Technical Communication CH1

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Department of MCA Technical Communication CH-1 NotesKNS Institute of Technology

Lecturer: Syed KhutubuddinAhmed

Page 1

Chapter-

1Technical Communication and Ethics

What is Communication and Explain the Process of Communication?

Or Explain Communication Cycle or Brief the Essentials of Effective Communication?

Communication Defn: Communication can be defined as the exchange of information, ideas,

and knowledge between sender and receiver through an accepted code of symbols.

The communication has its root in the latin word communicare, which means to share.

For sharing the information you need two parties without which it is not possible. (However is

it not sufficient to only have two parties there should also be cooperation and understanding

between them).

Note: it is termed effective only when the receiver receives the message intended by the sender in the

same perspective.

The Communication cycle:

To understand that whether you have communicated successfully or not you must get feedback

ZKLFK LV \RXU REVHUYDWLRQ RI UHFLSLHQWV

UHVSRQVH.Your communication is fully effective only when you get the desired response from the receiver.

Communication environment:

Communication takes place in a well defined set-up. This is called as Communication

environment.

Ex: A Class room is the Communication environment when a teacher delivers lectures to

students.

Channel:

Messages themselves are transferred through a medium called channel.

Ex: in oral communication the air or telephonic wires are commonly used channels.

Language is the tool we use through these channels to exchange information.


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Essentials of Effective communication:

A Common Communication environment

Cooperation between the sender and the receiver.

Selection of an appropriate channel

Correct encoding and decoding of the message

Receipt of the desired response and feedback.

2) Give the Defn of Noise? Give a Brief Note on Noise?

Noise:

When you communicate you desire that the message received should be the same as the message sent.

But you might notice that this is not always the case. Why because of noise

Noise Defn:

Noise is defined as any unplanned interface in the communication environment, which causes

hindrance (delay) in the transmission of the message.

Noise can be classified as channel and semantics.

Ex: Channel noises are distortion due to the faulty backgrounds, noise, in the Telephone line,

or too high a volume or pitch from loud speakers.

In Written Communication Illegal Handwriting can be termed as channel noise.

Where as Channel noise develops externally, semantics noise is generated internally.

Ex: ambiguous sentence structure, faulty grammar, misspellings, and incorrect punctuation.

3) Explain General and Technical Communication briefly and give the Characteristics of

General and Technical Communication?

General and Technical Communication:

Communication is important not only in an organization but also in daily life.

When your alarm clock goes off a communication through sound.

You say good bye to your family as you leave home.

Your boss calls tell you to take up with a new project business related communication.


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Characteristics of General and Technical Communication.

General Communication Technical Communication

Contains a general message Contains a technical message

Informal in style and approach Mostly formal

No set pattern of communication Follows a set pattern

Mostly oral Both oral and written

Not always for a specific audience Always for a specific audience

Doesnt involves the use of

technicalvocabulary or graphics, etc.

Frequently involves jargon(Expressions use

byprofessionals), graphics, etc.

4) Explain How Language plays a vital rule in communication? Or explain how language works as

a tool of communication? And briefly explain the characteristics of a language?

Language as a Tool of Communication

When you try to define a language the first thing what comes in mind is word.

By changing the word order in a sentence you can change its meaning and even make it

meaningless.

How did the word acquire a meaning? Ex: the connection between a wooden plank balanced on four legs and the word LV ?

Ans:TABLE In the very first words there may have been some correlation between the symbol and the

sense- they may have been onomatopoeic (formation of words from there sound). A few such

words that still persist in the English language are buzz, drizzle and murmur.

In fact most of the words evoke certain meaning because people have agreed that the symbols

(words) represent specific meaning.

Thus language is directly dependent on people and cannot exist in isolation.

Characteristics of Language:

When we think of any event in our life then lots of pictures will come in mind ex: your first

entation. (The DXGLHQFHV H[SUHVVLRQV, GLPO\ OLW URRP, WKH SRGLXP DQG \RXUUYRXVQHVV)People use language as a barrier to shape the experiences. Since language is not exact, many

times it leads to misunderstanding.


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Being aware of the basic characteristics of language may help us understand this better and

communicate more effectively.

5) Write a note on Characteristics of a Language?

Characteristics of Language:

1) Artificial2) Restricted

3) Abstract4) Arbitrary5) Creative

6) Redundant

7) Recursive

1) Language is Artificial:

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created by human as they need it.

([: OHW XV WDNH WKH ZRUG A,'6. This did not exist until people were infected by this.

Now the process of the word AIDS created is easy to trace but this is not always possible.

Do you know how the ZRUG 1,&( KDV FKDQJHV LW PHDQLQJ RYHU KXQGUHG RI \HDUV? 7RGD\

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VWXSLG. Human Attach meanings to words as they need to and modify these meanings according to

changing needs. This why we say language is

artificial.

2) Language is Restricted:

When we think and translate our thoughts into language, some meaning is lost in the process.

No symbol can transmit the exact reality.

Thinking of our first school, when we were in school the building was new and modern, we

called it LWV my school, after many years it now looks antediluvian and dilapidated. We still

call it our school, are they not the same words being used to describe the building in different

state.

While communicating we should keep two things in mind.

We must avoid mistaking a changed reality for an unaltered one because of unchanged

language.

We need to use Language as accurate as possible. When required, we should corroborate with

other available alternatives, such as non-verbal cues, graphical elements, or audio-visual

recordings.


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3) Language is Abstract: (using generalized words)

We say language is abstract because it represents generalized idea of things or thoughts.

Ex: Table or dress.

Dress represents any thing from Frock to sari

Similarly table can be a tea table or Computer table or Dining Table etc.

Abstract is an important feature of language. It is this that makes all generalization possible.

The word nice had acquired many meanings like

1) Pleasant, enjoyable or attractive

2) Kind, friendly

3) (Ironic) bad or unpleasant

4) (Formal) involving a very small details or difference. Etc.

4) Language is Arbitrary:

There is no direct relationship between a word and the idea or object it represents.

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a peace of furniture with four legs and wooden plank used for

keeping things will be called a table.

Sometimes this arbitrary aspect of language causes problem.

Ex: verbal, gives different meaning spoken or written and also connected with words or usingwords.

5) Language is Creative:

Language is indeed very creative, every year innumerable word will be added up in dictionary.

This is because of the necessity.

Ex: edutainment = education + entertainment. Etc.

6) Language is Repetitive:

Whatever language you use it has the capacity for redundancy or repetition.Ex: a couple of girls are riding their bicycles.

We can accept this sentence because repetition gives meaning to it.

Bur not always sees the example below,

All of you meet together to see me in the afternoon at 3 pm.

Here even if you remove all of you and afternoon still it gives the same meaning.


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7) Language is Recursive:

Recursive the characteristics of a language which enables you to generate any number of

sentences using the same basic grammatical templates.

Ex: this man who is wearing a crumpled suit, which he borrowed from me to wear to his

LQWHUYLHZ, ZKLFK ZDV RQ :HGQHVGD\, ZKLFK ZDV WKH GD\, LW ZDV

UDLQLQJ.Still you can continue this sentence because this sentence can still continue to give proper

meaning. 7KDWV ZK\ ZH VD\ LW ODQJXDJH LV UHSHWLWLYH.

6) Explain the Different levels of Communication?

Levels of Communication

Human Communication takes place at various levels.

Extra personal

Intrapersonal

Interpersonal

Organizational

Mass

Extrapersonal communication:

Communication between human beings and non human entities is extra personal Ex: when your pet

dog comes to you.

Intrapersonal Communication:

This takes place within an

individual.Ex: when you feel hot switch on the fan where the brain gives instruction to you body part to do that

work.

Brain sender, body receiver, electrochemical impulse is message.

Interpersonal Communication:

Communication at this level refers to the sharing of information among people.


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Ex: informal communication (meeting with your family members) or formal communication (official

meeting).

Organizational Communication:

Communication in an organization takes place at different hierarchical levels.

Internal Operational conducting work within an organization is classified as internal-

operational.

External Operational communication with people outside the organization.

Personal all communication in an organization that occurs without purpose as far as business is

concerned.

Mass Communication:

For this kind of communication we require a mediator to transmit information.

These are several mass media communication such as journals, books, television...Etc...

The characteristics of type of communication:

Large reach:

Mass media communication reach audience scattered over a wide geographic area.

Impersonality:

This kind of communication is largely impersonal as the participants are unknown to each

other.

7) Explain the Flow of Communication ?

The Flow of Communication:

Information flows in an organization both formally and informally.

Internal operational and external operational communication can be described as formal.

This type of communication can flow in various directions

Downwards, upwards, lateral or diagonal as shown below.


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Downward communication:

flow from a manager, down the chain of communication, when manager inform, instruct or request

their subordinates the communication takes place in downward pattern.

Upward communication:

When subordinates send reports to inform their superiors or to present their findings and

recommendations the communication flows upwards.

Lateral or Horizontal Communication:

This form of communication takes place among peer groups or hierarchically equivalent employees.

Such communication is often necessary to facilitate, coordinate, save time and bridge the

communication gap among various departments.

Diagonal or Cross-wise communication:

Diagonal or cross wise communication flow in all directions and cuts across functions and levels in

an organization.

Ex: sales manager communicates directly with the vice president.


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8) Explain Communication Network in Detail? Explain its types?

Or Explain Formal Communication Network in detail?

Or Explain Informal Communication Network in detail?

Or Give the Characteristics of Grapevine?

Or Give the Advantages and disadvantages of informal communication or grapevine?

Communication networks:

A variety of patter emerges when communication combines through vertical and horizontal channels.

The Communication Network is Classified as

1) Formal Network models

2) Informal Networking Model

Formal Network models

Chain network

Y-network

Wheel network

Circle network

All channel network

Chain network: The Chain Network represents a vertical hierarchy in the in the flow of

communication.

Y-network:

Are in effect a multi-level hierarchy and a combination of horizontal and vertical flow of

communication?If we turn the Y upside, we see two subordinates reporting to one senior.

The wheel networkrefers to several subordinates reporting to a superior.

The circle network allows employees to interact with adjacent members but no further.


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TheAll channel networkwhich is least structure, enables each employee to communicate freely

with others.

For effective use of communication network, we need to remember the following:

No single network is suitable for all occasion.

The wheel and all channel network are preferred if speed of communication is a priority.The chain, Y and wheel network serves best when accuracy is crucial.

2) Informal Network Model.

This informal network is very active in almost every organization.

Some organizations consciously use it to great effect, to develop their human resources. And in turn

their productivity.

Types of informal networks:

Single strand

Gossip

Probability

cluster

Single Strand:

It is the way in which most people view the grapevine. Here the message is passed from one person

to another along single strand.


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Note: Grapevine: the means of transmission of rumors.

Gossip Network:

One person passes information to all the others.

Probability type of Network: each person tells other at random.

Cluster:

The most popular pattern of grapevine communication refers to that flow of information in which

some people tell a selected few of the other.

Characteristics of Grapevine:

Advantages Disadvantages

Not expensive Reveal some degree of error

Rapid Be harmful in case it is baseless orimaginary

Multidirectional Lead to misunderstanding because of

incomplete information

If carefully cultivated, is capable ofNot be reliable as nobody takes the

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Technical Communication CH1