Begae-182 english communications PDF

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English communication skills. Assignment course begae 182...

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ENGLISH COMMUNICATION SKILLS (BEGAE 182) Programme: BAG/2019-2020 Course Code: BEGAE 182 Max. Marks: 100 Answer all questions SECTION A 1. Write short notes of about 150 words on any four of the following: i) What are the barriers to communication? How would you remove them in your communication? 5 Answer- Barriers to communication ●

Physical barriers to non-verbal communication. Not being able to see the non-verbal cues, gestures, posture and general body language can make communication less effective.

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Psychological barriers, for example someone with social anxiety and/or low self-esteem may be too distracted about how they are perceived when talking with a superior.

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Emotional barriers. Some people may find it difficult to express their opinions on such as politics, religion, disabilities (mental and physical), sexuality and racism.

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Jargon and acronyms. Companies often have their own jargon and acronyms which new employees may struggle with.

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Lack of attention, interest and distractions to the person listening.

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Differences in perception and viewpoint.

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Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties.

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Differences in language and unfamiliar accents.

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Expectations and prejudices which may lead to stereotyping.

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Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed.

The way to remove barriers in communication -

In order to remove hindrances in the way of communication the following steps are worth consideration:

(1) Clarify Ideas before Communication: The person sending the communication should be very clear in his mind about what he wants to say. He should know the objective of his message and, therefore, he should arrange his thoughts in a proper order. (2) Communicate According to the Need of the Receiver: The sender of the communication should prepare the structure of the message not according to his own level or ability but he should keep in mind the level, understanding or the environment of the receiver. (3) Consult Others before Communication: At the time of planning the communication, suggestions should be invited from all the persons concerned. Its main advantage will be that all those people who are consulted at the time of preparing the communication plan will contribute to the success of the communication system. (4) Be Aware of Language, Tone and Content of Message: The sender should take care of the fact that the message should be framed in clear and beautiful language. The tone of the message should not injure the feelings of the receiver. As far as possible the contents of the message should be brief and excessive use of technical words should be avoided. (5) Convey Things of Help and Value to the Listener: The subject matter of the message should be helpful to the receiver. The need and interest of the receiver should specially be kept in mind. Communication is more effective in such a situation. (6) Ensure Proper Feedback: The purpose of feedback is to find out whether the receiver has properly understood the meaning of the information received. In the face-to- face communication, the reaction on the face of the receiver can be understood. But in case of written communication or some other sort of communications some proper method of feedback should be adopted by the sender.

ii) Discuss the role of body language in communication. 5 Answer- Body language is used in nearly every aspect of daily life, and observing someone can sometimes tell you a lot about how a person is feeling and what is on his or her mind. For example, in poker, people try to limit their body language for this exact reason. Without saying anything, body language can often get a person's point across, and this article will discuss how body language became a necessary part of our communication pallet and why it continues to be that way. Body language is a form of non-verbal communication, which includes multiple actions and mannerisms, such as: ● ● ● ● ●

Facial Expressions Gestures Posture Head Movement Eye Contact

All of these are universal to all humans, and people can perform them consciously or subconsciously to convey their thoughts and feelings towards countless things. In fact, body language is believed to constitute about half of what we are trying to communicate. However, this can depend greatly on context; for example, a person does not always need to verbally say "no" to communicate that something is wrong or that they disagree with what a person is saying. Instead, he or she can shake their head from side to side, to communicate the same thing. Nonetheless, we all use various forms of body language in communication every single day, which is then interpreted by others. If a student is slouching in his or her chair in class and is making indirect eye contact, this will signal to the instructor that they are bored. It can also be used to enhance our verbal communication skills, and they often complement each other very well. For instance, if someone is asking for directions in a store on where to find a product and an employee merely says "over there," this information is not entirely helpful to the customer because it is too vague. At that point, the employee can be more specific with the location of the item by stating what aisle or department it is in; however, more often than not they will also gesture and point in the direction the person should be headed in. Even if the employee was not very specific, and they said "over there" while also pointing, it still would be more helpful than the original scenario with no body language at all.

iii) What makes a group discussion successful? 5 Answer- A group discussion is simply a method instrumental in judging the team spirit, leadership qualities, out of the box thinking, and other managerial qualities in an individual. In a layman’s language, a group discussion is a discussion involving a group of around seven to eight participants. Tips for a Successful Group Discussion i. The first and the foremost tip for an individual to perform well in a GD is to learn the art of participation. Don’t expect others to force you to speak. Take the initiative, participate in the discussion and share your ideas with others. Never shout in a group discussion and always wait for your turn to speak. Remember it’s a discussion, not a fighting ground. Be polite but firm. ii. Try to take the initiative. Don’t wait for the others to start the discussion. Always volunteer yourself and start the discussions in an extremely confident manner. Introduce yourself and your team members and then start with the topic but one thing to remember here is that one must initiate the Group Discussion only when he or she is well versed with the topic. Don’t take the risk if you yourself are not very clear about your thoughts. iii. A leader is the one who actually gives the group discussion a direction and guides other team members when they seem to be lost or confused. Like a true leader, an individual must try his level best to refrain from personal favours. Don’t only ask your acquaintance to speak, give equal opportunity to other participants as well. As the leader of the group, he must ensure that the discussion does not end up in fighting and reaches a conclusion. iv. One must speak only if he is well prepared with the topic. Don’t just speak for the sake of points or marks; speak only when you are absolutely sure about what you are speaking. Never depend on guess works in group discussions as it sometimes can seriously go against you. Avoid using slangs or crack jokes in between the discussions as it is considered highly unprofessional. v. Never be rigid in group discussions. Always keep in mind that the other person is also as learned as you. Always listen to what he is saying and then only respond. Be a good and a patient listener. Don’t just simply draw conclusions as there is always a room for discussions. Debate logically and sensibly and try to take everyone along with you. vi. Read a lot and always keep your eyes and ears open. Always begin your day with the newspaper and know what is happening around you. An individual must be aware of the current events to succeed well in a group discussion. vii. Be alert always. A participant usually gets around 15 minutes to think about the topic. You need to think fast and cover as much as you can. Always take care of your words. The content

has to be sensible, crisp and well supported with examples or real life situations. Don’t adopt a laidback attitude or yawn in between group discussions.

iv) Giving examples (not from the course material), discuss the difference between Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, and Hyponyms. 5 Answer1. Homonyms Homonyms are words that have the same spelling and sound, but a number of different meanings. Examples i. Bank (as a financial institution) and the Bank (of a river). ii. Bark (for a dog) and the Bark (of a tree). iii. Bear (to carry) and Bear (an animal). iv. Lead (to conduct) and Lead (metal). v. Saw (the past form of "see") and Saw (as a power tool for cutting wood) etc. 2. Homophones "Homo" means "same" whereas "phone" means "sound". Therefore, homophones are words that have the same sound but differ in meaning and spelling. Examples i. To, too and two. ii. Blew (past form of blow) and blue (colour). iii. Son and sun. iv. See and sea. v. Weather and whether. vi. Bare (naked or uncovered) and bear (animal) etc. 3. Homographs Homographs are words that have the same spelling but differ meaning and sometimes pronunciation. Examples i. Present (to introduce formally) and present (a gift). ii. Refuse (garbage) and refuse (to decline a request). 4. Hyponym vs Hypernym A hyponym is a word whose meaning is included in the meaning of another more general word. In other words, it is the relationship between two words in which the meaning of one word includes the meaning of the other word. Examples i. Spoon is a hyponym of cutlery. Cutlery is a more general word which comprises spoon, fork and knife.

ii. Red, blue and yellow are the hyponyms of colour. iii. Bus is a hyponym of vehicle. iv. Dog is a hyponym of animal.

SECTION B 2 i) You have been selected to a training programme organised by your company where colleagues have come from different parts of the country. Write a dialogue where you accost a colleague, greet him/her, introduce yourself and talk about your role in the organisation. You may end the conversation with appropriate pleasantries. 10 Answer- You: Hi there, it is Mayank, right? Colleague: Hi, yes. You must be Shikhar. You have recently joined the company, right? You: Yes indeed. The group manager Mukul told me that you would be my mentor for the first four months of the training. Colleague: Oh right. I will be training you on the digital marketing module. Do you have any prior experience with the same? You: I have a basic knowledge of how SEO work and have done content writing for several firms. Now keen to expand into a role of digital marketing specialist. Colleague: Awesome. I have been working for six years in this domain so should be able to guide you well. You: Thanks a lot, Mayank. This is my first day only. Are there any formalities I have to complete, apart from those told by the HR? Colleague: I think you should be fine. I hope you know where the cafeteria is? And have you got your transport stuff all sorted out? They don’t allow anyone to sit in the shuttle unless the name is in the roster. You: Oh no, I haven’t. Thanks for informing. I will do it during recess. Colleague: Yes, do that. Where do you put up at? You: I stay in Noida, sector 137. Colleague: Gosh! That’s quite far from Gurgaon! You: I agree

Colleague: It must be quite tiring for you to commute all the way from Noida daily? You: Indeed it is, but there were no job opportunities in Noida. All job offers I received were from Gurgaon only. Colleague: Okay. Let’s see! If commuting becomes too much of a hassle then I can set you up with one of my friends. He is looking for a PG partner. You: That’s cool. Let’s see how this travelling bit goes. Colleague: Yes. Do you have any queries? Ask away! You: I haven’t received my employee ID yet. When will that be? Colleague: It takes a few days. You see Shalini sitting over there? She joined a couple of days back and still hasn’t received her. You can talk to her and both can get it done from the facilities department. You: Sounds good. Also, what is the working atmosphere here like? I just want a heads-up before I know how to approach people! Colleague: Well, our supervisor Priyanka is all cool as long as the work is going good. But if a client feedback is not so flattering then she can lose it. Rest, all other members of the team are chilled out. You won’t have any problem gelling with them. You: Ah, that is great. Okay, do we also have to come on Saturdays? Colleague: That happens rarely. I can’t quite remember the last time we came on a Saturday. We do stretch on some days when there are urgent client deliverables. You: Can you just brief me about the modules I would be covering? Colleague: Sure, there will be seven modules during the training- SEO, SEM, Web Analytics, Email marketing, SMM, Content Marketing and Mobile Marketing. You: Great! I hope to learn a lot. Colleague: You will also be given access to online courses at Lynda so that you can learn additional stuff at your own pace. You: Wow! That is amazing. By the way, how is the food at the cafeteria?

Colleague: It is quite okay, but we get bored of it after some time. We have the option of ordering from nearby outlets and there is a tie-up with Swiggy so that all deliveries are free. You: Perfect. Food should be good, don’t you agree? Colleague: Haha! It is, don’t worry. You: Will I be formally introduced to other team members? Colleague: There will be a grand party at Hyatt for all the new joinees in this quarter. You will get to introduce yourself there. It will be loads of fun! Chillax! You: Thank you! Colleague: You’re welcome. Should we get started with the training? You: Absolutely. Let’s begin!

ii) You have received an invitation by the secretary of the youth club of which you are a member to participate in a small discussion on ‘kindness to animals’. Write a letter of regret giving at least three reasons for your not being able to attend the programme. 10 AnswerTo The Secretary, Youth club Rewari. Subject:- Apology letter for not being able to attend the programme. Sir, I got your invitation letter two days before for participating in a small discussion on ‘kindness to animals’. Sir, I am very sorry to say that I will not be able to attend small discussion on ‘kindness to animals’ in our club due to the Terrible exams ensuing up. I am, now a days busy with packed

schedule. I have some family obligations that I have to attend to which are urgent and cannot be left to anyone else. I got free time, so I thought of informing you . Once again , I apologise for the same. Date

Yours Sincerely, ……………... ……………… ……………..

SECTION C 3. What are the characteristics of a conversation? What is the difference between a conversation and other speech events? Write in about 350 words. 20 AnswerHere are a few concepts so we can find common ground to have more meaningful and useful conversations: 1. Be Fully Present in the Conversation Finding common ground requires listening; you need to be fully present in the moment. Setting boundaries that allow you to be wholeheartedly engaged in the conversation, not distracted by your phone or another problem you’re thinking about in your head changes the nature of how you listen. 2. Realize and Vocalize the Things You Agree On It’s difficult to find common ground when we focus on the things we disagree about. But if we take a step back, we realize that despite our differences, we actually agree about more things than we disagree about. For example, we all believe in human dignity. We all agree that what’s best for people is what’s best. We may not always agree on what’s best for people. But we can all agree that what’s best for people is what’s best. 3. Seek Understanding More than Being Right If both people are more concerned about being right than they are understanding one another, no one wins. However, when we approach the conversation in a posture of trying to truly understand the other person, we create a path toward finding a solution. Creating the environment for a common ground conversation requires laying down your need to be right. 4. Honor the Other Person

Honor isn’t really a concept we use when talking about personal relationships anymore. And yet, we all long to feel important and valued. We must remember that conversation is about more than the topic that is discussed. When we seek to honor the other person, despite their brokenness and flaws, it allows us to not only create a more pleasant conversation, but add value to their lives. 5. Commit to Communicate with Kindness Kindness is more than being nice or defaulting to the other person’s point of view. It’s about bringing goodness into the conversation. Even if it’s a difficult conversation with differing points of view, there is a way to be kindhearted in the way you say things or how you respond. DifferenceA conversation is communication by two or more people, or by one's self. Conversations are the ideal form of communication in some respects, since they allow people with different views on a topic to learn from each other. A speech, on the other hand, is an oral presentation by one person directed at a group. Those engaging in conversation naturally relate the other speaker's statements to themselves, and insert themselves (or some degree of relation to themselves, ranging from the replier's opinions or points to actual stories about themselves) into their replies. For a successful conversation, the partners must achieve a workable balance of contributions. A successful conversation includes mutually interesting connections between the speakers or things that the speakers know. For this to happen, those engaging in conversation must find a topic on which they both can relate to in some sense. In a public speech -- unlike a conversation -- there is a clear distinction between the speaker and the audience. The speaker stands at the front of a room, outside space or auditorium. She often stands or sits above the audience on an elevated stage. Sometimes she uses a microphone and a podium to communicate her message. The format affords an air of legitimacy or even power to the speaker; the speaker, not the audience, decides what content to include. Public speaking and conversation have long been linked in the American public consciousness. Nineteenth century U.S. Congressman James Winans introduced the idea that public speaking is a form of extended conversation. Winans argued that an effective speech connects with the audience on a personal level. In fact, a public speech can operate something like a conversation between the speaker and the audience -- but conversation happens informally and requires little to no advanced planning or preparation. Public speakers must abide by many more rules and guidelines.

4. As a good reader, what are the four levels of meaning you must be aware of? Discuss in about 300 words, giving examples of each. 20

Answer- The goal of reading determines the best way to read the material in question. If we’re reading for entertainment, we’re going to read a lot differently than if we’re reading to build a rocket ship. A thorough understanding of the levels of reading is necessary before we can improve our reading skills. There are four levels of reading. They are thought of as levels because you can’t reach the higher levels without a firm understanding of the previous one — they are cumulative. 1. Elementary Reading The first level of reading is elementary reading, which ...