0HUN 102, PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, MODULE

THE CONCEPT OF COMMUNICATION

The word communication is originated from the Latin word “communicare” which means “to share”. It is
the exchange of information between two persons or more. So communication is a social process.
Generally, communication is exchange of ideas in an unstructured manner. The process of
communication has four elements, namely, Sender, Message, Medium and Receiver.
Sender is the person who wants to communicate. Message is the idea or content of communication.
Medium is the use of language or symbols for communication. Receiver is the person who gets the
message.

The process of communication can be represented as follows

Ideation Encoding Transmission

Feedback Decoding

Ideation = Sender has an idea to communicate

Encoding = Sender converts ideas to words or
symbols Transmission = Message travels through a
channel Decoding = Receiver understands the message
Feedback = Receiver’s response

USE OF LANGUAGE IN COMMUNICATION

Language is a system of human communication. It mainly involves the use of meaningful words, to be
used by certain people belong to the same linguistic community. Language can be carried out in
different levels, namely, the use of words, body language, actions etc.
In the use of language, vocabulary, fluency, pronunciation, tone, stress etc. are very important. Body
language includes sitting and standing posture, how people utilise the space when they communicate
and movements of the body, the eyes etc. Actions are very important too since they help in
communication in a blissful manner.
To communicate anything in an effective manner, language is inevitable. Using of language with
accuracy will give us an edge over others in the real life situations. The best use of language will help us
in the following ways,

 To maintain social order

 To create and promote business opportunities
 To maintain harmonious relations with different societies
 To promote leadership
 To train and learn, etc.

TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION
Technical communication is the type of communication that we follow in our professional life. It is
different from the normal communication that we use in our informal contexts. Technical
communication is majorly followed in written form but can be done in oral form too. By technical
communication, we share scientific, engineering and other technical information.
Characteristics of technical communication are as given below.
Technical communication is,

 Crisp
 Objective
 Including jargons (technical words)
 Formal
 Including tables, charts, diagrams, etc.

SIGNIFICANCE OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION

1. Technical communication conveys scientific and other technical matters by appropriate

diagram, vocabulary, etc.
2. Technical communication is clear, able to use jargons (technical words), invokes logical
thinking and reasoning.
3. Technical communication is significant because it facilitates clear communication
among professionals.
4. It helps in promoting business proposals, plans, projects, etc.
5. It helps in maintain effective and helpful human relations among employees of an
organisation.
 TECHNOLOGY BASED COMMUNICATION
Recently, communication has gone through drastic changes. Social media, presentation software and
other platforms are used even for high end presentations. Different aspects of technology based
communication are given below

EFFECTIVE E MAIL MESSAGES

E mail is the most widely used medium of communication in business and academic fields. The
advantages of using e mails are,
1. Speed : Reaches the recipient almost instantly.
2. Can be sent to multiple recipients on a single click.
3. A variety of files can be attached.
4. Easy access from anywhere in the world.
5. Inexpensive; most personal e mail ID’s are free.
6. It can be sent even to a person who is hard to reach.

To maintain effectiveness in E Mail communications, the following measures can be taken,

 Mention the subject correctly and never send an e mail without subject.
 Use simple and clear language.
 Use good formatting without using all CAPS.
 Type small paragraphs.
 Use bold, italics, etc to highlight the important points.

SLIDE PRESENTATIONS

Microsoft power point and Google slides are the most popular slide show programs today. The basic
structure of slide show is given below.

1. Introductory Slides
They include the title, overview and introduction to the topic.
2. Content Slides
These slides include the main body of the presentation.
3. Concluding Slides
These include the results, conclusion, discussions, references and thank you
slides.
The purpose of slide show is to support the presentation and not to detract from it. We can use the
slides to attract the audience and audience is always the important factor in a presentation and not
the slides. Slides should be used to,
*support communication
* make the presentation better
* give an overview of the presentation
* deliver the visual data which cannot be explained in words.

While making a presentation, the following are very important.

 Plan the presentation
 Ensure the clarity and visibility of slides
 Align the text to the left.
 Present the content in a structured manner
 Use a consistent theme without too much graphics
 Use dark text on a light background.
 Use good fonts
 Use slide numbers
 Before presentation, ensure that the slides work properly.

Don’ts
 Don’t use slides as substitute for saying.
 Don’t paste entire paragraph of the reference text to the slides.
 Don’t put full sentences on the slide, only the key points are needed.
 Don’t use too much animation.
 Don’t add sound effects unless they are necessary.

EDITING SKILLS

Editing is the process of finding out the mistakes of a given text and correcting them. We can make use
of different softwares to edit audio, video, graphic and other files. The following steps can be used to
improve editing skills of a text.

 Develop mastery in language

 Read the content in full
 Know the purpose of editing (understand whom are we writing to)
 Have the confidence to spot and edit the errors
  Take sufficient time to edit
 Reread the content sentence by sentence

Editing can be done through spelling, structure, style, punctuating, fact checking, grammar, etc.

EDITING SOFTWARES

Following are the examples for editing softwares that engineers use.
1. Media Wiki : PHP based web editing tool which Wikipedia uses

2. What Fix : Online documentation software

3. Wordpress : Open source, free, online content management platform

4. Microsoft Visio : Used in engineering applications design

5. Prezi : Used to make demos in video presentation. Can write and draw

6. MS Word : Can be used for documentation

MODERN DAY RESEARCH AND STUDY SKILLS

Different from the conventional classroom study and face to face interaction between students and
teachers, the present trend is gathering sufficient helps and information from the internet. Different
apps, discussion forums, etc. also help multitudes of people in knowledge acquisition. The following
are examples for modern day research and study tools.

1. SEARCH ENGINES

Search engines are web based tools that enable the users to locate information on the WWW.
Examples are Google, Yahoo. MSN, etc.
Search engines utilise automated software applications like robots, bots, spiders, etc. that travel along
the web to create searchable index.
 2. REPOSITORIES

Repositories are places where multiple databases or files are located for distribution over a network.
Repositories give assistance to the users without making them go though the entire network of
internet.

3. GIT HUB

Git Hub is a global company that provides hosting for software development version control using Git.
A Git is a distributed version control system to track changes in a source code during software
development. Git Hub offers all of the distributed version control and source code management
functionality of a Git.

4. STACK EXCHANGE

Stack Exchange is a network of question and answer websites on topic in different areas. It is self
monitoring. Each site in Stack Exchange covers specific topics and scholars will be giving answers to the
different questions.

5. OSS COMMUNITIES

OSS (Open Source Software) is a type of computer software in which the copyright holder grants rights
to the users to study, change and distribute the software to anyone for anything. OSS may be
developed in a collaborative manner. Linux, Android and Drupal are examples.

6. MOOC

MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is an online course aims at unlimited participation and open
access through web. It has been introduced in 2006 and widely accepted in 2012. MOOC’s provide
interactive sessions among students, professors and teaching assistants and are part of distance
education.
 7. SWAYAM

SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) is a programme by the MHRD of
India. Professors from IIT’s, IIM’s and central universities offer online courses to the citizens of India
through SWAYAM. It has been developed by the MHRD & the AICTE with the help of Microsoft. Online
courses are offered for free but certification requires fee.

8. NPTEL

NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning) is an initiative by 7 IIT’s (Bombay,

Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee). Through NPTEL, it is aimed at creating
course contents in engineering and science. Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering,
Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Mechanical
Engineering and core science programmes are the main areas at the beginning. Contents of the
courses are based on the IACTE model curriculum.

9. QUORA

It is an American question and answer website where questions are asked, answered and edited by the
internet users.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is stealing another person’s language, thoughts, ideas or expressions. Examples of softwares
to check plagiarism are duplichecker, paperrater, copyleaks, etc.

TECHNICAL VOCABULARY

Technical vocabulary is the vocabulary that we use in our professional and formal lives. This can also
be called as jargons. Normally, we use technical vocabulary while
VOCABULARY USED IN FORMAL LETTERS, E MAILS AND REPORTS

In formal letters, we have to have good starting, body of letter and conclusion. The vocabulary we can
use in formal letters to start are with a good salutation and greetings like dear sir/ madam, wish you a
good day, greetings for a good day, hope that you do well, etc. The body of letter should clearly specify
the content. Conclusion can be made by the words like yours truly, yours faithfully, obediently yours,
etc.
In formal e mails, we have to specify the subject clearly with simple and understanding language, open
with salutation as that in formal letters and in case of any attachment, mention it clearly like “please
go through the attached file”. Conclusion can be made by using the same vocabulary as we use in
formal letters.
Vocabulary in Reports should have the aim/ purpose of writing the report. It can have the words like
“this report is prepared based on the study”, “as of our study/observation”, etc. While giving examples
we can use “as example, for instance”, etc. Towards the ending, expressions like “to sum up, to
conclude, as conclusion”, etc. can be used.

SEQUENCE WORDS

Sequence words are the words that help to understand the order of events in a story or narration of
events in a report.
Examples: first, second, next, later, once upon a time, in addition to, suddenly, etc.

COMPOUND WORDS

Compound words are words formed with two or more words put together to form a new word with
new meaning. There are three types of compound words namely,
1. Closed Compound Words
2. Open Compound Words
3. Hyphenated Compound Words

1. Closed Compound Words

They are the words which look like one word, usually made up of only two words.
Eg: - Notebook, Superman, Fireman, Bookstore, Airport, Extraordinary, Worldwide,
Metaphysical, Bookstore
 2. Open Compound Words
Open compound words are made with the modifying adjective, combined with its noun. We
use a space between the adjective and noun.
Eg: - Living room, Real estate, Coffee mug, Full moon, High school, Dinner table, Ball pen

3. Hyphenated Compounds
A compound adjective is hyphenated if placed before the noun it modifies, but not placed
after the noun.
Eg: - A long – term solution is required now.
An up – to – date user guide is given with the device.
But hyphenation will not be given in the cases given below because compound adjectives are placed
after the noun.
Eg: - A solution is required now which should be long term.
A user guide, which is up to date, is given with the device.

SYNONYMS

A synonym is a word which carries the same meaning of another word.

PARAPHRASING

Paraphrasing is formulating someone else’s ideas in our own words. To paraphrase something, rewrite
the given document is important, without changing the meaning. This method is used to simplify the
author’s idea.
There are certain steps in paraphrasing as follow,

 Read the passage several times

 Note down the key concepts
 Write our own version without looking at the text.
 Compare the prepared text with the original
 Cite the source from which you found the idea.
VERBAL ANALOGIES

Verbal analogies are used to test our ability to find relationships between two words and to recognise
a similar relationship with two other words.
Eg: - Pages : Book :: Petals : ? (Flower)
Butcher : Knife :: Hairdresser : ? (Scissors)
Warm : Hot :: Old : ? (Antique)

SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT

Subject verb agreement simply means the subject and verb must agree in number, that is both must
be singular/ plural. If a subject is singular, verb must be singular.

The following are certain rules we have to follow related to the subject verb agreement.

 Two or more singular nouns or pronouns joined by and require a plural

verb. Eg: - Platinum and gold are costly metals.
He and I are playing.

 The verb should be singular if the nouns suggest one idea or refer to the same person
or thing.
Eg: - Time and tide waits for none.
Bread and butter is my breakfast.

 Verb should be put in singular if words joined to a singular subject by with, as well as,
etc.
Eg: - The president, with his members, has to be present in the meeting.
Technology, as well as science, is taught at our college.

 Two or more singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular

verb. Eg: - No city or village was left without Covid ’19 pandemic.
Neither power nor money influences him.

 When one of the subjects joined by or or nor is plural, the verb must be plural and the
plural subject should be placed nearest to the verb.
Eg: - Neither the chairman nor the directors are present.
  When the subjects joined by or or nor are of different persons, the verb agrees with the
nearer.
Eg: - Either he or I am mistaken. Either I or he is mistaken.
Neither you nor he is to blame. Neither my friend nor I am to blame.

 Either, neither, each, everyone, many a, must be followed by a singular

verb. Eg: - Either of the drivers is perfect.
Neither of the two is student.
Each of the students has to write the exam.
Everyone of the ministers is a politician.
Many a student passed the exam.

 Two nouns, qualified by each or every , even though connected by and require a
singular verb.
Eg: - Every student and every teacher is given holiday.
Each boy and each girl is given certificate.

 Some nouns, which are plural in form but singular in meaning, take a singular
verb Eg: - The news is true.
Politics without ethics spoils the nation.
 When a plural noun denotes some specific quantity or amount considered as a whole,
the verb is generally singular.
Eg: - Fifteen minutes is given to clear the problem.
Five hundred Rupees is not a big amount.

NUMERAL/NUMERICAL ADJECTIVES

An adjective is a word used with a noun to describe a person, animal, place or thing, to tell the number
or quantity. Numeral adjectives (adjectives of number) show how many persons or things are meant,
or in what order a person or thing stands. Adjectives of number usually answers the question “how
many”.
Eg: - The hand has five fingers.
Few cats like cold water

There are no pictures in this book.

Numeral adjectives are three types.
1. Definite Numeral Adjectives
They are the adjectives which denote the exact number.
 Eg: - One, two, three, etc. (They are known as Cardinals)
First, second, third, etc. (They are known as Ordinals)

2. Indefinite Numeral Adjectives

They are the adjectives which do not denote the exact number
Eg: - All, no, few, some, any, etc.

3. Distributive Numeral Adjectives

They are the adjectives which refer each one of a number.
Eg: - Each boy should play football.
We expect every help from you.

EMBEDDED SENTENCES
To complete a sentence, there should be a main clause. Main clause is also known as independent
clause, super ordinate clause or base clause. Main clause is made with subject and predicate which
expresses the complete meaning.
Eg: - The angry man shouted violently.

In this sentence, “the man shouted” has a complete meaning and to it, the words “angry” and
“violently” are embedded.

CLAUSES

Group of words which forms part of a sentence, and contains a subject and a predicate is called clause.
Eg: - He has a chain which is made of gold.
We cannot ride bike while it is
raining.

CONDITIONALS

Conditionals help to describe the result of something that might happen in the present or future or
might have happened in the past. They are also called “if clauses”.

There are four main types of conditionals.

1. The Zero Conditional (if + simple present)
Eg: - If you heat water to 100° C, it boils.
If you heat ice, it melts.
 2. The First Conditional ( if + simple present + will + to infinitive )
Eg: - If you heat water to 100° C, you will be able to boil it.
If it rains tomorrow, we will go to swim.

3. The Second Conditional ( if + simple past + would )

Eg: - If I won the lottery, I would buy a Ferrari.

4. The Third Conditional ( if + past perfect + would + have + past participle of the verb)
Eg: - If I had studied, I would have passed the exam.

REPORTED SPEECH

We can report another person’s words in two ways, namely, by quoting his actual words which is
called Direct Speech and by reporting what he said without quoting his exact words and is called
Indirect Speech or Reported Speech. Reported Speech is used to communicate what someone else
said, think or believe, but without using the exact words. It is usually used to talk about the past; hence
change of tense should be there.

Rules to Change Direct Speech into Reported Speech

Direct Speech Reported Speech

Simple Present Simple Past

Example: Preethi said that she cooked pasta.
Example: Preethi said, “I cook pasta.”

Present Continuous Past Continuous

Example: Preethi said, “I am cooking pasta.” Example: Preethi said that she was cooking pasta.

Present Perfect Past Perfect

Example: Preethi said, “I have cooked pasta.” Example: Preethi said that she had cooked pasta.

Present Perfect Past Perfect Continuous

Example: Preethi said, “I have been cooking Example: Preethi said that she had been cooking
pasta.” pasta.

Simple Past Past Perfect

Example: Preethi said, “I cooked pasta.” Example: Preethi said that she had cooked pasta.

Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous

Example: Preethi said, “I was cooking pasta.” Example: Preethi said that she had been cooking
pasta.

Past Perfect Past Perfect (No change)

Example: Preethi said, “I had cooked pasta.” Example: Preethi said that she had cooked pasta.

Past Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous (No change)

Example: Preethi said, “I had been cooking Example: Preethi said that she had been cooking
pasta.” pasta.

Table 1 – Change of Pronouns

Direct Speech Reported Speech

I He, she

Me Him, her

We They

Us Them

You He, she, they

You Him, her, them

My His, her

Mine His, hers

Our Their

Ours Theirs

Your His, her, their

Yours His, hers, theirs

 Table 2 – Change of Adverbs of Place and Adverbs of Time
Direct Speech Reported Speech

This That

These Those

Adverbs of Place

Here There

Adverbs of Time

Now Then

Today That day

Tomorrow The next day / The following day

Yesterday The previous day

Tonight That night

Last week The week before

Next week The week after

Last month The previous month

Next month The following month

Last year The previous year

Next year The following year

Ago Before

Thus So

I. When the reporting verb is in the Past Tense, all Present Tenses of the Direct Speech
will be changed into the corresponding Past Tense. Thus,
1. A simple present becomes a simple past.
Eg: - He said, “I am weak”. (Direct)
He said that he was weak. (Reported)
2. A present continuous becomes a past continuous
Eg: - My friend said, “I am playing football”. (Direct)
My friend said that he was playing football. (Reported)
3. A present perfect becomes a past perfect.
Eg: - He said, “I have completed the homework”. (Direct)
He said that he had completed his homework. (Reported)
4. Simple past in the direct becomes past perfect in indirect
Eg: - He said, “The poet died in the night”. (Direct)
He said that the poet has dies in the night. (Reported)
5. “Shall” of the future tense is changed into “should”.
6. “Will” of the future tense is changed into “would” or ”should”.

II. The tenses may not change if the statement is still relevant or if it is a universal
truth. Eg: - Gopi said, “I know her address”. (Direct)
Gopi said that he knows her address. (Reported)
 III. The following words will be changed into the corresponding words given in the table.
Direct Speech Reported Speech

Now Then
Here There
Today That day
Yesterday The day before

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICES

Voice is that form of a Verb which shows whether what is denoted by the subject does something or
has something done to it.
A verb is in the active voice when its form shows that the person or thing denoted by the subject does
something. It follows the pattern SVO (Subject, Verb and Object).
A verb is in the passive voice when its form shows that something is done to the person or thing
denoted by the subject.

It has to be noticed that when the Verb is changed from the active Voice to the Passive, the Object of
the Transitive Verb in the Active Voice becomes the Subject of the Verb in the Passive Voice.
The below given table shows what changes occur while changing the sentences from Active Voice to
Passive Voice.
TENSE ACTIVE VOICE PASIIVE VOICE

Simple Present Take Am taken

Takes Is taken
Am taking Are taken
Am being taken
Present Continuous Is taking Is being taken
Are taking Are being taken
Present Perfect Has taken Has been taken
Have taken Have been taken
Simple Past Took Was taken
Were taken
Past Continuous Was taking Was being taken
Were taking Were being taken
Past Perfect Had taken Had been taken
Simple Future Will take Will be taken
Shall take Shall be taken

Rules for Active – Passive Voice Conversions

Rule 1. Identify the (S+V+O) Subject, Verb and object in the active sentence to convert to passive voice
Example:
He drives car. (Subject – He, verb – Drives, object – Car)
Rule 2. Interchange the object and subject with each other, i.e. object of the active sentence become the subject
of the passive sentence.
Example :
Active voice : She knits sweater. (Subject – She, Verb – Knits, Object – Sweater)
Passive Voice : The sweater is knitted by her. (Object sweater is interchanged with the subject She).
Rule 3. In passive voice sometimes the subject is not used, i.e. the subject in passive voice can be omitted if the
sentence without it gives enough meaning.
Example :
Milk is sold in litres
Rule 4. Change the base verb in the active sentence into the past participle ie. third form verb in a passive
sentence i.e. preceded by (By, With, to, etc). Base verbs are never used in passive voice sentences.
Example:

 Active voice: She prepares dinner.

 Passive voice: The dinner is prepared by her.
 Active voice: She knows him.
 Passive voice: He is known to her.
 Active voice: Juice fills the jar.
 Passive voice: The jar is filled with juice.
Rule 5. While conversion of Active voice sentence to Passive voice sentence, the pronoun used in the sentence
also changes in the following manner.

Active Voice Pronoun Passive Voice Pronoun

I Me

We Us

He Him

She Her

They Them

You You

It It
Rule 6. Use the suitable helping or auxiliary verb (is/am/are/was, etc.). The rules for using auxiliary verbs in
passive voice sentences are different for each tense.

Example:

 The letter is written by her

 A book was not bought by her
 Chocolates are being eaten by them.