

·      Style of Presentation

·      Overall impression

The later chapter Personal Conduct and Appearance contains the following topics

·      Etiquette and Manners

·      Table Manners

·      Dress Code

·      Gender Bias in Communication 

Let us learn now each of the sub-topic of both chapters in detail

The Presentation Skills focus on the essential skills involved in increasing effectiveness of your presentations. A well-done presentation is surely enhancing the effective communication in sharing your information, your ideas, feelings, emotions and thoughts with your audience.  To develop your Presentation Skills, you must concentrate on developing the following skills.

·      Synchronized Body Language

Synchronized Body Language is predominantly the expressions of your body while you speak that appropriately syncs with the meaning of the words that you use in your speech. “Body Language” includes the facial expressions, gestures, body postures, nodding of your head, shrugging of your shoulders, movements of your arms and legs must be very expressive to enhance the meaning of your speech. Anybody can use body language to augment your verbal communication and can become a successful communicator by training yourself to synchronize both verbal communication and body language.  A major part of our communication is carried out through your body language.

Similarly, Body Language as a part of non-verbal communication we need not send symbols of sound attaching to the meaning as we do in the verbal communication. The non-verbal communication takes place through the movements of the body parts like hands, fingers, nodding of head, facial expression, posture, gestures, sauntering, walking briskly, walking with drooped shoulders, wearing gloomy look, red eyes, torn clothes, neat dressing, biting nails to communicate different types of moods and feelings of a person. So, in non-verbal communication we express our feelings or thoughts through what we do and act but not by words.

Here are some decodes of body language:

Action	Part of body	You feel…/ convey
bite	lips	Nervous
clench	fist	angry, aggressive
click	fingers	You are trying to remember sth.
click	tongue	annoyed / disturbed
Drum/tap	fingers	Impatient
hang	head	Ashamed
lick	lips	anticipating sth good, nervous
nod	head	Agreement
purse	lips	disapproval, dislike
raise	eyebrows	inquiring, surprise
scratch	head	Puzzled
shake	head	Disagreement
shrug	shoulders	doubt, indifferent
stamp	foot	Angry
wrinkle	nose	dislike, distaste
wrinkle	forehead	Puzzled

Example: She bit her lips nervously. He scratched his head and looked thoughtful. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. She raised questioning eyebrows. (Source OALD)

It is obvious that we deliberately do not use body language. It just happens without our knowledge while speaking or interacting. These visible codes are different aspects of our body, which includes our looks, our posture, our facial expressions, eye contact, gestures and social space distancing etc., It is natural tendency to wear a body language proportion to the status of our mind. The mind has a direct bearing on our body language. Hence the oral communication and non-verbal communication go hand in hand, they cannot be treated isolation. It has been observed that a perfect blend of both communications could prove to be a total communication, because neither of them exists without the other. A fine synchronization of both verbal communication and body language is what we need in this modern life.

·      Use of Appropriate Media

There are three important methods (media) in the process of communication

They are…

1.     Visual medium[mp1] : Presently visual medium is very popular in effective communication process.  All possible methods of print, audio and video visuals can be used in this teaching and learning process. Let us discuss it later in detail.

2.     Kinaesthetic medium: Kinaesthetic[mp2]  method of communication is adopted through physical activity. This method of communication can be adopted to the learners whose memories associated with emotions.  For them learning process through physical activity is facilitated through dance, debate, drama, role-play and charades. This kind of learning leads to a long-term memory since it is associated with emotions such as excitement, curiosity, anger, disappointment and success. But, a very few learners prefer this method of learning. 

3.     Tactile medium: This method of communication related to the sense of touch. This method of tactile[mp3]  device is adopted to the people who are physically impaired in terms dumb, deaf and blind.  A tactile device can translate a text-to-braille which can help the blind to touch and understand / learn.

Now let us learn the above said visual medium in detail.

a.     Print: Copies of printed material (handouts) are to be given to your audience if your presentation contains a lot of verbal descriptions. Listeners can make notes on the margins of those copies related to your topic while listening to your speech. This will help them to read leisurely and understand better than listening to your verbal bombast. You must prepare handouts that follow the structure and sequence of your presentation.

b.     Tables and Graphs:  Providing Tables and Graphs (data) related to the topic will enhance the effectiveness of your presentation. Giving them out to the audience as handouts also has its advantages as they can analyze the data and seek clarifications there and then. Projected shorter tables and graphical presentations have visual impact and they augment your verbal presentation.

c.     Drawings and Cartoons: Drawings and cartoons, with or without captions, can quickly convey information or an idea to the audience in a subtle and focused manner. In fact, a cartoon can convey more than what a picture conveys as it is more focused, and its effect is heightened because of the cartoonist’s sense of humour.

d.     Paintings and Photographs: The Paintings and photographs will add colour and value to your presentation. An apt painting or a photograph can replace a thousand words and convince audience in a better manner.

e.     Presentations of a Series of Photographs in a Sequence: When your presentation contains a number of examples, just one photograph or an image may not be sufficient. A series of photographs are to be presented in a sequence using slides on overhead projector or computer enabled multimedia projector which can enhance the effectiveness of your presentation

f.      Video and Audio Clips: These two media go together hand-in-hand in their formats in presentation. These audio-visual clippings can help you to explain your topic very effectively. Of course, with the advent of [mp4] Multimedia Messing Services (MMS) technology, students are now well-equipped to handle these media systems.

g.     Animations: Animations are created by graphic designer artists to enhance the level of understanding by giving learners an opportunity to visualize which cannot be seen or experienced.  Explanations based on diagrams on the blackboard or the drawings available in books are two-dimensional pictures of a three-dimensional objects. Two-dimensional pictures help a person to explain the concept of a machine but not help the audience to understand it completely. Thus, animated motion pictures will certainly helpful to the presenter to make his presentation successfully and meaningfully.

h.     Multimedia Packages: Multimedia package is a learning package which contains text, photographs, graphs, animations and even video clippings, where the relevant media appear as and where require according to the desire of the user.  An approach where different media are used in a balanced way and the material presented in a package will enhance understanding of concepts and their applications.

The presenter must keep in mind the appropriate media can only support your presentation. The content of the presentation and its sequence are to be decided by the presenter only. Even the multimedia tools cannot completely replace the presenter, but they can only support you. Therefore, the presenter should have thorough practice in presentation skills.

·      Style of Presentation:

The style of presentation depends upon the choice of an individual who is presenting the presentation to the audience. There are varieties of styles in presentation as you can think off.

Generally, the presenter has to organize the points in a logical sequence, similar to the sequence of a textbook and present all points in a sequential order. This style of presentation is only suitable for short presentations lasting for fifteen to twenty minutes and also it is suitable style to make a presentation before an interested adult audience.

The above style presentation may not be suitable for a group audience who are not so motivated and whom the topic is new and unfamiliar. For such audience, the textbook method or serial style may create boredom and monotony during the presentation.

Instead of customized or traditional style a presenter should adopt a different style which can create ‘Cognitive dissonance’ (a kind of disbelief) among the audience to arouse their curiosity and interest. This could attract the “not-so-motivated” listeners toward the topic.

This unique style of presentation sustains the audience’s interest and motivation and ensure their active participation. Such presentations are likely to yield better results and better feedback from the audience.  This style of presentation is very useful when the topic of your choice is highly theoretical and complex. These attempts in the strategies of presentation can surely make a great impact on the audience.

·      Overall Impression

Apart from how you begin your presentation, the media that you chose, and the style of presentation you selected, there are other features that can make an impression on your audience.  A few of such features are listed below to draw a good impression from your audience upon your presentation.

1.     Eye Contact: Staring at a single person or looking away from your audience may create disinterest among the audience. Moving your eyes from one end to the other end will ensure that everyone feels included. The eye-contact also serves the purpose of obtaining feedback from your audience.   

2.     Synchronized Expressions: a pleasant face and synchronized expressions will sustain the interest the interest of the audience.

3.     Voice Pitch: A base pitch is to be preferred during the presentation.  It makes pleasant for the listeners. The voice pitch can be altered depending on emotional overtones which emphasizes a particular point.

4.     Voice Amplitude: Voice amplitude or loudness of your voice has to be adjusted depending the size of the hall and the noises from outside which distract the attention of the audience. If you are making your presentation in a normal-sized hall with an audience of about forty people. Just raise your voice above the normal level and ask a member of the audience who is sitting at the far end of the hall if it is auditable to him or to her. If it is audible, then you can your presentation with the same amplitude of voice. 

5.     Pauses: Using pauses at appropriate points in the presentation may evoke curiosity in the audience.  Further, these pauses help you to gather visual feedback from the audience looking at their facial expressions. Pausing at raising an issue, or asking a question, or create ‘Cognitive dissonance’ gives interest to listeners time to time.

6.     Encouraging Audience Participation: The presenter must take the lead to encourage audience in the process of developing his presentation. This attitude can add the value to the presentation. Now and then the presenter may ask to form a hypothesis based on the information and data provided in the presentation.

7.     Quotations and Anecdotes: The use of appropriate quotations anecdotes[mp5]  can enhance the overall impact on the audience. Choose relevant quotes from well-known sources and connect them to your topic. Look at the reaction of the audience and then proceed to explain the connection of quotation to your topic and leave it to the imagination of the audience. This technic of presentation will definitely add an indelible impression on your presentation.

Thus, a well-trained presenter may make his presentation very successful by executing all these technics to achieve overall impression from the audience to his presentation.

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Note: The next chapter Communication skills Personal Conduct and Appearance is followed in next post.

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 [mp1]Medium is singular

Media is plural form of medium

 [mp2]Through physical activity

 [mp3]Learning through touch

 [mp4]With the introduction of

 [mp5]A short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or a person

Precis Writing for II Semester Additional English Students

Some tips to browse in the blog

Precis writing is updated in the blog for the benefit of all Additional English Students.

Many students may probably face difficult to access the right topic in the blog for such students here some simple steps are provided to access their required topic of their related syllabus study material.

First of all  you log in to the blog with the provided web link http://mastanappa.blogspot.com or you just simply type mastanppa in any search bar or browser (google, chrome, safari) it will show you the above link and it allow you to enter the blog.  

Once you enter the blog and when you do not find the required topic of your choice on the usual first page look for the internal  search bar with magnifying glass provided at the left-side top corner of the page.

In the internal search bar you just type any important key-word of the topic title and click on the magnifying glass the related study material will pop up on the monitor. Then you may choose any topic of your choice.

These instructions are given orally many a time in the regular classes and I wish all students may get benefit in these efforts for their better future and I wish all students good luck.

Mastanappa.

Précis Writing (II Sem Additional English)

A Précis means a brief summary of a given passage. Business executives, politicians and VIPs who have little time to spare to go through long reports depend upon their secretaries to make a précis of such things.

Some guidelines for writing a précis:

1.     Read the passage rapidly to find out

a.     What the passage is about

b.     What its tone is

c.     What type of writing it is

2.     Find a title for the passage.

The title should be brief. Every word in the title, except prepositions and conjunctions, should begin with a Capital Letter.

3.   Read the passage again slowly and try to understand the main idea. The irrelevant ideas should be omitted.

4.     Cut out repetitions, examples, quotations, metaphors, similes etc.

5.     The précis should be written in the third person.

6.     Don’t add your comments or criticism.

7.     Make a rough sketch of your précis.

8.     Revise and rewrite the passage.

9.     Check up the length of your précis.

Exercise – 1

1.     Make a précis of the following passage:

A fuel is a material that is burned in order to get heat and light and also to generate power. The process of burning or combustion is a chemical reaction. A material combines with oxygen from the air and gives off energy. The energy is released in the form of heat and light. Fuels can be classified as solid, liquid or gaseous or they can be classified according to their origin, ⎯ natural, chemical or metal based.

Wood was one of the first fuels used by man and was his most important one for many centuries. It was the easiest to get and the cheapest. But during the sixteenth century, the wood started to become scarce in Europe, and coal began to replace it.

Coal itself is made of the remains of the ancient trees and plants that grew in swampy jungles in warm, moist climates hundreds of millions of years ago. These trees and plants fell into the swamp waters, Bacteria changed some parts of the wood into gases that escaped, leaving behind a black mixture, mostly carbon. In the course time the pressure from mud and sand above squeezed out most of the liquid, leaving behind a pasty mass that slowly hardened into coal.

Peat is the youngest of all coals. The vegetation from which it came was buried a shorter time than that of other coals. It has the least value of all solid fuels. Lignite, also called brown coal, is a little older than peat and has more heating value. Bituminous coal has the highest heating value of all solid fuels. Anthracite is the hardest of all coals and the oldest in nature.

Title: Coal – A Fuel

Main points:

1.     A Fuel is a material that is burned to get heat, light and to generate power.

2.     Fuels can be classified as solid, liquid or gaseous.

3.     Fuels can be classified according to their origin natural, chemical or metal based.

4.     Wood was one of the first fuels, it was easy to get and cheap.

5.     Coal is made of the remains of trees that grew in swampy jungles hundreds of millions of years ago.

Précis:

Coal – A Fuel

A fuel is a material that is burned to get heat, light and to generate power. Fuels can be classified as solid, liquid or gaseous. Fuels can be classified according to their origin, natural, chemical or metal based. Wood was one of the first fuels, it was easy to get and it was cheap coal is made of the remains of the trees that grew in swampy jungles hundreds of millions of years ago.

 Exercise – 2

2.     Make a précis of the following passage:

Very few persons have the misfortune of reading their own obituary in a newspaper. It happened with Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite. In 1888, when Alfred’s brother died, a French newspaper, under the mistaken belief that Alfred had died, published an obituary. In this obituary, the newspaper described him as a man who had made it possible to kill more people more quickly than anyone else who had ever lived. Alfred Nobel was horrified by what he read. 

It was not entirely correct that the invention of dynamite had brought only death and destruction. In fact, it had served humanity in a far larger way by its age in the construction industry.

Alfred Nobel realized, at that moment, that this was not how he wanted to be remembered. Soon after, he established the Nobel Trust with an endowment annually to those who had done outstanding worked in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and in espousing peace.

A hundred years later the Nobel Prize remains the most prestigious award in the world. A sixth prize, for economics, was recently instituted.

Title: Alfred Nobel’s Misfortune

Main Points:

1.     Alfred Nobel’s obituary appeared in Newspaper instead of his brother’s.

2.     Alfred Nobel felt it unfortunate.

3.     He was described as the man who killed many people.

4.     The invention of dynamite not only brought destruction but also saved humanity.

5.     Nobel established Nobel Trust with a million dollars.

6.     He declared five prizes for physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace and economics.

Précis

Alfred Nobel’s Misfortune

Sir Alfred Nobel had the misfortune of reading his own obituary in a newspaper, which was published by mistake when his brother died. He was described as a destroyer of human beings. Nobel was shocked and established Nobel trust with a noble mission. He believed that dynamite was invented to serve humanity. Initially, five prizes were given to physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace.

Exercise – 3

3.     Make a précis of the following passage.

Do you ever worry about memory? Perhaps you go into a room and forget what you came for, go blanks on names, mislay things? Or there may be something on the tip of your tongue, but you can’t get it off. Don’t worry you are perfectly normal. It is the nature of the mind to forget and the nature of the man to worry about forgetfulness.

Human beings have a prodigious memory. In a few cubic centimeters the train stores more information that can be stored in a large computer. Today neurologists, psychologists, biologists are studying the different aspects of memory.

There are two types of memory. Short-term memory lasts only seconds. Long-term memory is stored probably for life.  

Title: Memory

Main points:

1.     Forgetfulness is quite natural for human beings.

2.     We have an excellent memory.

3.     The brain can store a lot of information.

4.     There are two types of memory: short-term and long-term.

Précis

Memory

Forgetfulness is quite natural for human beings. In fact, human beings have an excellent memory. A brain can store a lot of information in a little space. There are two types of memory. They are a short-term memory and long-term memory.

Exercise – 4

5.     Make a précis of following passage:

Sleep is as important to a healthy lifestyle as eating properly and exercising. On an average, a healthy adult requires just over eight hours of sleep at night. Yet, polls show that increasing numbers of people are suffering from sleep disorders or significant sleep loss (6½ hours or less of sleep a night). A study shows that 29% of Indians went to sleep only after midnight and 61% slept for seven hours or less.

Sleep is crucial for maintaining your health. Without it, you increase your susceptibility to a wide range of health problems, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and depression. Not sleeping enough can affect the immune system. The immune system works best when you are asleep. That is when natural killer cells help in protecting the body against viruses, bacteria and even cancer. The killer cells do not work properly when there is sleep deprivation

Title: Important of sleep

Main points:

1.     Sleep is very important for health.

2.     Statistics indicate sleep disorders of some people in India

3.     Sleeplessness causes health problems, which include heart disease, diabetes, obesity and depression.

4.     It affects the immune system.

5.     Killer cells do not work properly when there is sleep deprivation.

Précis:

Importance of Sleep

Sleep is very important for good health. Everyone must sleep for required hours. Sleeplessness causes many health problems, which include heart stroke, diabetes, obesity, and depression. It also affects the human immune system. Sleep deprivation leads to non-functioning of killer cells.

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