Day 1

Basics of Communication
From childhood onwards, as we come into contact with other people, our aim is to let them
know what our thoughts, feelings and perceptions are. At the same time, we listen to them
to find out theirs. As we grow older, and take up a job, this process becomes even more
important. Plans must be carried out; job assignments must be completed, group goals
must be achieved. Other people must perforce be involved in all these activities. For all this
interpersonal behavior, it is necessary for us to interact with people, and to share with them
our thoughts, feelings and perceptions. This art of sharing with other people is called
communication.
1. What is Communication?
Time: 1 hr
Ice Breaker Have you ever.?
The participants are given instructions to go around the room and interact with as many
participants as possible to collect as much as data regarding the following Have you
ever questions.
1. Have you ever gone for scuba diving?
2. Have you ever seen a wax sculpture?
3. Have you ever eaten a frog?
4. Have you ever missed a flight/train?
5. Have you ever travelled abroad?
6. Have you ever killed a snake?
Each participant is now given two minutes to present the data that has been c ollected. This
breaks the ice and the participants are now more comfortable with each other.
Lets now understand the meaning of Communication.
What is communication?
(Invite responses, and write down the responses on the board. Pick out the ones you want
after they finish, and say)
So we see that you define communication as
The sharing or exchange of information (i.e. thoughts, ideas, and opinions) between two or
more persons.
Is this a sufficient definition? Anything else required? The last sentence of this definition
should be so that there is common understanding between them.
In the above definition, the most important features are:
Sharing This is an integral part of communication. In fact, it is the foundation of
communication. Some even go so far as to say that sharing itself is communication.
Common Understanding Why is it important? Because words mean different things in
different cultures. Suppose I make the statement:

Mysore is a dry city. What do I mean? (After the responses) So you see, when I saydry I
may mean a lack of water, or rainfall, or liquor, or life itself. I have to be very specific if you
have to understand me. Such examples are galore.
Activity
Pair work
Communication is an essential part of everyday life. The inability to effectively communicate
with others can create a plethora of problems for anyone, regardless of their life goals or
ambitions.
Discuss the complete definition of effective communication and share an instance of
communication gap that each has experienced because of overlooking some of the
requirements of effective communication that are already discussed.

Types of Communication
Time: 1.5 hrs.
a. One way communication and two way communication.
How does communication start? When someone wants to say something, let us call him the
sender. This sender should have someone to listen to him. Let us call this second person
the receiver. When the sender talks, and the receiver listens, communication has taken
place. If we restrict ourselves to only this, then we have one way communication. How
effective is one-way communication? Lets try an experiment.

The facilitator gives the following instruction to the participants to draw a diagram. The
participants are not given a chance to clarify or ask questions.
Draw a rectangle, inside the rectangle draw another rectangle. Now inside the first rectangle
draw 4 small squares. On one end of the rectangle draw a triangle and on one side of the
triangle draw another rectangle.
Most of the drawings have deviations from the above picture which the facilitator wanted the
participants to draw.
We thus see that one-way communication does not elicit the best results.
So what else is required? If the communication is to be meaningful, then the receiver must
give a response. He must acknowledge that he has heard the message, and understood it.
Lack of response can be a really frustrating thing. Suppose you are telling your friend about
the latest book that you read, and he just keeps staring at you without any reactions
whatsoever, then what are you to conclude? You are confused, and after some time
become angry at being ignored. It is only when a response is given that the dialogue can
continue.
What is feedback in communication? It is a response. Feedback is first of all an
acknowledgement that the message has been received, and then it goes on to tell the
sender how successfully he has transmitted his message, and what is the effect of his
message either on the receiver or on anybody else. It is one step above a response.

There can be good communication, and there can be effective communication. What is the
difference? In good communication, the receiver understands the sender. In effective
communication, the sender achieves the intended results from the receiver. Effective
communication implies good communication, whereas vice versa need not be true.
What is the ingredient that makes all the difference? It is nothing but Clarity. Not only the
sender but also the listener should be clear.
b. Formal and Informal Communication
Let us think about certain rules that are to be followed by each student in the college. Let us
ponder on the following questions.
1. How did you know about the rules?
2. Who communicated it to you?
3. Based on the communication you received how will you classify the communication
as formal or informal?
We can understand that the formal communication have come through formal channels in
the form of rule books or manuals in the written form. The principal or the s taff of the college
might have addressed you in a meeting in a formal manner to pass on the information to
you. Here the choice of words and structure for the entire communication is of paramount
importance.
An informal communication does not follow the lines of authority as in the case of a formal
communication. In a casual situation a friend of yours might have explained a rule to you.
Such communication is usually oral and may be covered even by simple glance, gesture or
smile or silence.
Role play
Imagine you want to ask your HOD permission to take a leave. Role play the situation
wherein you approach the professor and express your need in a formal way.
Role play a situation wherein you are gathered at your favorite hangout place in town and
you discuss with them your weekend plans.
Discuss the formal and informal aspects in both communications. Also discuss some of the
advantages and disadvantages of each.
4. Written and Spoken Communication
Imagine that you want to invite a chairperson to attend a National conference convened by
your college. Ponder on the following questions
1. How will you contact the dignitary?
2. What is the nature of the spoken communication you will have with this person?
3. What is the nature of the written communication you will have with this person?
Spoken Communication

For introductions
For sharing your requirements

Informal way of receiving acceptance

Written Communication

Event description
Formal invitation letter

Activity
In each of the given scenarios, discuss why spoken/written communication is preferred.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

You
You
You
You
You
You

invite your close friend for a party.

want to make an appointment with your dentist.
want to tell mom about what happened at college.
want to give a bad news to your friend.
want to inform your friend about the opening of a new restaurant in town.
want an approval from your manager for an official travel.

4. Face to Face and Virtual Communication

Speaking face to face
Face to face communication remains one of the primary ways to career success
even in this computer age.
Reliable and regular face to face communication promotes more than just good
feelings; promotes effective and collaborative teamwork.
67% of managers say their organization would be more productive if their superiors
communicated more often by personal discussion.
Personal discussion is the foundation of communications. It enables all the other
forms of communication; builds trust and minimizes misinterpretation and
misunderstanding.
Techniques for Face To Face
Focus on the object and the person; the human element and the context
Use Active Listening Skills
Speak, Pause, Listen
Ask for Feedback
Pay attention to your and your audiences body language

Communicating over the phone

Aside from face-to-face interaction, telephone communications are also effective in passing
information without missing any important point
Greater emphasis should be on the words and audio to create a mental image of ourselves,
our feelings, and our intentions in the listener's mind
Strive to build and maintain a level of confidence and trust with the other person on the line
Ensure to communicate not only what you are saying clearly, but also that you have
understood what that person is saying.
Benefits of face to face interaction
Personal touch
Nonverbal support
Instant rapport building
Dialogue among many
Builds confidence credibility and trust.
Benefits of telephone conversation
Saves time especially in time sensitive issues
Contact any person at any time
Can connect people on different locations at one time
Aids in communicating sensitive message without discomfort.
Activity
What do you do?
You want to stop the constant quarrels among your friends group who are from three
different colleges.(conflict)
You just heard that your classmates family member passed away.(emotion)
You want to motivate your project team to complete the project on time and to do an
excellent job so that the HOD recognizes it as the best one. (priority)
Your teacher has asked you to attend an intercollege debate in another city although you
are not very keen (hierarchy)

Your rich uncle from US has come down for a holiday and wants you to accompany him on
all his visits to the relatives house. You dont want to, yet you agree (gain)

5. Intra personal and Inter personal Communication

Let us consider this aspect do we really require 2 persons to communicate? (Get
responses) Then what about the dialogue that is always going on inside our heads at every
moment (even now when I am speaking to you) and to which we actively, though silently,
respond? When we are young, we respond to this dialogue silently. As we grow older we
communicate with our conscience especially to make decisions, to check whether we are
following the right/wrong path etc.
Interpersonal communication involves interacting with others within a society. When
feelings/ideas/thoughts are communicated to others verbally or nonverbally it is called inter
personal communication. It involves message sending and message reception from thepart
of the speaker and receiver.
Activity
Enumerate on the intra personal and inter personal communication that takes place as a
part of dealing with the following situations.
a. You are preparing to attend an interview.
b. Your friend has invited you to go for a movie. You have some urgent tasks to
complete and you are in a dilemma.
c. You come across a lost and found article.
d. You listen to one of your friends using abusive language

Communication Loop
Time: 1.5 hrs.
Activity
Passing a chit
The facilitator will create chits with a message in it. The class is divided into groups.
The chit is given to one member of the group. He/She will read it and whisper the
message to the next person. This whispering continues till the last person. The last
person will write it on a note book and reads it out to the class. This is done
simultaneously by all. We notice that there is a communication gap.
The facilitator will play the second round. This time, the first person will explain in
detail to the next person, whom may ask questions, and then proceeds to explain
clearly in the best possible manner to the next person (may be using visual also)and
so on until the last person gets the message, writes it down in the notebook and
shares with the class. This time round we notice that the message is clear.

Communication is about transmitting messages between the sender and receiver. A

communication loop with all its components applies to all forms of communication that we
have so far discussed.
Sender: The communication loop starts with the sender of the message. An idea/thought is
first formulated in the mind of the sender.
Encoding: The sender uses words/symbols/graphics etc to encode the message for the
purpose of easy transmission and easy interpretation.
Channel: The encoded message from the sender reaches the receiver through a channel
that is appropriately selected by the sender for effective communication. Phones, news
papers,radio, internet etc are all examples of different channels or media.
Receiver: Receiver is the ultimate audience for whom the message is targeted.
Decoding: It refers to the interpretation of message at the receivers end. Decoding depends
on various factors like the context of communication, beliefs and thoughts of the receiver,
the previous knowledge etc. and if the decoding does not happen properly the
communication fails.
Feedback: Feedback is essentially a response to the message sent by the sender to the
receiver, but its important to note here that the feedback may not always return in the same
format and through the same channel. The feedback can also be verbal or non verbal in
nature.
Picture

Activity 1
Identify the different components of the communication loop in the following processes.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

A writer wants to express his view points.

A manager decides to send an office memo to his subordinates.
A film maker builds a story board.
The audience clap at the end of an oration.
You subscribe for a magazine.
You read an article and get an important message.

Activity 2
Group activity
Select any examples for effective communication from your day to day life. Giving
importance to all aspects in the communication loop, prepare a script and enact the scene.

Barriers and Filters of Communication

Time: 1 hr.
There is an English proverb which says: The path of true love never runs smooth. The
same holds good for communication. Its path is mined with external and internal obstacles
which hinder effective communication.
The external obstacles are distractions which exist outside both the sender and receiver,
and prevent effective communication. These are called as Barriers. Can you give me some
examples? Noise, language, cross-talk, distance, mechanical failure, jargon,
visual distraction etc.come in the way of communication.
The internal obstacles are those which exist within the sender and the receiver. These
prevent the undistorted flow of communication. In other words, they tend to distort
communication, and hence they are called as Filters. These are the feelings that exist inside
both parties, like shyness, superiority complex, disinterest, pre-conceived notion or
opinions, rigid attitudes, anger, disappointment, sorrow etc.
How to minimize barriers and filters?
Whether you're the speaker or the listener make sure the message and the intent are
clearly conveyed and understood.
Listeners role:
Do check your assumptions to see if you're hearing only what you want to hear
Dont be afraid to ask for clarification and thus get more clarity.
Speakers role:
Do work to create a non-judgmental environment where everyone has the liberty to ask
questions
Dont assume that everyone interprets messages in the same way as you do or that they
should do
Give others the benefit of the doubt, regardless of your role in conversations.
Activity
Case Scenario analysis.
In groups look at the following case scenarios and discuss the following
a.
b.
c.

What are the barriers and filters noticed?

What may be the outcome because of this?
How can this situation be handled better?

1. A new professor has joined the college and Raj and his friends attend his first
lecture. The professor looks very strict and without proper introductions jumps into
explaining the topics. At the end of 5 minutes he asks a question to Raj. Raj feels
utterly nervous and is unable to give an answer. The professor becomes angry and
shouts at Raj.
2. Shyam and his friends make arrangements to go for a movie. They agree to meet in
front of the theatre and Shyam agrees to book for the tickets in advance. Neither did
Shyam turn up on time nor did he book his tickets. At last when he reached the spot
and started to give an explanation, his friends shouted at him and called him a cheat.
3. Malini is a bright student and has high hopes for her future. On the day before the
examinations she decides to spend her time alone doing some revisions of her
lessons. When she was engrossed in her work, one of her friends approaches her to
clear some doubts. Malini gets very impatient and tells her that she cant do it. The
friend feels that Malini is very rude and decides never to interact with her again.
4. There is an inter collegiate debate competition. It is announced that the participants
for the debate will be selected by one of the senior professors. To the surprise of all
students the professor comes to the class and reads out the names of some
students who would represent the college for the debate competition. Most of the
students feel that the professor is biased in the selection process. Most of them are
also afraid to approach the professor to seek clarifications.
5. Kirans professor thinks that Kiran is a bright student. He always scores high marks
for all subjects. However he falls sick a few days before the examination and
performs very badly in the examination. As a result he gets very low marks. Kirans
professor admonishes him and tells him that Pride goes before a fall. Kiran feels
sad and thinks that he is victimized.
6. Surya is all excited about the latest film he had seen. He wants to discuss the film
with his best friend. He tries to speak to his friend over the telephone. When his
friend finds out that Surya wants to chit chat about the film he tells him that since he
had some urgent errands they could talk about it later when they meet in college.
Suryas enthusiasm is lost and feels dejected at his friends behaviour.

The 3 Vs of Communication
Time: 1 hr.

It is vital to make sure that a message is received well in communication. To ensure the
message is received, use of the three V's of communication is often emphasized by
experts. The 3 V's are supported in a study of presentations by Albert Mehrabian, in which it
was found that 55% of communicated information taken-in by the intended audience is
visual, 7% is the verbal component, and 38% is from the vocal speech of the speaker.
These means that a lot of planning needs to go into a communication to ensure the
message intended is what is received. Below are some ideas on using the standard 3 V's of
communication.
VERBAL - When it comes to what to say, the often used phrase of "keep it short and
simple" is highly relevant for the speaker or writer. Words said or written in a communication
must be limited, concise,clear and easily understood by the audience. Use of jargons or
special terms should not occur unless the audience is specialized and familiar with the
terms. Terms should then be defined to make sure everyone who hears or reads the
message knows the meaning. Plan the topic, outline the message, be precise as possible,
then consider the audience and make revisions to text as necessary.
VOCAL - Ever hear a parent say "it's not what you said; it's how you said it?" This
statement is true in that it refers to the vocal message sent by the tone, volume, and speed
of the spoken word. Tone is the pitch used in speech, the emotions generated or the words
emphasized. Volume has to do with loudness or intensity of voice. What is emphasized,
where are pauses, are whispers used to indicate confidentially? Fast speed can indicate
excitement whereas slow can lead to audience boredom. Vocal changes in speech are
easy. How can vocal elements be accomplished in written text? Tone and volume can be
mimicked by using all capital letters to imply shouting, bold or underline is used for
emphasis, and of course there is the exclamation point for excitement and enthusiasm.
Pauses in speed may be indicated with ellipsis (...) or a dash (-).
VISUAL - The old quote "a picture is worth a thousand words" may not be totally accurate,
but it does present a valid point. People remember more of what they see than what they
hear. Spoken communications should involve this sense by use of body language, facial
expressions, gestures, and words that paint a picture in the audience's mind. Written
documents, handout, or slide presentation can do this more visually utilizing graphic
images, photographs, and charts.
Body Language
It is said that up to 93 % of communication is non-verbal. This includes tone of voice, eye
movement, posture, hand gestures, facial expressions and more. The pressure of body
language can especially be felt in emotional situations. Body languagusually prevails over
words.
Head position is a great one to play around with, with yourself and others. When you want
to feel confident and self-assured, keep your head level both horizontally and vertically. You

can also use this straight head position when you want to be authoritative and what youre
saying to be taken seriously.
Conversely, when you want to be friendly and in the listening, receptive mode, tilt your head
just a little to one side or other. You can shift the tilt from left to right at different points in the
conversation.
The eyes communicate more that any other part of the human anatomy. The ancient
Chinese proverb says: The eyes are the windows, the mirrors of the soul. Staring or
gazing at others can create pressure and tension in the room. Maintained eye contact can
show if a person is trustworthy, sincere or caring. Shifty eyes, too much blinking can
suggest deception. People with eye movements that are relaxed and comfortable, yet
attentive to the person they are conversing with, are seen as more sincere and honest.
Eyebrow muscles draw the eyebrows down and toward the center of the face if someone is
annoyed. If someone is empathetic and caring during dialogue the eyebrows will not show
the annoyed facial grimace.
There are 50 or so different types of human smiles. By analyzing the movements of over 80
facial muscles involved in smiling, researchers can tell when a smile is true. Authentic
smiles are smiles that crest or change rapidly from a small facial movement to a broad
open expression. The smile is often reflected in the eyes if it is a heartfelt one.
Mouth movements can give away all sorts of clues. We purse our lips and sometimes twist
them to the side when were thinking. Another occasion we might use this movement is to
hold back an angry comment we dont wish to reveal. Nevertheless, it will probably be
spotted by other people and although they may not know the comment, they will get a
feeling you were not too pleased.
Vocal cues can predict deception. More and lengthier pauses during conversation; a lot of
such sounds as uh, um, word repetitions; intruding sounds not part of the actual speech,
less lengthy answers or explanations where they would be expected to be.
Ears play a vital role in communication with others, even though in general terms most
people cant move them much, if at all. However, youve got two ears and only one mouth,
so try to use them in that order. If you listen twice as much as you talk you come across as
a good communicator who knows how to strike up a balanced conversation without being
me, me, me or the wallflower.
Posture is the next thing to master; get your posture right and youll automatically start
feeling better, as it makes you feel good almost instantly. An erect posture shows that you
are confident and alert and ready for anything. A drooping posture shows that you have
admitted defeat.
Angle of the body in relation to others gives an indication of our attitudes and feelings
towards them. We angle toward people we find attractive, friendly and interesting and angle
ourselves away from those we dont, its that simple!
Bodily cues are the most reliable of all nonverbal signals of deception. This is because a
person generally has less conscious control over these than other signals. Hand-toface

gestures and shrugs are strong markers of deception. Playing with or touching things
nearby during conversations has been found to be associated with deception. Deceivers
also are likely to have increased, quick and animated use of hands/arms during speech.
Gestures communicate. Hand signals can communicate without the use of any speech.
Touching communicates. Touching can be friendly or it can be aggressive. The way a
person stands reflects their level of confidence and comfort level. When you want to come
across in the best possible light, crossing the arms is a no, no in front of others.
Obviously if someone says something that gets your goat, then by all means show your
disapproval by crossing them!

If the words, the tone, and the body language are all in step, in synchronization, then
the communication is said to be CONGRUENT. If any of the above elements is in
dissonance, or not in synch, then the communication becomes non- congruent. The
message becomes unclear to the listener, and a wrong meaning is carried away
because of this non-congruent message.
Let us explain this with the help of an example.
When someone says "I do not have a problem with you!" whilst at the same time their
closed body language says the opposite and they avoid eye-contact and sound anxious.
In such situations it shows that the receiver of the communication will accept the
predominant form of communication, the non-verbal (38% + 55%), rather than the literal
meaning of the words (7%).
Activity
Communicate each of the following statements with congruence in the words, tone and
body language to mean exactly what is intended.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

I am surprised to know that I have got a first class!

I am anxious to know my results. I have a feeling that I may flunk.
I am so happy to see you. Its been ages since we met.
I am really sad that you have to leave now. It seems we have hardly spoken to each
other.
I feel disgusted at the way they keep their home. Nothing is in place.
He is notorious for swindling public funds. He received the award yesterday for his
meritorious public service.
The dream I saw early morning made me scream. I dont want to think about it again.
I could not help laughing aloud when she referred to the most difficult problem as
Aladdins cave and later as Pandoras box.