Question 1.

Communication skills are of utmost importance in managing information and technology in any organization. List the characteristics of communication and discuss the seven barriers to effective communication. ( characteristics- 3 marks, barriers- 7 marks)

Characteristics of communication : Source ->Message-> Receiver Receiver ->Feedback->Source Source (or main message sender) 1. Plan carefully what you want your core message to be 2. Consider the existing knowledge and interest of your intended audience/receiver and how your message should best be tailored and delivered. 3. Be as clear, concrete and concise as you can when you make points (avoid waffling or lecturing) 4. Leave time/space for responses from the receiver (an listen more than you talk) 5. Respond to the receivers questions clearly and without getting sidetracked (and keep listening) Receiver (or message receiver) 1. Listen to the full message that is being communicated (in words and between the lines) 2. Avoid (as much as possible) looking bored, uninterested or judgmental; or avoiding eye contact; displaying distracting mannerisms (doodling, playing with paper clips etc). 3. Demonstrate as much warmth and empathy as appropriate and ask questions to clarify your understanding wherever you need to. 4. Paraphrase and summarize every so often to check that your understanding is on track. 5. Ask the message sender to stay on track when you think the conversation is wandering. Seven Barriers 1. Physical barriers are easy to spot doors that are closed, walls that are erected, and distance between people all work against the goal of effective communication. While most agree that people need their own personal areas in the workplace, setting up an office to remove physical barriers is the first step towards opening communication. 2. Perceptual barriers, in contrast, are internal. If you go into a situation thinking that the person you are talking to isnt going to understand or be
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interested in what you have to say, you may end up subconsciously sabotaging your effort to make your point. 3. Emotional barriers can be tough to overcome, but are important to put aside to engage in conversations. We are often taught to fear the words coming out of our own mouths, as in the phrase anything you say can and will be used against you. Overcoming this fear is difficult, but necessary. 4. Cultural barriers are a result of living in an ever shrinking world. Different cultures, whether they be a societal culture of a race or simply the work culture of a company, can hinder developed communication if two different cultures clash. 5. Language barriers seem pretty self-inherent, but there are often hidden language barriers that we arent always aware of. Without being patron izing, imagine explaining a situation in your industry to a child. How would you convey these concepts without relying on jargon? A clear, direct narrative is preferable to an incomprehensible slew of specialty terms. 6. Gender barriers have become less of an issue in recent years, but there is still the possibility for a man to misconstrue the words of a woman, or vice versa. Men and women tend to form their thoughts differently, and this must be taken into account when communicating. However, successful professionals in highly competitive fields tend to have similar thought processes regardless of their gender. 7. Interpersonal barriers are what ultimately keep us from reaching out to each other and opening ourselves up, not just to be heard, but to hear others. By engaging with others, we learn what our actual strengths and weaknesses are. This allows us to put forth our ideas in a clear, straightforward manner.

Question 2 - Non-verbal communication can have a greater impact than verbal communication and is ambiguous. List and explain the various types of nonverbal communication in brief. ( Listing- 2 marks, explanation- 8 marks)

Types of Non-verbal Communication Description Body language Touching Personal space and distance Use of time Tone of voice Physical environment

Communication Terminology Kinesics Haptics Proxemics Chronemics Paralanguage Physical context

Kinesics The word kinesics comes from the root word kinesis, which means movement, and refers to the study of hand, arm, body, and face movements. Different body movements can express inner states of emotion. The use of gestures, head movements and posture, eye contact, and facial expressions as nonverbal communication. Haptics To learn about the power of touch, we turn to haptics, which refers to the study of communication by touch. A lack of nonverbal communication competence related to touch could have negative interpersonal consequences. Touch is necessary for human social development, and it can be welcoming, threatening, or persuasive. There are several types of touch, including functional-professional, social-polite, friendship-warmth, love-intimacy, and sexual-arousal touch. Proxemics refers to the study of how space and distance influence communication. We only need look at the ways in which space shows up in common metaphors to see that space, communication, and relationships are closely related.. In general, space influences how people communicate and behave. The 2 Attributes of proxemics functions in nonverbal communication are proxemic distances associated with personal space and the concept of territoriality. Chronemics refers to the study of usage of time. This includes our attitudes towards punctuality and willingness to wait. It also deals with the manner in which we structure our time and interactions. Perception of importance of time varies between individuals and cultures. We convey messages to others through the time we spend on a work related activity or by the importance that we give to time. Arriving early at work or for a job interview shows interest, involvement and seriousness. For example, in most western cultures punctuality is considered to be important. Paralanguage Para means like or similar to, therefore paralanguage means like language. Of all the forms of non-verbal communication, paralanguage is closest to verbal communication. It refers to the tone of voice with which something is said. In other words, it is how something is said, and not what is said. The tone of voice includes the pitch (high or low pitch), the pace (slow or fast) the emphasis on words and the volume (soft or loud) and can convey different moods and emotions. The important point to keep in mind regarding tone of voice is to avoid mixed signals - that is, making sure that what you say is consistent with how you say it. Physical context Physical context refers to the physical environment or surroundings within which we communicate. This includes the following aspects: a. Colour and layout Colours are known for their symbolic meaning and have associations with different feelings. b. Design Design refers to the type of chairs, desks or carpeting. All these can convey status, formality or informality.
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c. Space management Space management refers to the arrangement of work spaces of people who regularly work together. d. Location The location in which we communicate influences the manner and nature of communication. e. Distance The physical distance between the people communicating influences the nature of communication. Question 3 Written messages must be as readable as possible. Discuss the two broad principles of writing. Explain the three stages of writing methodology in detail. ( Principles- 3 marks, writing methodology- 7 marks) Written messages must be made as readable as possible. We need to make them uncomplicated and easy so that even an average person can understand their meaning. Two broad principles of writing are Write to express, not to impress and Keep it short and sweet. A good writer is one who follows these principles and asks himself/herself even before framing a sentence What am I trying to say? What words will express it? Writing methodology comprises of three stages: Prewriting is a structured thinking process that helps you to explore and understand what you have to write. The techniques of prewriting help you to determine the approach to choose and plan to implement it. Usually, a prewriting plan enables you to explore a topic from different perspectives. It also helps you to discover new and original ideas for writing the topic. In the pre-writing stage, you analyze your audience to determine your audience requirements, anticipate the audience knowledge and design the strategy that can be adopted to communicate. Writing After knowing the audience and developing strategies you can research the topic and gather essential data. Once you gather the required data, you can organize your content i.e., decide the flow, group similar facts, identify the important facts to be mentioned, etc. Later, you begin to compose or write i.e., construct sentences and paragraphs. First you write a draft. While drafting, you write the information that you have researched in your own words. You build sentences and paragraphs even though they are not 100 percent perfect. You read what you have written and check whether what you have written is what you mean. You then get the document reviewed by others and ask for suggestions to improve the content. Reviewing In this stage, you revise, proofread and evaluate the message. You check whether the sentences are complete and if your content is correct. You check for spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar and parallelism. You will check for clarity of the content written and ensure that no errors are present in the content. Question 4 There are various techniques of reading out of which SQ3R is most popular. How will you apply it while reading and research? 4

( SQ3R meaning- 2 marks, Application/explanation- 8 marks)

SQ3R (also known as the SQRRR method) is an acronym for a 5-step reading and study method originally suggested by Francis Pleasant Robinson in his book Effective Study. This reading comprehension method named for its five steps: survey, question, read, recite, and review. The method was created for college students. However, it can also be used by elementary school students, who can practice all of the steps once they have begun to read longer and more complex texts. How to apply Reading : Read youll most likely have to read the text a number of times to make sure you understand it and can remember what its about.

First read right through the text and see how much you understand. While reading, note the most important parts but dont mark the text at this stage as you may not have fully understood it or be able to identify the most important parts. Read the text again! This time, mark/underline the keywords in the text (as long as its yours!). Use a pencil at this stage as you might change your mind about the key words and what's most important. Stop occasionally as you are reading and put what you have just read into your own words. Re-read any parts that are still not clear. Try to link what you are reading to what you already know. If there are any new words/jargon/technical terms that you don't understand, look them up. If you can't find the meanings, check Internet, peer group or lecturer/tutor. And if you need to remember them, write them down, together with the definitions.

After reading, recall or recite what you have just read. In other words: try to remember what you have read without looking at the text or your notes. You should also:

Decide what the main points are. Write down the main points, using your own words to explain what they mean.

How to apply Researching:

Narrow your topic and its description; identify and pull out key words, phrases and categories Use a search engine: does it contain a directory of topics? Find the best combination of key words to locate information you need; Enter these in the search engine Get assistance from your local research librarian Refer to known, recommended, expert, or reviewed web sites Refer to professional portals that may have directories or collections by topic
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Review the number of options returned. If there are too many web sites, add more keywords. If there are too few options, narrow/delete some keywords, or substitute other key words Review the first pages returned: If these are not helpful, review your key words for a better description Use advanced search options in search engines: Search options include Key word combinations, including Boolean strings Locations where key words are found. For example: in the title, 1st paragraphs, coded metadata Languages to search in Sites containing media files(images, videos, MP3/music, ActiveX, JAVA, etc.) Dates web sites were created or updated Research using several search engines Each search engine has a different database of web sites it searches. Some "MetaSearch" engines actually search other search engines! If one search engine returns few web sites, another may return many! Evaluate the content of the web sites you've found: Track your search: List resources you checked; the date your checked them Identify the resource, especially its location and the date you found it

Question 5 Advertisements are used by the organizations to communicate with prospective customers. What is the meaning and objectives of corporate advertising? Discuss with examples. ( meaning-2 marks, objectives- 5 marks, examples- 3 marks)

corporate advertising Advertising designed to promote overall awareness of a company or enhance its image among a target audience. a form of institutional advertising focusing not on a particular product or product range but on the organization itself; the objective of corporate advertising may be patronage, image or issue.

Objective
1. Create a good citizen image through consistent & dedicated effort. 2. Convey the organizations commitment to the concerned publics as well as to the masses & eliminate prejudices, if any held by opinion leaders in particular & by the public in general. 3. Boost both employee management relation & employee morale enabling all members of the internal public to discover a new vitality. 4. Raise money from the public which gives rise to demand for resplendent images like financial reliability, leadership, strength & competence. 5. On the marketing front it is easier & cheaper to sell product or services with less marketing budget. It is noteworthy to state that one of the most important developments in corporate advertising whether in India or abroad is its increasing maturity. With maturity has come a knowledge of how to operate with a social & economic system.
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Corporate advertising is not undertaken to support an organization's specific brands, but rather to build the general reputation of the organization in the eyes of key constituents. This form of advertising uses various mediabut primarily magazine and television adsand serves goals such as image enhancement and building fundamental credibility for a firm's line of products. Corporate advertising may also serve diverse objectives, such as improving employee morale, building shareholder confidence, or denouncing competitors. Corporate ad campaigns generally fall into one of three categories: image advertising, advocacy advertising, or cause-related advertising. Corporate advertising may also be orchestrated in such a way to be very newsworthy, and thus it needs to be carefully coordinated with the organization's ongoing public relations programs.

Example Let us take a hypothetical example. Suppose a company has suffered bad publicity because of a series of set-backs. The share price has fallen. The trade is wary. All sorts of risks exist. Company could lose orders, key staff could desert you, & a takeover bid might well be imminent. And yet company knows that the truth is very different. There is no need for panic. You have a new factory coming on-steam to produce a market-leader, & the good news is about to break. To stop the rot, and create a favourable market situation, you could place a confidence booster corporate advertising campaign in journals as varied as the Financial Times, the trade, technical, professional & local press, plus the leading nationals read by your distributors & customers. Now that would be a real purpose-built corporate campaign which was aimed at the right people in order to actually do something. They did not use pretty coloured pictures; instead they used dramatic headlines & typography.
Question 6 - In order to get a job you need to approach an organization with a resume. How does a resume affect your employability? What are the components of resume? ( meaning and purpose of resume- 3 marks, components- 7 marks)

A resume, commonly known as curriculum vitae, is by definition, a short description or a document that narrates the summary of your personal, educational, and professional background. In psychological terms it is a small reflection of your past and your overall personality. The key purpose of any resume is to grab the attention of an employer and to obtain an interview. There are hundreds and thousands of people applying for various different job positions. Amongst this whole bunch of candidates there may be many who will apply for the same job in the same company and management people don't have time to meet everyone face to face and evaluate their skills and talents. This is the reason why resumes became effective so that management can scan the resumes of candidates and select appropriate ones for a face-to-face interview. 1. Contact Information Name, address, and a phone number where you can be reached. It is also recommended that you include an email address and even a URL (if you have your own web page and it is related to the job you are seeking). Make it as easy as possible for a potential employer to reach you.

2. Objective & Summary the Objective tells the reader what you want and the Summary tells the reader what you have to offer. The Objective should be one line. If you want to bullet point your top three to seven highlights or accomplishments from your background, then a Summary will work. People create a mental picture as they read your resume. 3. Skill Set This can be used for both a Functional and Chronological resume. Start with a bullet, and then list your top transferrable abilities in one, two or three columns. Here you are quickly selling the reader on what you offer. 4. Education This is an important heading. In reverse chronological order, write the names of schools and locations, degrees, certificates, majors, minors, concentrations, study abroad, thesis topic, GPA and anything that is relevant. If you earned a college degree, then leave off high school information. Some have a separate section called Relevant Courses which points out special studies that are particularly related to the job. This section can come last or higher up the resume depending on your situation. 5. Experience List the job titles, organizations, cities, states and dates of employment. This can be full-time, part-time, internship or consulting work organized in reverse chronological order. A bullet followed by an action verb then concise descriptive phrases using key words that convey hard evidence of your competency. A subheading underneath might be Key Accomplishments, where you outline the achievements you are the most proud of. 6. Honors These can include awards, citations, scholarships, Deans list and any other recognition. If you have less than three honors, you may want to list them in another category such as Education to save space. 7. Additional Experience If one has a varied background, some positions may be more relevant to your goal than others. This section can also be titled, Other Experience. If space is tight, older work experiences can be filed here. 8. Technical & Language Skills one will want to illustrate your familiarity with software, hardware, computer languages and social networking. If you are fluent or proficient in any foreign languages, then list them in this section. 9. Community Service Hiring managers like to see that you are giving back outside of work. Often, volunteer experience can be as equally valuable to paid employment. It can also show that you are well rounded. An officer position can indicate leadership abilities. 10. Interests This category is optional. Readers may get a better feel about you if you show your personality and uniqueness. Think about any interesting side of you want to draw attention to. Often you will see travel, hobbies and athletics. If you dont have space, then skip it.