communication skills,

1. Definition and Elements of Communication

 Communication is understood as the sharing of information between two or more
people or within a group to achieve a common understanding. It is also described as
a two-way exchange of information, involving giving and taking.
 The ability to clearly communicate and share thoughts, feelings, and ideas will help
individuals in all their dealings with others.
 Elements of Communication:
o Ideas/Message: This is the information a sender wishes to convey. It can be in
the form of an idea or any information.
o Sender: The person who conveys the ideas/message.
o Encoding: The process by which a sender puts the message into the form of
text, signs, symbols, or any other visual, so the receiver can understand its
actual meaning.
o Communication Channel: The medium used to deliver a message, such as
voice mail, social websites, etc..
o Receiver: Any person, group, or organization that interprets the message
conveyed by a sender. The receiver needs to be smart enough to understand
the exact meaning of the message sent.
o Decoding: The process by which the receiver extracts the meaning from the
text, signs, or symbols sent by the sender and finds its actual meaning.
o Feedback: This is the process where the receiver and sender ensure that they
understood each other correctly.
2. Importance of Communication Skills
 Communication skills are a crucial aspect of the curriculum, listed under
"Employability skills" with dedicated hours and marks [Previous conversation].
 They are considered among the most important skills in the current era, even more
so than just technical AI skills [Previous conversation].
 Effective communication is fundamental for individuals to work effectively with
others, solve problems, and think critically [Previous conversation].
 Employers in India highly value communication skills, listing them among the top
five desired skills [Previous conversation].
 For AI professionals, communication skills are pivotal soft skills essential
for effective communication, collaboration, and problem-solving [Previous
conversation]. They enable clear idea presentation and the development
of innovative solutions to complex problems [Previous conversation].
 The misconception that "Communication skills are not important for AI professionals
since their work is primarily technical" is explicitly stated as false, reinforcing their
critical role [Previous conversation].
3. The 7 Cs of Effective Communication
 The 7 Cs of communication are principles of professional communication skills that
enable effective communication. They are:
o Clear: Avoid complex words and phrases.
o Concise: Keep it to the point, avoiding filler words like 'basically,' 'like,' etc..
o Concrete: Be specific, using facts and figures to support your message.
o Correct: Use correct spellings, grammar, and language.
o Coherent: Use words that make sense and stick to the main topic.
o Complete: The message should contain all the information.
o Courteous: Be polite and respectful.
4. Types of Communication Communication includes verbal as well as non-verbal skills.
 Verbal Communication: This type of communication is the exchange of
information using words.
o Verbal communication involves Oral (face-to-face conversations, group
discussions, telephone calls) and Written communication (messages through
words).
o Effective verbal communication requires using the right words so that people
don't misunderstand the message.
o Advantages:
 Saves a lot of time and money.
 It is convenient to use since it is quick in obtaining feedback from the
receiver.
 In written communication, the information conveyed can be saved for
future use as proof.
 Non-Verbal Communication: This is the transmission of a message without using
words. It involves sending and understanding messages through gestures and body
posture.
o Advantages:
 Makes the message stronger.
 Proper gestures and postures help us work professionally.
 One can make their message more effective by using correct gestures
when speaking.
 Knowledge of non-verbal communication helps understand the
reaction of others and adapt behavior accordingly.
 If verbal message is blocked by noise, distance, etc., hand gestures can
be used to exchange the message.
o Disadvantages:
 Lack of formality.
 Culture oriented.
 No explanation of messages.
 Ambiguity.
 Long conversations are not possible.
 Visual Communication: This type of communication involves sending and
understanding the message through images or pictures alone. The main advantage
is that it doesn't require knowing a particular language to understand it, making it
simple and effective in different locations. Examples include charts & graphs, signs,
movies, etc..
o Advantages:
 Information immediately catches the attention of the audience.
 Increases the credibility of the message since "seeing is believing".
 Free from language and cultural barriers, making it effective for a
diverse audience.
 Easy to interpret and present since pictorial representation of data is
easy to convey.
o Disadvantages:
 Methods of communication are costly.
 Sometimes visual presentation of information becomes complex.
 This method of communication is considered an incomplete method.
5. Communication Styles There are mainly four styles of communication:
  Passive Communication: Mostly practiced by introverted people.
o Involves: Being submissive, not expressing your opinion to avoid conflict,
staying quiet despite being criticized, being apologetic even when not at fault,
and uncomfortable body language indicating lack of confidence.
o Disadvantages: Projects lack of confidence and self-esteem, and can cause
frustration and anxiety in the long run.
 Passive Aggressive Communication: Involves acting passive on the surface while
showing aggression in a subtle way.
o Characteristics: Muttering to oneself rather than telling or sharing the issue,
appearing sweet on the outside whereas in reality being resentful, trying to get
your own way without taking responsibility, being sarcastic and untruthful,
and body language and facial expressions not matching what you want to
portray (e.g., smiling despite being angry).
o Disadvantages: Eventually not getting the desired results from your
communication since real issues are never addressed, struggle to voice
opinions despite being aware of them, and constant suppression of true
emotions leading to persistent unhappiness.
 Aggressive Communication: Involves using strong language and being hurtful to
others, blaming and not accepting your faults, controlling and dominating others, and
not caring for others' views and being disrespectful. It exhibits poor body language
and no eye contact.
o Disadvantages: Makes you verbally or physically abusive, makes you
intimidating and a rude person, prevents you from becoming mature,
understanding, and amiable, and fails to listen to others, which breaks
communication.
 Assertive Communication: Considered the most effective communication style.
o Involves: Expressing your opinion and desires without ignoring others, giving
others due respect, accepting others' opinions, and discovering a balance
between your needs and others' needs.
o Advantages: Builds confidence and self-esteem, prevents you from doing or
saying something you might regret later, makes you and others feel optimistic,
makes it easy for you to help everyone express their thoughts, and enhances
confidence and makes you a better communicator.
o An assertive person believes in himself, uses positive language, seeks positive
results, and respects the opinions of others.
6. Practicing Assertive Communication / Ways to be Assertive
 Take responsibility for your actions.
 Be an attentive listener.
 Don't be afraid to take a chance.
 Learn to say 'NO'.
 Ask for what you want.
 Listen to your intuition.
 Stand up for yourself.
 Learning to say 'NO': This is one of the most important ways of being assertive,
allowing you to say 'NO' without offending others. It's often difficult to say no to
family, friends, colleagues, and bosses. Reasons for difficulty include:
o Not wanting to annoy or offend the other person.
o Not wanting to enter an argument.
o May fear being excluded from the group or team.
 o The "A E I O U Model" can be used to learn to say 'NO':
 A-Ask questions about the importance of the task.
 E-Express your feelings. Be polite.
 I-Inform the other person your reasons for saying 'NO'.
 O-Offer other options.
 U-Reach a mutual understanding.
7. Basics of Pronunciation
 Pronunciation is how you say a word of a language.
 Improving Pronunciation: To communicate well, one must know how to pronounce
words correctly. Using correct pronunciations of words helps express yourself clearly
and confidently, and helps others understand your words easily.
 Ways to Improve Pronunciation: Read out loud, Sing along your favorite songs,
Practice regularly, and Listen to Podcasts.
 Phonetics: The study of human sounds and phonology, the systematic classification
of sounds in one or more specific languages. Sounds are divided into consonants and
vowels.
o The English alphabet has 26 letters, but there are 44 phonemes (sounds).
o English language uses 26 letters for writing words, but speaking English
involves more than 26 sounds.
o Vowels, Diphthongs, Consonants: English words are made of these three
basic types of sounds.
8. Grammar and Language Components
 Parts of Speech: The various words used in sentences have different parts of speech.
These include Noun, Verb, Adjective, Adverb, Pronoun, Articles, Conjunctions,
Prepositions, and Interjections, each with a specific purpose and examples.
 Objects in Sentences: A sentence can have a direct or indirect object.
o Direct object: a noun or pronoun receiving the action, generally preceded by
the verb, does not depend on the indirect object.
o Indirect object: a noun/pronoun that receives the direct object, generally
preceded by prepositions, depends on the direct object.
 Types of Sentences:
o Active Sentence: Subject performs the action on the object (e.g., I sold the
car, Gargi painted the house).
o Passive Sentence: Object is being acted upon (e.g., The car was sold by me,
The house was painted by Gargi).
o Sentences are also categorized based on purpose:
 Declarative Sentences: Factual Statements (e.g., We own a parrot, I
studied during the day).
 Interrogative Sentences: Used to ask questions (e.g., Have you read
this book?, Why are you so quiet?).
 Imperative Sentences: Used to give commands or instructions (e.g.,
Wash your dirty clothes, Feed the dog).
 Exclamatory Sentences: Used to express a strong emotion (e.g., Your
dog is so big!, Alas! We lost the game).
 Paragraphs: A group of sentences forms a paragraph. A paragraph works around a
common idea.
 Greetings: There are two methods of greetings:
 o Formal Greetings: Used when greeting someone you don't know, an elderly
person, or people with whom you have a formal relationship (e.g., teacher or
client, used in schools, colleges, offices, meetings).
o Informal Greetings: Used when talking to friends, family, or people you
know very well (e.g., Hi!, Hey!, What's up?).
9. Asking Questions
 A question is a phrase or word that asks for information or is used to test someone's
knowledge.
 Closed Questions: Can be answered with 'Yes' or 'No'. They are limited or closed.
These questions often use auxiliary verbs (be, do, have, can, may, should, etc.). They
are used to confirm facts.
 Open Questions: Require a more detailed answer. They are not restricted or closed,
and you need to explain with more information. They cannot be answered with simply
'yes' or 'no'. They are used to get perspectives, and for creative potential. Examples
use words like what, why, who, how, when, where.
10. Habits and Routines
 Habits are practices that are very difficult to break or give up.
 A routine is a regular and orderly way to perform an activity at a set time. Using
phrases to describe your routine can be helpful.