Unit 1: Communication Skills — Notes, MCQs & Practice Questions

Session 1: Methods of Communication

Communication: comes from the Latin word communicāre, meaning "to share".

Parts of Communication:

• Transmitting — sender sends the message.
• Listening — receiver understands the message.
• Feedback — receiver responds to the sender.

Elements of the Communication Cycle:

• Sender — begins the communication.
• Message — information to be conveyed.
• Channel — means by which the message is sent.
• Receiver — person who receives the message.
• Feedback — receiver's response to the sender.

Methods of Communication:

• Face-to-face — most effective; body language is visible.
• E-mail — quick, flexible, low-cost, reaches many people.
• Notices/Posters — used to reach a large group.
• Business Meetings — used for organisational decisions.
• Other methods — social networks, phone calls, newsletters, blogs.

Factors for Choosing a Method:

• Target audience
• Cost
• Type of information
• Urgency/priority

Session 2: Verbal Communication

Verbal Communication: communication using sounds, words, language and speech.

Types:

• Interpersonal — one-on-one conversation, formal or informal.
• Written — letters, reports, SMS, social media chats.
• Small Group — press conferences, board meetings, team meetings.
• Public — one person addressing a large gathering.

Advantages:

• Quick exchange of ideas.
• Allows immediate response and adjustment.

Disadvantages:

• Meaning can become confusing if wrong words are used.

Mastering Verbal Communication:

• Think before you speak.
• Be concise and clear.
• Show confidence and good body language.

7 Cs of Communication:

• Clear, Concise, Concrete, Correct, Coherent, Complete, Courteous.

Session 3: Non-verbal Communication

Non-verbal Communication: exchange of messages without using spoken or written words — through expressions, gestures, posture, touch, space, eye contact and paralanguage.

Importance (Statistics):

• 55% — body movements, face, arms.
• 38% — voice, tone, pauses.
• 7% — actual words.
• (≈93% of communication is non-verbal.)

Types:

• Facial Expressions — show happiness, sadness, anger, fear.
• Posture — straight posture shows confidence; slumped shows weakness.
• Gestures/Body Language — hand movements, nail-biting, etc.
• Touch — e.g., firm handshake shows confidence.
• Space — physical distance depends on closeness.
• Eye Contact — shows attention; avoiding it feels dismissive.
• Paralanguage — tone, speed, volume of voice.

Visual Communication: exchange of information through images/pictures (e.g., No Parking, No Entry, Danger Warning) — no language needed, consistent everywhere.

Session 4: Communication Cycle and Importance of Feedback

Feedback: the receiver's response to the sender; completes the communication cycle.

Types of Feedback:

• Positive Feedback
• Negative Feedback
• No Feedback — also shows disagreement.

Qualities of Good Feedback:

• Specific
• Timely
• Polite
• Offers continuing support

Importance of Feedback:

• Validates effective listening.
• Motivates people.
• Boosts learning.
• Improves performance.

Session 5: Barriers to Effective Communication

Barriers to Effective Communication: factors that prevent a message from being understood correctly; absence of the 7 Cs causes miscommunication.

Types of Barriers:

• Physical — environmental/natural conditions (e.g., body language not visible in texts).
• Linguistic — lack of a common language, slang, jargon.
• Interpersonal — message understood differently; stage fear, unwillingness to talk.
• Organisational — rigid hierarchy, rules and policies.
• Cultural — inability to understand others' customs; stereotyping.

Ways to Overcome Barriers:

• Use simple language.
• Avoid assumptions based on culture, religion or geography.
• Communicate in person as much as possible.
• Use visuals.
• Take help of a translator.
• Be respectful of others' opinions.

Session 6: Writing Skills — Parts of Speech

Sentence: a group of words that communicates a complete thought.

Phrase: a group of words that does not make complete sense.

Capitalisation Rule "TINS":

• Titles — before people's names.
• "I" — always capitalised.
• Names — of people, places, days, months.
• Start — first letter of every sentence.

Punctuation Marks:

• Full stop (.) — end of a sentence.
• Comma (,) — pause / separates items.
• Question mark (?) — end of a question.
• Exclamation mark (!) — strong feeling.
• Apostrophe (') — shows possession or short forms.

Basic Parts of Speech:

• Noun — naming word (person, place, thing, idea).
• Pronoun — used in place of a noun.
• Adjective — describes a noun.
• Verb — shows action.
• Adverb — describes a verb (how/when/where).

Supporting Parts of Speech:

• Articles — a, an, the.
• Conjunctions — and, but, because.
• Prepositions — in, on, under.
• Interjections — Wow!, Help!.

Session 7: Writing Skills — Sentences

Parts of a Sentence:

• Subject — who/what performs the action.
• Verb — the action itself.
• Object — who/what receives the action.

Types of Objects:

• Direct Object — directly acted on by the verb.
• Indirect Object — answers "to/for whom".

Active Voice: subject performs the action (e.g., "Ali changed the tire").

Passive Voice: subject receives the action (e.g., "The tire was changed by Ali").

Types of Sentences:

• Declarative/Statement — gives information, ends with a full stop.
• Interrogative/Question — asks a question, ends with "?".
• Exclamatory — expresses strong emotion, ends with "!".
• Imperative/Order — gives a command or request.

Paragraph: a group of sentences sharing a common idea or theme.