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COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
LECTURES
BY
TANVEER LODHI
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PART I
1. COMMUNICATION PROCESS
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Computers & internet. The world has now become global village and
communication has become basis of human contacts & economic development.
i. Personal development
ii. Business / organizational development
iii. Solution of problems
iv. Continuity of Business and its critical analysis
v. To make the jobs more effective
vi. Link between management & work-force
vii. Link between departments
viii. Communication / exchange of ideas, messages & experiences
ix. Means of human contracts and ascertaining feed back
x. Achievement of business / organizational goals
i. In acquiring knowledge.
ii. In acquiring information.
iii. In avoiding mistakes.
iv. In making correct decisions or planning.
v. In contacts / coordination with others.
vi. In exchanging / acquiring experiences.
vii. In acquaintance with latest conditions.
viii. In knowing other's expectations from you.
ix. In enhancing confidence.
xi. In development of self- capabilities.
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Sender Receiver
i. Idea v. Receive Message
ii. En-coding vi. Decoding or Interpreting
iii. Message vii. Action (No action is also action)
iv. Transmission through any viii. Feed back.
medium & route
Ix Follow up
Encoding or
Sender Translation of Message
having the Message Transmission Receiver
Ideas into Decoding on
Idea Message basis of
knowledge,
experience &
view point
Feed Action
Back Follow Up
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Encoding It is process of changing the information into some form of logical and
coded message. It involves selecting a language, selecting a medium of
communication, and selecting an appropriate communication forum (i.e. face to
face communication, or group discussion, or written or speaker-audience
communication).
Transmission It refers to flow of message through a chosen channel. For
communication to be effective, right time, right place and right method is essential.
Decoding It is process of converting a message into thoughts by translating the
received stimuli into an interpreted meaning in order to understand the message
communicated. It involves interpretation and analysis of message.
Response It is action or reaction to message i.e. feedback.
Sender Receiver
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after the week. If job ‘A’ took 21 hours and job ‘B’ produced 400 units, then their
analysis has to be done to take remedial measures to rectify them. This is
possible only through feedback.
1.5 COMMUNICATION FLOW / CHANNELS IN AN ORGANIZATION
C.I.Bernard described communication as the means by which people are
linked together in an organization in order to achieve a central purpose. Group
activity is impossible without information transfer because, without it, co-ordination
and change cannot be affected. Communication is used as a media for issuing
instructions in an organization so that the employees could perform their duties in
right direction. The duties of different persons differ in an organization, and
communication plays its part in meaningful coordination between them. Officers
control their sub-ordinate through communication and get feedback of their
achievements. The communication flow is of following 3 types:-
z
x y
Lateral Communication
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Management’s worries
Inadequate feedback
Downward More than one means of
Wish to avoid bad news
communication
All
Ownership of information Indefinite state to absorb message
directions
COMPLETENESS: Message is complete from all angles and replies all possible
questions. Thus it requires remembering five W’s i.e. who, what, when, where, and why;
answers all questions; and gives extra information when desirable.
CONCISENESS It is saying what we have to say in the fewest possible words without
sacrificing other ‘C’ qualities. Thus only relevant material is given and un-necessary
details or repetitions avoided.
CONSIDERATION: ‘You’ instead of ‘I’ attitude. Receiver could see his personal
benefits. Such messages are prepared by putting oneself in receiver’s situation and
looking from his angles. Positive and interesting facts are highlighted.
CONCRETENESS: The communication should be specific, meaningful and explicit, no
vague or general message. Understandable facts / will for action is expressed.
CLARITY: Simple and forceful language, no confusing words or sentences, so that the
message is understood as it is intended. Thus it will require choosing precise, concrete,
and familiar words; constructing effective sentences and paragraphs.
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COURTESY: Such words and phrases be used which do not show offensiveness
or irritate a person, unless so intended. Normally ‘humble’ style is preferred. It, thus,
involves being aware not only of the perspectives of others, but also their feelings. It
stems from a sincere you-attitude and requires one to be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and
appreciative; uses expression that shows respect and chooses non discriminatory
expression, and omits questionable humor.
CORRECTNESS: Free from grammatical mistakes and figures & facts are correct. It ,
thus, is use of right level of language i.e. grammatically correct with no spelling mistakes;
accuracy of figures, facts and words; and maintains acceptable writing mechanics.,
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PART II
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3.7 CONVERSATIONS
Every person is involved most of the time in formal or informal conversations,
which may involve two or more persons. A conversation is a continuous dialogue in
which every participant can participate or speak at any moment. Formal conversations
have formal content, objective approach, always factual, have accepted rules, are
logically organized and structured; while informal conversations have personal or
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emotional content, either objective or subjective approach, may or may not be always
factual, have no accepted rules, and not always structured. However for good
conversation, the participant has to be a good listener, a subtle speaker (carefully speaks
and does not say whatever comes in his mind), speaks with clarity and simplicity, uses
appropriate pauses, is polite and friendly, is flexible and tactful, does not argue for
argument sake and exhibits keen interest in conversation.
(a) Study with concentration in which every word is read and effort is made to
understand it .Normally it is of difficult arguments, views and theories. An
ordinary reader has speed of 90 – 125 words per minutes in it and a good
reader 200 – 300, while 80 – 90% text is understood by them.
(b) Casual reading or light readings of magazines, novels, newspapers, etc.
which does not tax the mind much, in which ordinary reader has speed of 150
– 180 w.p.m. and good reader 250 – 500, with 70% understanding.
(c) Skimming in which the full text is not read and only the central idea or
theme or main ideas are extracted. An ordinary reader cannot do it and a good
reader can read 800 w.p.m. with 50% understanding. Skimming means
reading something very quickly in order to find out more or less what it is
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about. By ‘running our eyes quickly over the text’ we can get the jist or main
idea without worrying about the details. Skimming is done when we:
i. Do not have time or may not be interested to read everything in great
detail. Our requirement is just to discover the main idea without bothering
about its details.
ii. Have to decide whether the book or the article requires/deserves a detailed
and careful reading or not.
iii. The skimming could be sometimes in the form of scanning, which means
looking for a specific piece of information in the text, like a word in
dictionary, finding out train time table, etc.
4.3 READING PROBLEMS
Following problems are, however, faced in various types of readings:-
i. Vocalized Problem --- Some people read loudly with tongue and that
reduces speed. Reading silently accelerates the speed.
ii. Lipping--- Reading with lips instead of eyes reduces speed.
iii. Regression Problem--- Repeated readings even after understanding
the sentences with a view if nothing has been missed. This happens
when reader is mentally or physical tired and cannot concentrate.
iv. Progression Problem--- When mind is elsewhere or one is not
concentrating, then one reads page number, sees how many pages are
left, etc.
v. Wasted Eye Movement / Poor Vision Span--- Average reader fixes
eyes on words and then moves with jerks, which slows speed.
Continuous, rhythmic movement of eyes from one end to other end of
line accelerates speed. Moreover there should be wider / larger area of
page for eye fixation to have rhythmic movement of eyes.
vi. Failure to understand the structure of Paragraph--- Each paragraph
contains certain idea, explanation or analysis and the start of paragraph
is with that view and end is with conclusion. The logic of paragraph is
essentially required to be understood, otherwise repeated readings
would be required.
vii. Distractions--- Same readers use pencil, finger, card or ruler for
reading, which retards speed. Full page must be open in front. Proper
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Chapter Review
Study the title, question the title, and count the pages, read the first paragraph,
which is normally introductory to chapter and content, read the last paragraph,
read Summary or Conclusion if available. Look over any study questions or
problems at the end. Quickly page through the chapter and briefly check graphics
and sub-headings. Reflect upon what you have learned already and what you
expect to get from the study. Finally read the relevant parts as necessary.
Report Review
Check the title, note the writer or Company / Department who prepared it, review
the date of publishing and preparation, note for whom prepared and for what
purpose, study Table of Contents, read Summary or Abstract carefully, pursue all
front or back matter, thumb through sub-headings organization, and typography,
study all charts, read as necessary.
Article Review
Read the title and any sub-headings, check the author’s name and his
biographical note, examine all graphics, read first few paragraphs for the theme,
now read first sentence or topic of all succeeding paras, read more care carefully
near the end when you sense the writer is giving his conclusions.
messages are written and sent through publications, letters, computer networks, faxes,
etc. Writing process helps to create and retain data / information / messages for ever and
develop the libraries. The writing process comprises of encoding the message, selection
of a proper style, use of proper language and write up in a manner that effectively
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The sentences are written by keeping in view the tenses, active & passive voice
(‘the grocer sells tea’ is active voice & ‘tea is sold by the grocer’ is passive voice)
or direct or indirect speech ( I told her, “He will do it”, is direct and ‘I told her that
he would do it’ is indirect), fully applying punctuations like end punctuation
[sentence ends with a full stop (.) , question mark (?) ,or exclamation mark (!)],
commas [(,) it is used when three or more like words appear in a sentence, or
between two adjectives who still make sense even if reversed, or to interrupt the
flow of main sentence, or for introducing the main subject like ´Friends, you
are……”,or to fuse two complete sentences into a compound or complex
sentence, or for misc. uses like dates, addresses, opening & closing of letters,
numbers,& contrasted material], colon [(:) used to introduce a list of items
following a complete sentence], semi-colon [(;) used to combine two related
complete sentences into one compound sentence], ellipses [(…) used to mark
words left out of direct quote] , slash [(/) used to replace the word ‘or’], hyphen [(-)
used to join two words like full-scale], apostrophe ( combination of two words
similar to some abbreviation like ‘I would’ as I’d], quotation ( information repeated
or reproduced from another source),capital words (first word of each sentence;
names of people, cities, countries, races, religions, nationalities, titles,
abbreviations like Jr; titles of books, magazines, and articles; titles of films &
shows; historic events, famous places, holidays, brand names but not the product
name like IBM computer; first word in quotation, etc). However, sentences should
be reasonably short and not too complex and use understandable language to be
easy to digest. The sentence length should be preferably of 3-20 words, with
average preferably of 17-20 words. Sentence should have unity I.e. only one idea,
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and coherence i.e. words correctly arranged so that the words convey the
intended meanings. The basic principle is that sentences must say what you
mean and use simple and short sentences.
CHOICE OF WORDS
Precision in the use of words be resorted as follows-
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Punctuation Errors
Punctuation is use of symbols, marks and signs to separate or connect certain parts of a
sentence to clarify meaning. Most common punctuation errors are:-
Comma Splice It occurs when a comma is used to join a sentence instead of a
conjunction. For example:-
‘The circuit operates at DC, Ohm’s law applies’.
This should be using semicolon or conjunction or semicolon with adverb.
‘The circuit operates at DC; Ohm’s law applies’
‘ The circuit operates at DC, and Ohm’s law applies’
‘The circuit operates at DC; therefore, Ohm’s law applies’.
Fused Sentence It is a comma splice without a comma i.e. 2 sentences are fused
without any mark of punctuation.
Example: “The workstation was not designed ergonomically, it
leaves much to be desired”. It is rectified by:-
“The workstation was not designed ergonomically; it leaves much to be desired”
(inserting semicolon)
‘The workstation was not designed ergonomically, and it leaves much to be
desired’. (Adding comma & conjunction)
‘The workstation was not designed ergonomically, consequently, it leaves much
to be desired’ (adding semicolon, adverbial conjunction & common)
Sentence Fragments
For a sentence to be complete, it must contain a verb.
Misplaced – Modifier Errors
Modifiers should be close to the words they are supposed to modify, like in ‘Ignorance of
science is a phenomenon in society that must be destroyed’. Modifier indicates that the
phenomenon & not society be destroyed. Thus ‘In society, ignorance of science is a
phenomenon that must be destroyed’.
Passive Voice Problems
Passive Voice & Active Voice refer to the movement of action through the sentence. In
an active sentence, the subject is the “doer” & comes first, the verb or ‘action word’
follows, then the object receives the verb’s action. In a passive sentence, the subject’s
action, while the object, if it even shows up at all, takes on the function of the “doer”.
Thus ‘the kid broke’ is active voice & its passive voice is ‘The streetlights were broken by
the kid’. Active voice is preferred in technical writing because it is more direct, it is
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clearer, and it provides most information with fewer words, Passive voice is preferred
when some higher authority expects it.
Example-: ‘The implant, along with its associated circuits, was (& not were)
inserted into the patient’s chest cavity’.
Pronoun Agreement Errors
Pronouns must agree with their antecedents (The words they replace) in person,
number, and gender,
Example: ‘Each person in the lab must replace his (& not their) radiation
badges’.
Pronouns Reference Errors
Pronoun must refer clearly and without question to a specific antecedents.
Example: ‘The coolant leak impaired the CPV’s heat dissipation, resulting
in an erroneous reading at the most critical part of the success,
This coolant leak (& not mere ‘This) had a cascading effect on
the system’.
Case Errors
These occur when noun or pronoun is placed in the wrong case.
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when unfamiliar words are used for familiar things and unfamiliar words are used for un-
familiar things. The question of familiarity or unfamiliarity applies to the reader, not to
writer. Definitions may appear in the text of the report, in footnotes, in a glossary at the
end of the report, or in a special section in the introduction. Their proper location
depends upon their importance to the text and on the knowledge of the reader. However,
to define a term, it must be placed into a classification and then differentiated from other
terms in the same classification.
5.6 SUMMARY WRITING
Summary or précis writing is a process of condensing message without changing
the original meaning and focus of a passage. Summarizing or summery writing is a
productive skill integrating both reading and writing skills. It involves adopting an
effective reading strategy (i.e. a careful reading plan to identify the central idea, the
main points and important supporting details), and using appropriate techniques (i.e.
selection, rejection and substitution) of summarizing outlining, and paraphrasing
( Outline is a general statement without details or sketch containing only the main
points, while paraphrasing refer to rewriting a passage or text in different words
without changing or distorting its real meanings). The summery should not exceed
one third of main text.
5.7 LETTER WRITING
Letter writing is done in the form of personal or business/official letter, A personal
letter is an informal letter, where the writer wants to say something and wants response.
The business or official letter is a formal letter written for a specific audience to meet a
specific need. It t is structured and follows specified set of rules. Letter writing involves
three steps:- (a)Pre-writing--- (i) Audience Analysis i.e. who is my reader ?(ii) Purpose
Identification i.e. why I am writing?(iii) Scope Determination i.e. how much I should write?
(iv) Analysis of the action required i.e. what do I want the receiver to do ? (b)
Writing--- Organize the matter, prepare outline, and write the draft. (c) Post-writing---
Revision, editing and evaluation of draft.
A business letter contains 10 elements and is structured as follows:-
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Sender’s Address
Dateline
Reference (Optional)
Inside Address
Subject (Optional)
Salutation
Body
Complimentary Close
Signature
Enclosures (Optional)
The body of the letter contains an opening stating the main idea, a middle with details,
and an action (desiring) closing. The five “Cs” for effective letter are Clarity, Courtesy,
Conciseness, Correct Tone, and Correct Attitude.
5.8 RESUME WRITING
A resume is a selective record of an individual’s background, basically a
professional employment-seeking document that presents the summary of the
individual’s education, professional training, experiences, skills, abilities,
achievements, and reference. A good resume shall have an effective design with
focus on readability and adaptation to audience expectations. A resume contains the
heading, position sought, career objectives, education, work experiences, skills,
achievements, activities, interests and references. The resumes are written in three
different styles depending upon applicants qualifications, career goals, and personal
preferences---- (a) Chronological Resume, which focuses on education and
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PART - III
6. REPORT WRITING
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However, in a nutshell the report writing helps to make the job simpler,
improve performance of professional duties, expands business, resolves
problems, do research work, provides explanation of problems, preserves
history/old record and provides communication/co-ordination between the
persons/departments.
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Formal & Informal Reports - Informal reports are routine reports for limited
circulation and generally contain only the facts. Analysis conclusions, recommendations
are not given and the report is also not presented in standard format; while formal
report is long report, written and presented according to standard format and may have
large circulation. Feasibility Report, Planning Report Survey Report, Research Report,
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Accident Report, etc. are formal reports and Progress Report, Visit Report, Inventory
Report, Lab Report and reports on printed forms or letters, etc. are informal report.
Technical or Non-Technical Reports - Technical reports are about technical &
scientific matters, written by technical experts and use scientific & technical terms,
graphs and diagrams, while non-technical reports are informal and simple reports which
can be written by non-technical persons like reports about worker’s quarrel, standard of
canteen, etc.
Simple Report or Research Report - Simple report is prepared with the help of
historical data available only, while research reports are based on research. The
importance nowadays is of research reports and these may be about scientific or
technical topics.
7 TECHNICAL REPORTS
7.1 NATURE OF TECHNICAL REPORT
A technical report is a report on technical subject wherein audience & purpose are
well-defined in advance and it shares objective information with interested, educated
audience. It has following characteristics:-
i. Is about any scientific or technical subject associated with science.
ii. Uses scientific and technical vocabulary, graphic aids, etc. and relies
heavily on visuals.
iii. Uses numerical data to precisely describe quantity and directions.
iv. Is non-emotional, impartial and objective study which conveys
information accurately and concisely?
v. Is written in a way which allows random study, if needed.
vi. Concentrates on a special format in which definition, description of
mechanism, description of process, classification and interpretations
appear compulsorily.
vii. It is accurate and well documented.
viii. It is grammatically and stylistically correct.
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i. It is seriously prepared;
ii. It is purposeful and the purpose is usually spelled out in the opening
paragraphs.
iii. The vocabulary of terminology used is technical / specialized and
generally not defined.
iv. Sentences are highly specific and fact filled.
v. Number and dimensions are numerous and exact rather than
rounded to the nearest whole number.
vi. Signs, symbols and formulas appear in the text.
vii. Graphs and tables may appear in place of prose or to reinforce it.
Figures and illustrations may also appear for the said purpose.
viii. Documentation and references appear in footnotes and indexes.
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FEASIBILITY REPORT
It is a formal report of highly technical nature normally having wider circulation,
which studies the desirability or applicability of any project or system or single
solution from three angles i.e. whether achievable, whether profitable and what
would be appropriate timings for its implementation? In these reports:
a) Problem is defined which is needed to be solved.
b) Identifies one or more candidate solutions.
c) Develops a set of criteria by which to objectively evaluate the
candidate solutions.
d) Collects and interprets data for each criteria as it relates to each
candidate solution.
e) Draws conclusions and make recommendations regarding the
candidate solutions based on one’s interpretation.
RECOMMENDATION REPORT
It is similar to feasibility report, but instead of single solution, it looks at several
approaches and recommends the most feasible approach.
PROGRESS REPORT
It presents information about status of work done on a particular project during a
particular period of time. It is never a report on a completed project. These are
written for those who need to keep in touch with what is going on and as a record
for future reference. It comprises summary of earlier progress, current report and
a brief statement of conclusion. The main emphasis is on how well one is doing in
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MANUFACTURING REPORT
It is a simple report which provides production figures of a particular item for a specific
period. It may briefly also describe the reasons if there is any major conspicuous shortfall
in production. These reports have generally low circulation.
PROPOSALS
These are specialized technical documents that offer persuasive solutions to problems.
Thus a proposal can be to highlight the need to look into a neglected or existing
technical problem or expected problem causing less and in-efficiency or a suggested
solution to overcome it.
8 1ST STEP OF REPORT WRITING - PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS
8.1 PURPOSE
Why the report is required to be written? The writer either wants to write it
because he feels the urge to do so or he is given the task by others. In both the
cases the report is required to serve some purpose. This purpose is first to be
determined and be known to the writer.
8.2 SELECTION OF TOPIC OR SUBJECT
Subjects can be of three types: (1) Which represents a project the writer is
actively working on; (2) Which is concerned with the making of a practical
decision; (3) Which will add to practical knowledge.
The term ‘Scope’ refers to the limits of a subject. The limits can be (1) The
details in which the subject is to be discussed. (2) The range of the subject matter.
(3) The point of view from which the subject is to be discussed.
8.3 TERMS OF REFERENCE
It is the scope and limit of the subject matter within which the investigations
are to be made and results presented. These are required to be clearly defined
and kept in view while writing the report. This contains the writer from going astray
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and also tells the reader what to expect from the report. The conclusions or
recommendations are given strictly in accordance with terms of reference.
8.4 PRESCRIBED FORM
Every organization prescribes the format of the report and the way to
gather information / conduct investigations. The writer has to have its knowledge
and then adhere to it. In case there are no prescribed formats, then standard
format is followed.
8.5 PLAN OF PROCEDURE
It relates to planning general organization and coverage of the subject, so
as to simplify and chalk out the course of reading and taking notes. For this
purpose first of all the list of things the writer wants to find out about the subject is
prepared. Then the things which the reader is expected to know are added to it.
This will help in taking notes and assembly of data. The assembly of data is
possible through the use of library, questionnaire. Interview, field observation and
experimentation. What and how to collect data is determined at this planning,
stage.
9.1 LIBRARY
Information available in written form in Library like Professional Journals,
Reference Books, Unpublished thesis, Newspaper articles, Govt. Publication,
Computerized Information, etc. are documentary sources of information for
collection.
Libraries have Card catalogue systems which has three types of cards:
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technical terms with brief definition) and Hand books (compact reference books
for specific fields with more information than in encyclopedia).
9.2 INTERVIEWS
Gathering information by direct meeting the concerned people is called
interview.
TYPES OF INTERVIEWS
i. Non-directive - In which questions are asked as they come mind.
Patterned - In which predetermined sequence of questions is
followed.
ii. Structured - In which series of job-related questions with pre-
determined “preferred” answers are asked.
iii. Serialized or Sequential - In which a panel of persons ask non-
directive and informal questions.
iv. Panel Interview - Interview by a group of interviewers who are
specialist on the subject.
v. Stress Interview - In which the person is made uncomfortable by a
series of questions and his reaction to stress situation is analyzed.
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9.3 QUESTIONNAIRE
The process of sending a set of related questions for getting replies /
information is called questionnaire. It is used where the information from other
sources is not easily available. A good Questionnaire must have: (i) The question
must be ‘reliable’ i.e. they measure what we want to measure; (ii) Questions are
‘valid’ i.e. it is interpreted in the same manner as we intend to interpret it; (iii) It
must contain minimum questions; (iv) The respondent must feel least difficulties in
filling it; and (v) there must be strong probability of its being returned duly filled.
TYPES OF QUESTIONS
i. Dichotomous - In which one has choice between two answers,
like yes or no, manual or electric, etc. It has relatively limited span of
responses.
ii. Multiple – Choice - In which one can choose among several
possible answers. This is most common approach and permits wide
range of responses.
iii. Ranking - In which one is asked to rank several possibilities in
order of personal preference.
iv. Rating - In which one is asked to rate the importance of an item to
mind.
v. Fill in the Blank - The short answer approach used to get factual
answers of opinion:
How many children do you prefer?
vi. Essay - In which the respondent gets maximum freedom in
composing an answer.
9.4 FIELD OBSERVATIONS & EXPERIMENTATION
If the reader visit the place of occurrence and directly observes the process
and thereafter gathers data, it would be called Field Observation. For example to
prepare shop layout plan, one may visit the shop and directly observe the
placement of men, material and machinery and their movements. The data so
collected would be the result of field observation. However, if the writer himself
participates in the process, it would be experimentation. The experimentation is
done by two ways:-
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i. The writer himself performs the duties like others and then gathers
data through personal experience.
ii. The writer observes and then suggests changes and thereafter
observes their outcome. This also helps him to determine whether
his conclusions are correct and whether his recommendations are
practicable?
The writer should not have any pre-conceived conclusions about the
results and should base his findings on the actual results of observation /
experiment.
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The tables can be simple or complex, but simple present only one
characteristic of data, like:
10% 90%
Types of
1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 Total
Accidents
Fire 1 5 0 6
Explosions 3 2 7 12
Elect. Shocks 1 2 1 4
Mech. 7 6 8 21
Road 4 2 3 9
Total : 16 17 19 52
OUTLINE
The writing of report is then done according to outline, which helps to
organize the writing. Normally table of contents provide a good outlines,
though the sequence is not followed and text gets priority over summary,
etc. Three types of outlines are considered useful, which are: sentence,
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10.2 ILLUSTRATIONS
Illustrations or graphic aids are form of data presentation which are easy to
prepare and understand. These in their simple or complex form often convey
information or provide dramatic emphasis with an effectiveness that is difficult or
impossible to achieve in writing. The type of illustration selection depends mainly
upon the audience and the purpose of the report.
GENERAL CONSIDERATION FOR VISUAL PRESENTATION
i. There is no need to put into writing the kind of information which can
be easily grasped in the form of illustrations.
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ii. The facts are not restated which have been put into tabular or
graphic form.
iii. Don’t assume that having made a table or graph; nothing needs to
be said about it. A little explanation of how to read it is often helpful.
The significant relationship revealed by the table or graph needs to
be pointed out.
USE OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Illustrations are used in situations:-
PURPOSE
i. To provide a view more vivid and clear than prose.
ii. Emphasize the data which is required to do so.
iii. To pull together diverse data on the basis of similarities or contrasts.
iv. To save time of reader.
v. To condense information.
vi. To present information in a way which is easier to follow and grasp.
TYPES
Tables, Graphs, Diagrams, Photographs, Maps, Computer Graphics,
Charts. (The tables & graphs summaries data and statistics; while charts
and drawings illustrate concepts, processes or concrete objects).
TABLES
These are used to present large amount of data and to give absolute
values where precision is important. Tables show well trends or direction in
data. System of rows and columns of table makes it possible to group data
effectively to make accessible to reader. The guidelines for tables are:
i. Place column to be compared next to each other.
ii. Label each column and row.
iii. Include units of measure in each heading.
iv. Align decimals in a column.
v. Put table number and title at the top.
vi. Use footnotes for more extensive explanations of data or heading.
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GRAPHS
These provide picture of relationship between two variables and show a
comparison, a change over time, or trend. The graphs are of following
types:
a) Line Graph, which shows trend and relationship (number of lines are
limited to 3 or 4 and distinguished by different colours or design)
Rs. 15
Rs. 50 Rs. 19
Rs. 16
CHARTS
These are interchangeable with graphs. These illustrate relationships, but
are not plotted on a coordinate system. The charts are numbered in order
of appearance (place figure No. & title two spaces below chart); the
headings, quantities and unit of measurement are written horizontally.
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MAPS
These are used to illustrate areas of growth, population density, natural
sources or transport routes.
PHOTOGRAPHS
These provide accurate overall view and show all details as more or less
equal, but fail to emphasize important areas.
DRAWING / DIAGRAMS
These provide sketches or drawings of parts of the item or the steps in a
process. These help to define an object by giving an overview, as in a
technical description and can classify the relationship of parts. The
diagrams can be cut away diagram (which shows the inner side of the item,
the relationships between the inner parts to each other and to the whole);
exploded diagrams (in it the parts seem to be blown apart, yet the parts
appear in their normal arrangements. Such diagrams are useful in
supporting device description or instructions) and process directions and
movement of each part and support process description. These diagrams
also can represent the flow or movement between whole devices or parts
of devices represented only by boxes or circles. These diagrams help an
audience visualize what a device looks like in action or the chorology
between devices in a process).
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
These are primarily for the managers to make quick decision making.
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If the revisions make it essential to re-write the entire report or some parts
of it, that is done. The rough draft is again revised till the writer is satisfied. Now it
is ready for final typing.
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FRONT PIECE
Cover, title page, preface, acknowledgements, Table of contents, List of
tables and illustrations, Abstract & Summary.
TEXT
Introduction, Main body, Conclusion, and Recommendations.
REFERENCE MATTER
Appendixes, Bibliography, List of Abbreviation, and Glossary.
COVER
It generally contains (1) The title, usually prominently displayed in
underlined capital letters; (2) the report number; and (3) the date.
Occasionally the name of client to whom a report is submitted and the
name or names of authors may also be written, but that is not essential.
Triple spacing between the lines of two and three line titles is advisable.
Normally the companies have their prepared binders, otherwise a plain
Manila folder or one of the readily available pressboard binder can be
used.
TITLE PAGE
It contains title appearing in upper third of the sheet under scored and
centered, all in capital words, with triple spacing between the lines;
recipient of the report; reporter’s names and their professional
identifications; and date of submission.
PREFACE
It is an introduction at the beginning of the report, which explains why the
report has been written or what it is about.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This is normally written after the paper is finished. It is expressing the
thanks for invaluable help provided by others in connection with the report
writing. Acknowledgement can be one independent paragraph on a page or
it can be the closing paragraph of preface.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
It is an analytical outline, modified in form for the sake of appearance. It
provides reference/guide to contents and their page number in the report. Its layout is
follows:-
a) Centre and underscore “Table of Contents” at the top of the page.
Use capitals or lower case letters.
b) Triple space below the words “Table of Contents”, double space
between major items in contents, single space between numerous
subtopics, if any.
c) Begin items with Roman Numerals.
d) Indent second order headings five spaces and third order headings
ten spaces.
e) After last Roman numeral entry, place the word “Index” and write
indexes by labeling them “A”, “B” and so on.
LIST OF TABLES AND ILLUSTRATIONS
If the report contains a half dozen or more illustrations, drawings or other
graphic aids, an index to them follow table of contents. It gives the number,
title, and page reference of each figure in the report.
ABSTRACTS
It presents the report in a nut shell. It provides brief summary of each one
of the major divisions of report. It is usually a single paragraph, double
spaced on a page by itself. It is written in good English, no abbreviation is
used which is not acceptable in main body and no terminology is used
which is unfamiliar for the audience. General guideline for writing abstract
is to state the problem, the scope of work, the significant findings or results,
any major conclusions any major recommendations.
SUMMARY
It is a review or concise restatement of the conclusions / principal points
made in discussions. It contains no new ideas and is always very short as
compared to the length of the report.
INTRODUCTION
It is first part of the text. Its major function is to state exact subject of the
report, its exact purpose, its scope and its plan of development. The
statement of subject may require discussion of background material,
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Margins -
Left side Top Right side Bottom
1 ½ inch 1 inch 1 inch 1 inch
Left hand margin may be extended to 2 inches for binding purposes.
Where quotations are introduced into the text of a report, an
additional five spaces of margin must be allowed, on each side f the
paper.
Spacing and indenting
The text of report should be double spaced throughout, except as
noted below:-
i. Triple - or quadruple - space below centre heading
ii. Single - space center listings ( if items are numerous, number
them).
iii. Single - space long quotations- those that run four or more
lines in length.
iv. Triple space above and below quotations and listings.
v. Single - space individual footnotes more than a line long;
double space between notes.
vi. Single space individual entries in the bibliography; double
space between entries;
vii. Usually, single – space material in Appendix.
viii. Double – space above and below side headings.
ix. Customary indentation at beginning of paragraph is five
spaces.
Paging
Arabic numbers are used in upper right corner, except for
preparatory pages and the first page of the body, and pages that
begin new divisions. The number should be in alignment with right
hand margin, at least two spaces above the first line of text and ¾
inch down from the top edge. The prefatory pages are numbered
with lower-case Roman numerals centered at the bottom of the page
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PART - IV
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a) Plan the presentation--- i.e. Define the purpose, analyze the audience
and tailor the presentation accordingly, analyze the occasion and tailor
the presentation accordingly, and choose a suitable title.
b) Preparing the presentation--- i.e. Develop the central idea, develop the
main ideas, gather supporting materials, and plan visual aids.
c) Organize the presentation--- i.e. Introduction, main body, and
conclusions.
d) Rehearse the presentation.
e) Improving delivery for professional performance before the audience---
i.e. Choosing suitable delivery method ( memorizing, reading or
outlining) and handling stage fright ( concentration on planning, setting
realistic goals, avoiding negative thoughts, speaking slowly, starting
with a pause, and adopting stress relieving techniques like deep
breathing, mental relaxation, etc.).
f) Checklist for making an oral presentation:
Start with confidence
Be organized with introduction, main body and conclusions
Stay relaxed
Pay attention to your body language and keep eye contact
Use appropriate visual aids
Pay attention to all details
Close in memorable way
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clarify and dramatize, but many can bury it)? (ii) Is the visual accurate? , and (iii)
Is the visual properly documented? However, following factors be kept in mind for
visual aids:-
a) These are most effective when they are simple.
b) Visuals are counter productive if the audience cannot see them or
understand them within a few moments.
c) Graphic visuals must be simplified as much as possible.
d) Effective visuals do not distract the audience or upstage the speaker.
e) Limit each visual to one idea.
f) Illustrate main points, not entire presentation.
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