Communication Skills

Communication has three important parts:

1. Transmitting
2. Listening
3. Feedback

Communication Process

Communication Elements

Elements of a communication cycle are:

Sender: the person beginning the communication.
Message: the information that the sender wants to convey.
Channel: the means by which the information is sent.
Receiver: the person to whom the message is sent.
 Feedback: the receiver’s acknowledgement and response to the message.
Methods of Communication
Method Description Pictorial Representation
Face-to-face body language can be seen which
informal adds to the effectiveness of the
communication communication.
e-mails offers flexibility, convenience and low-
cost
Notices/Posters when the same message has to go
out to a large group of people

Business Addressed to a group of people.

Meetings

Other Methods social networks, message, phone call

for communication, newsletter, blog,
etc.

Choosing the right method of communication depends on

• target audience
• costs
• kind/type of information
• urgency/priority

Verbal communication
Verbal communication includes sounds, words, language, and speech.

Type of Verbal Examples Pictorial

Communication Representation
Interpersonal • Takes place between two individuals
Communication one-on-one conversation
• It can be formal or informal.
Written involves writing words (letters, circulars,
Communication reports, manuals, SMS, social media …)
It can be between two or more people.
Small Group • Takes place when there are more than
Communication two people involved.
• Each participant can interact and
converse with rest
 Public one individual addresses a large
Communication gathering

Advantages of Verbal Communication

• It is an easy mode of communication
• It enables to keep changing your interaction as per the other person‘s response.

Disadvantages of Verbal Communication

• It depends on written or spoken words
• It does not provide a permanent record unless it is recorded

Mastering Verbal Communication

• Think Before You Speak
• Concise and Clear
• Confidence and Body Language

Non-verbal communication
Non-verbal communication is the expression or exchange of information or messages
without using any spoken or written word. Communicating through expressions, gestures,
postures, touch, space, eye contact and para language.

Verbal Communication  only 7% communication is done using words.

Non-Verbal Communication  around 93% of our communication is non-verbal
( 55% -- using body movements, face and arms ..
38% -- using voice, tone, pauses…etc..)
Non-Verbal Meaning How to use effectively?
Communication
types
Facial Expressions Shows different feelings • Keep your face relaxed.
(happy, sad, anger, • Match your expressions with your words
surprise, fear ) • Nod while listening.
• Smile when you meet someone.

Posture Shows our confidence • Keep your shoulders straight and

and feelings body relaxed.
• Sit straight while resting your
hands and feet in relaxed position.
• While standing, keep your hands
by your sides.
 Space Physical distance between Maintain proper space depending on the
two people relationship, which could be formal or
informal or the closeness with the
person with whom you are talking.

Paying attention • Look directly at the person who is speaking

Eye Contact • Avoid staring; keep a relaxed look.
• Maintain eye contact with intermittent
breaks
Paralanguage Includes tone, speed and • Use a suitable tone and volume
volume of our voice • Maintain a moderate speed while talking

Gestures or Body Expresses an idea or • Keep your hands open.

Language meaning • Avoid pointing your finger at people.
• Tilt your head a bit to show that you
are attentive.

Touch Offers a great deal • Shake hands firmly while meeting

through touch someone.
• Avoid other touch gestures during
formal communication.

Visual communication
Interchanging messages only through images or pictures
Type of Feedback
1. Positive Feedback -- points out at merits / qualities
2. Negative Feedback -- points out at demerits / drawbacks / flaws
3. No Feedback -- is also a feedback, it indicates disagreement of ideas

A good feedback is one that is :-

• Specific : Avoid general comments.
• Timely : Being prompt is the key
• Polite : Recipient should not feel offended by the language of feedback
• Offering continuing support : After feedback let recipients know you are
available for support
Importance of Feedback
• It validates effective listening • It motivates
• It is always there • It boosts learning
• It improves performance

Effective Communication
Basic principles of professional communication skills  abbreviated as 7 Cs
Barriers to Effective Communication
Physical Barriers  1. Environmental and natural condition
2. Not being able to see gestures, posture and general body language
3. Distance and Ignorance of communication medium

Linguistic Barriers  Inability to communicate using a language can cause

misunderstandings and misinterpretations between people

Interpersonal Barriers  1. Sender‘s message is received differently

2. Very difficult to communicate with someone who is not willing to
talk or express their feelings and views
3. Stage fear, lack of will to communicate, personal differences

Organisational Barriers  All internal factors ( performance standards, rules and

regulations, procedures, policies, behavioural norms )
All these affect the free flow of communication in organisations

Cultural Barriers  People of different cultures are unable to understand each other‘s
customs and making stereotypical assumptions about others based
on their cultural background
Ways to Overcome Barriers to Effective Communication
• Use simple language
• Do not form assumptions on culture, religion or geography
• Try to communicate in person as much as possible
• Use visuals
• Take help of a translator to overcome differences in language • Be respectful of
other‘s opinions
Writing Skills — Parts of Speech
1. Capitalisation  TINS is a set of simple rules
2. Punctuation

3. Basic Parts of Speech

Naming Words

Words that adds meaning Words used in place of Nouns

to verbs by answering :
How? How often? When?
Where?

Words that shows action Words that describe other words

4. Supporting Parts of speech Generally used before nouns

An – used before vowels
Expressions strong emotions A – used before consonants
such as happiness, surprise, The – specific or particular word
anger or pain

Joins two Nous, Phrases

or sentences

Connects one word with

another to usually answers
the questions ‗Where‘,
‗When‘ and ‗How‘
Writing Skills—Sentences
1. Parts of a Sentence
Subject : Person or thing that performs an action.
Verb : Describes the action.
Object : Person or thing that receives the action.

Types of Objects:
i) Direct object -- are directly ‗acted on‘ by the verb ii)
Indirect object -- answers questions, such as ‗to/for
who.‘

2. Types of Sentences
Sentences are categorised as Active or Passive sentences
i) Active Sentences -- The subject (Radha) does the action
Sentences where the subject does an
action are known to be in the Active
voice Radha is reading a book

ii) Passive Sentences -- The subject (a book) receives the action

Sentences in which the subject receives an action are known to be
in the Passive voice A book is read by Radha

3. Paragraph
A group of sentences with common idea or theme is known as Paragraph

ICT
ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology
It refers to all the methods, tools, concepts related to storing, recording and sending digital
information.

Operating systems for laptops and desktop -- Ubuntu, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS Operating
systems for Mobile devices -- Apple iOS and Google Android

Type of Keys :
 1. Function Keys -- Keys labeled from F1 to F12 are function keys.
2. Control keys -- Control (CTRL), SHIFT, SPACEBAR, ALT, CAPS LOCK and TAB 3.
Enter key
4. Punctuation keys -- colon (:), semicolon (;), question mark (?), single quotation
marks (‗ ‘), and double quotation marks (― ‖)
5. Navigation keys -- arrow keys, HOME, END, PAGE UP, and PAGE DOWN
6. Command keys -- INSERT (INS), DELETE (DEL), and BACKSPACE
7. Windows key -- Pressing this key opens the Start menu

Mouse Actions :
1. Roll Over or Hover 3. Point and Click
2. Drag and Drop 4. Double-click

Files and Folders

1. File  Each file is given a file name and has a file name extension that identifies the file
type. The file name and file name extension are separated by a period or a ‗dot‘.
Type Extensions
.

MS Word .doc or .docx

MS Excel .xls or .xlsx

Open Office Writer .odt

Open Office Calc .ods

Open Office Base .odb

Notepad .txt

Picture/Image .jpg or .jpeg or .bmp

Sound Files .mp3

2. Folder  A Folder is a location where a group of files can be stored.

Shortcut keys
1. Cut - ctrl + x 6. Select All - ctrl + a
2. Copy - ctrl + c 7. Print - ctrl + p
3. Paste - ctrl + v 8. Save - ctrl + s
4. Undo - ctrl + z 9. New - ctrl + n
5. Redo - ctrl + y 10. Open - ctrl + o

Basic Tips for Taking Care of Devices

1. Keeping a Device Clean
i) Keyboard : clean keyboard with a soft brush ii)
Screen : wipe the screen with a soft cloth
iii) Be careful with food and drinks : Avoid eating and keeping glasses of water or
cups of coffee near a computer iv) Handle devices carefully : avoid dropping or
banging devices
 v) Keep the computer cool : overheating causes internal parts damage. The CPU
has an internal fan to keep it cool. Make sure the fan is functioning. vi) Do not
overcharge your battery : Always unplug the device once it is charged
100%. Over charging can overheat the battery reducing its battery life vii) Always
plug in devices carefully : Devices being connected such as USB drive or
headphones, should be pluged in gently without applying force.
viii) Do not run too many programs at a time : Computer can become slow and
even crash.

2. Prepare a Maintenance Schedule

a) Daily Maintenance
i. Clean up your e-mail inbox ii. Download e-mail
attachments and save in proper folders

b) Weekly Maintenance
i. Clean keyboard and monitor iii. Dust CPU and
printer iv. Backup data to an external drive

c) Monthly Maintenance
i. Transfer photographs to computer and delete
from drive ii. Clean up ‗Download‘ folder iii. Uninstall
unused programs and apps v. Run disk-cleaner
software vi. Run full system virus scan

d) Yearly/Annual Maintenance
i. Clean up contacts list on social media accounts
ii. Clean up e-mail contact list iii. Update your
operating system
iv. Check for expiry of anti-virus software and renew

3. Backup Your Data

Save the information present on your computer on another device, such as
CD/DVD drives or hard disk

4. Scanning and Cleaning Viruses

Install anti-virus software to clean any viruses that may enter our system

5. Increasing Computer Performance

Use disk cleaner software which help us clean up the unnecessary files

6. Removing SPAM from your Computer

E-mails from companies who are advertising a product or trying to attract you to
their website are called SPAM. We should never respond to SPAM and delete it
on a regular basis.
 Computer Security and Privacy
Reasons for Security Break
Security break is leakage of information stored in a computer. Personal information can be
lost or leaked in two ways:
1. We are not careful in giving out personal information over the Internet. For
example, Sharing account details and password on unsecure sites.
2. A person gets unauthorised access to our computer if we leave are computer
without logging out.

Threats to Computer
Threats are the ways in which personal information can be leaked from a computer without our
knowing.

1. Theft : Theft means stealing of information or hardware.

• Physical : Where a person may steal your desktop PC / laptop.
• Identity : Where a hacker steals your personal information and assumes your
identity. Using this false identity, the hacker can gain access to your account
information or perform illegal activity.
• Software Piracy : This is stealing of software and includes using or distributing
unlicensed and unauthorised copies of a computer program or software.

2. Virus : Viruses are computer programs that can damage the data and software
programs or steal the information stored on a computer.
• Worms : These are viruses that replicate themselves and spread to all Files.
This makes it very difficult to remove them.
• Trojan Horse : A Trojan Horse appears to be a useful software program but
once it reaches a computer it starts behaving like a virus and destroying data.
• Online Predator: Online predators are people who trap you into inappropriate
relationships. They may be older people posing to be your age, bullying you into
doing illegal activities online and sometimes face to face.
• Internet Scams: Receiving emails saying you have won a huge money in a
lottery and that you can claim the prize by depositing a certain amount of money.
When you deposit the money using credit card or online banking, you not only
lose the deposit money but your card / account information may be misused later.

Protecting your Data

1. Use strong passwords that are difficult to guess passwords to login.
2. Install Anti-virus and Firewall
3. Encrypt Data : This would force users to use a decryption password preventing
unauthorised usage.
4. Secure sites : See in the address bar of the browser, if the site address starts with
[Link] a lock symbol, then it is safe to give your credit card and bank details.

Self Management Skills

Self-management is the ability to control one‘s emotions, thoughts and behaviour effectively
in different situations.
Self Management Skills
• Self-awareness : Ask for honest feedback.
• Responsibility : Taking responsibility is the step towards self-development.
• Time Management : Prioritise the things, Remove waste and redundancy from
Work, Make a time table and follow it diligently.
• Adaptability : Stay up to date with best practices and latest information

What is Stress?
Stress is a feeling of emotional, mental, social and physical tension.
1. Positive Stress : Good / Eustress. Example: Ataining good marks unexpectly
2. Negative Stress : Bad / Distress. Example: Fear of failing in exam

ABC of stress management

A : Adversity or the stressful event
B : Beliefs or the way you respond to the event
C : Consequences or actions and outcomes of the event

Importance/Benifites of Stress Management

1. Have a joyful life
2. Be a happy person thus increasing life span
3. Boosts immune system
4. Focus and complete tasks on time
5. Prevents psychological disorders and behavioural problems.
6. Be more energetic and spend quality time with your friends and family.

Three Steps to Stress Management

Stress Management Techniques

1. Time management : If time is managed properly then there will be no pending tasks to
complete.
 2. Physical exercise and fresh air : Doing Yoga, meditation, deep breathing exercises,
walking and playing any game helps in proper blood circulation and relaxes the body.
3. Healthy diet : Eating a balanced diet gives strength to do your daily work efficiently
4. Positivity : Learn to look on good things and stay positive
5. Organising academic life - no delaying : Keeping class notes organised, finishing
assignments on time and keeping track of all deadlines
6. Sleep: A good sound sleep of 7-8 hours is necessary for the brain to get recharged and
function effectively.
7. Holidays with family and friends: Spending quality time with your family members, and
taking a break from usual hectic life and going out on a vacation.

Ability to Work Independently

1. becoming self-aware, self-monitoring and self-correcting.
2. knowing what you need to do.
3. taking the initiative rather than being told what to do.
4. recognising your mistakes and not blaming others.
5. having the ability and the will to learn continuously.

Emotional Intelligence
It is the ability to identify and manage one‘s own emotions, as well as the emotions
of others. It has three skills:

• Emotional awareness : the ability to identify and name one‘s own emotions.
• Harnessing emotions : the ability to harness and apply emotions to tasks like
thinking and problem solving.
• Managing emotions: the ability to regulate one‘s own emotions when necessary
and help others to do the same.

Steps to manage emotional intelligence

• Understand your emotions : Observe your behaviour and note the things you need to
work on and to improve.
• Rationalise : Do not take decisions abruptly; be rational in your thinking.
• Practise : Do meditation and yoga to keep yourself calm.

Self-awareness
1. Identify your strengths and weaknesses
2. Converting your weakness into strength
3. Then Converting strength into an exceptional talent

Techniques for Identifying your Strengths and Weaknesses

 Finding Strengths (or abilities) :
• Think of anything that you are always successful at.
 • Think about what others like in you.
• Take out time and think about what you do well.
 Finding Weaknesses :
• Point out the areas where you struggle and the things you find difficult to do.
• Look at the feedback others usually give you.
• Be open to feedback and accept your weaknesses without feeling low about it.
Take it as an area of improvement.

Difference between Interests and Abilities(Strengths)

Self-motivation
It is simply the force within you that drives you to do things and pushes us to achieve our
goals, feel happy and improve our quality of life.

Types of Self-motivation

Internal Motivation is also known as Intrinsic Motivation

External Motivation is also known as Extrinsic Motivation

Qualities / Behaviour seen in self-motivated people

Building Self Motivation  There are 4 steps for building self-motivation

Self-Regulation
Goals : They are a set of dreams with a deadline to get them, for example, saving
pocket money to buy a favourite mobile phone by a particular date.

Goal setting : It is all about finding and listing your goals and then planning on how to
achieve them.

How to Set Goals?

use SMART method to set goals
SMART -- Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Bound

• Specific : A specific and clear goal answers six questions.

1. Who is involved in the goal?
2. What do I want to do?
3. Where do I start?
4. When do I start and finish?
5. Which means do I use?
6. Why am I doing this?

• Measureable : A measureable goal answers the questions ―How much?‖, ―How

many?‖ and ―How do I know that I have achieved results?‖

• Achievable : Breaking down big goals into smaller parts will make the goal
achievable.

• Realistic : Something that we want to achieve and can work towards.

• Time bound : Timeframe by when the goal needs to be achieved. This encourages us
to take actions to completely fulfill the goals.
Time Management and Its Importance
It is the thinking skill that helps you to :
• complete tasks on time.
• make a daily timetable.
• make a good guess at how long it will take you to do something.
• submit homework and assignments on time.
• not waste time during the day.
Four Steps for Effective Time Management

Tips for Practicing the Four Steps for Effective Time Management
• Avoid delay or postponing any planned activity
• Organise your room and school desk
• Develop a ‗NO DISTURBANCE ZONE‘, where you can sit and complete important tasks
• Use waiting time productively
• Prepare a ‗To-do‘ list
• Prioritise
• Replace useless activities with productive activities

Entrepreneurial Skills

Entrepreneurship
It is the type of self-employment where one is running a business to satisfy the needs of people
and looking for ways to make the business better to make profits.

Where do these entrepreneurs do their business?

Answer: Entrepreneurs run their businesses in a market. In the market people are involved in
both buying and selling and in this way entrepreneurs help in growing the area and society they
live in.

What do entrepreneurs do when they run their businesses?

Answer:
• Fulfil Customer Needs • Help Society
• Sharing of Wealth • Use Local Materials
• Create Jobs • Lower Price of Products

Qualities of an Entrepreneur
Confident, trying new ideas, patient, creative, responsibility, decisions after thinking, work hard
and do not give up
Functions of an Entrepreneur

Myths about Entrepreneurship

A myth, or a misconception, is a false belief or opinion about something.

Myth/Misconception 1 :
The misconception is that every business idea needs to be unique or special.
Truth: A person can take an idea that is already there in the market and do something
different with it.

Myth/Misconception 2 :
The misconception we have is that a person needs a lot of money to start a business.
Truth: The money used to start a business is called capital. Capital is important for
starting. However, every business does not need a lot of capital to start.

Myth/Misconception 3 :
A misconception we have is that only a person having a big business is an entrepreneur.
Truth: No business is big or small. If a person is running a business to fulfil a customer‘s
need, they are an entrepreneur. Most businesses start small. It becomes big with
hard work and creativity.

Myth/Misconception 4 :
A misconception we have is that entrepreneurs are born, not made.
Truth: Being an entrepreneur starts with a way of thinking. You must believe that anything
is possible and it shall be achieved. It starts with thinking of an idea that you want
to work on, making it different.
Pro Tip: The question in board exams may ask a true/false question based on the misconception or
a 1 marker question asking you to list down some of the misconceptions.

Entrepreneurship as a Career Option

A career is a line of work that a person takes for life.
1. Wage Employment : Wage Employed people work for someone else and get paid.

2. Self-Employment : Self-employed people start their own businesses to satisfy public

demands by taking some risks and experimenting with new ideas is an entrepreneur.

Process to becomes an entrepreneur is as follows:

 Green Skills

Sustainable development
It is defined as ‗development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs‘ (World Commission on Environment
and Development, 1987).

Problems Related to Sustainable Development

Three major problems related to sustainable development are:
a) Food : Soil nutrients are also getting depleted and lots of chemicals are spoiling the
soil due to use of chemical fertilisers.
b) Water : The rivers and ponds are getting polluted.
c) Fuel : As more and more trees are being cut, it is affecting the climate of the place.
Extreme weather conditions, such as floods, extreme cold or heat.

One major example of large scale production of solar power is seen in Charanka — Gujarat Solar
Park. This barren land with wild vegetation has a mega solar power plant of 600 MW.

Sustainable development includes

• Reducing excessive use of resources
• Recycling and reuse of waste materials
• Scientific management of Renewable resources
• Planting more trees
 • Using biodegradable material
• Use environmental friendly technologies

SDGs  Sustainable Development Goals

SDGs were launched at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in New York in
September 2015, forming the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The 17 SDGs aim to take care of important issues facing businesses, governments and society.

Sustainable Development Initiatives

1. Mr Avasth Hedge found an eco-friendly alternative for plastic bags by making 100 per
cent bio-degradable bag which can dissolve in hot water and decompose in natural
environment.
2. Narayana Peesapaty made edible cutlery made out of a grain — these spoons can be
eaten and even if they are not eaten they will easily decompose in the soil enriching it.
3. Ministry of Railways in Varanasi and Raibareilly introduced clay pots ‗Kulhads‘ to replace
plastic and paper cups and to bring back taste of tradition.
Three major advantages gained by using ‗Kulhads‘ are to
i) reduce cutting of tree for making paper cups.
ii) job creation for potters, which contributes to economy.
iii) reduce plastic waste.
4. Sustainable Processes such as organic farming, vermi-composting and rainwater
harvesting are being used to help preserve the environment.

Our Role towards Sustainable Development

1. Quality Education : We should --
• use the facilities present in our areas.
• take our friends to school, help friends study and stop friends from
dropping out of school.
2. Clean Water and Sanitation : We must make efforts –
• to make India free of open defecation by building toilets
and creating awareness towards sanitation.
• to take measurable steps by promoting awareness to
keep water sources clean.

3. Affordable and Clean Energy : We Should –

• Using solar power as it does not require burning of
nonrenewable fuels
• Use of biogas is also an eco-friendly alternative

4. Decent Work and Economic Growth : We can –

• study, work hard, find good jobs and contribute to
society.
• learn and develop skills to add value in our community.

5. Reduced Inequalities : We can –

be helpful and friendly with everyone
include everyone while working or playing.

6. Sustainable Cities and Communities : We Should –

• Save energy by using natural light and switching off lights
and fans when not in use.
• Use energy efficient lights (LED bulbs) and appliances.

7. Responsible Consumers and Producers : We can –

• reuse paper, glass, plastic, water, etc.
• Use cloth bags and donate things you don‘t want Buy and
eat seasonal fruits and vegetables Sort and treat garbage
before disposing.

8. Protect Life Below Water :

• Protecting marine life, saving our oceans from pollution is
necessary to preserve the marine life.

9. Protect Life on Land :

• Stop cutting of trees as it leads to soil erosion
• Plant more tree