ELEMENTS OF STYLES OF COMMUNICATION BEHAVIOUR

ELEMENTS OF STYLES OF COMMUNICATION BEHAVIOUR

A sensitive observer should be able to spot the communication style of individuals‟ from the verbal cues or signals exhibited:

(1) Non-assertive (submissive) communication style

The verbal cues and clues are:
(1) Use of apologetic words
(2) Devaluation of self
(3) Failure to say what one means really
(4) Use of phrases implying diffidence
(5) Beating about the bush - hedging
(6) Loss of words
(7) Self-defeating
(8) Shifting responsibility to others
(9) Rambling and disjointed expressions
(10) Veiled meanings

(2) Aggressive communication style

The verbal symbols are:
(1) Accusations of others
(2) Behaving like a dictator
(3) Use of very subjective descriptions
(4) Not recognizing roles of others
(5) Use of loaded words
(6) Putting others down
(7) Frequent use of „you‟ messages blaming or labeling others
(8) Use of superior wordings in expressions

(3) Assertive communication style

The verbal signs and signals are:
(1) Accept responsibility
(2) Make direct statements that say what they mean
(3) Express own feelings honestly
(4) Negotiate on the basis of win-win situation for both parties
(5) Use „I‟ messages frequently
(6) Use object sentences
(7) Recognize others‟ contribution
(8) State their „wants‟ clearly

STRATEGIC RELEVANCE OF COMMUNICATION

STRATEGIC RELEVANCE OF COMMUNICATION

Homo sapiens, as a species, have progressed faster than any other animal species solely because human beings have learnt to communicate and cooperate better for the mutual betterment of mankind. Among the fruits of these unrelenting efforts to improve, human beings have successfully won the challenges of time, distance and speed and have acquired the ability to communicate across communities, countries and continents.

Following ideas, proverbs and quotations provide the proof, if it is needed, to highlight the role of communication in our civilization:

1. Communication is a key to success and advancement
2. Communication is not a quick fix; it is a journey.
3. The verbal edge is the winning edge.
4. What you say or write is you.
5. All progress means war with society.
6. The finest eloquence is that which gets things done.
7. Communication is the glue that holds an organization together
8. Communication is the life-blood of an organization
9. Top executives need to communicate most of the time
10. It is not enough to have a strategy; communicating it to everyone is the real challenge

(1) Communication skills „impress‟

It is a set of personal skills that transform ones‟ personality. Effective communication skills enable a person to „impress‟ as the acronym elaborates:
I Idea
M Message
P Pause
R Receiver
E Empathy
S Sender
S Security concerns
Thus to impress others especially ones‟ subordinates, peers and seniors, managers / leaders have a duty to themselves – to improve their intra-personal communication skills. Only they can help and no one else can undertake this self-improvement regime on their behalf. Experience has confirmed that these skills are largely acquired and are not inborn.

(2) Communication is key to „success‟

Communication skills spell S-U-C-C-E-S-S for everyone including the firm that acquires these skills:
S Self-awareness
U Understanding others
C Caring for others
C Choosing right words, phrases and idioms
E Esteem of self
S Self-confidence
S Sharing with others

(3) Poor communication skills push one to „failure‟

If a person is not aware of the power of personal communication skills and does not put in sufficient efforts to overcome the deficiencies in his oral and written communication skills, failure faces him in the face:
F Fear of facing subordinates, peers and seniors
A Assumptions that are not valid and tested
I Insensitive to environments and situations
L Label others in to convenient categories of various prejudices
U Uncertainty about outcome of the efforts
R Resentment towards everyone
E Ego clashes with one and all

STYLES OF ORAL COMMUNICATION

STYLES OF ORAL COMMUNICATION

In order to understand the meaning and importance of oral communication, we must know the three styles of oral communication:
 Non-assertive (Submissive) communication style
 Aggressive communication style
 Assertive communication style
These are described below:

(1) Non-assertive (Submissive) communication style

This style or behaviour happens when persons:
 Fail to stand up for their rights
 Do things in a manner that others can easily disregard
 Express opinions, feelings etc in apologetic and cautious manner
 Fail to express own opinions, feelings etc altogether
A person becomes submissive when he sees that his own needs and wants are less important than others. The person tends to justify or explain while accommodating others‟ viewpoint.
In the event of a conflict, a person with submissive communication style can easily defuse the situation by avoiding taking a strong stand. It helps people to escape anxiety or confrontation. He avoids feeling guilty about letting someone down etc. Usually work suffers because aggressive viewpoint, not necessarily the best option, prevails.

(2) Aggressive communication style

This style or behaviour happens when persons:
 Stand up for their rights in a way that violates the right of others to have their say
 Express own thoughts, feelings etc in inappropriate way even when they believe that their views are incorrect
Aggressive style of communication enhances speakers at the cost of others. It puts the other person down and is based on the opinion that their opinions are more important than others. It is characterized by:
 Blaming others or factors external and outside own control
 Showing contempt for others
 Being hostile to others
 Attacking others orally
 Patronizing others
Aggressive behaviour usually succeeds in getting what he wants; it also conveys a sense of power over others. It helps the communicator to release his steam and provides an outlet for his anger and bad feelings.

(3) Assertive communication style

There is a third style of communication – assertive communication. It is neither submissive nor aggressive – it is emphatic behaviour while communicating with others. It happens when persons:
 Stand up for their rights in a way that does not violate others‟ rights
 Express own point of view honestly, openly and directly while conveying that they understand the others‟ position

STRATEGIES FOR ASSERTIVE STYLE OF COMMUNICATION

STRATEGIES FOR ASSERTIVE STYLE OF COMMUNICATION

(1) Creating the right first impression

A speaker is judged in the first two or three minutes. It is, therefore, imperative for the speaker to have a very well rehearsed opening of the presentation. If the good impression already exists, no major effort may be necessary. However, it is not desirable to take things for granted; good speakers have a good collection of opening statements in their repertory.

(2) Clarifying and building image of the goal

Always start with end in view. You cannot go wrong if, from the beginning, speaker shares with the receivers the goal or the purpose or the ultimate finishing point. It helps developing a rapport with the listeners. A quick indication of the road map en route may further invoke interest and make it easier for the audience to understand the message. Some deviations are always possible and sometimes, are even welcome!

(3) Making purposive statements

The goal should serve as a flag under which the participants can rally when the things are not smooth. It helps the speaker to bring discussions back on track and in reckoning; it is always welcomed by the audience. They link well with the ultimate destination and prevent derailing of your line of thought.

(4) Using clear and lucid Language

An assertive speaker is direct and straight. He has the capability to hold the listeners spell-bound or in a trance willing to do his bidding. Use of clear, lucid and winning words that are couched in phrases the listeners are familiar is very rewarding.

(5) Speaking with empathy

Experience confirms that „how‟ of the message is more important than „what‟ of the message. The body language is critical – good posture, eye contact and good voice modulation adds confidence and truthfulness to the speakers‟ statements. The level of confidence that the speaker exhibits is very infectious.

(6) Paraphrasing

From time to time, the speaker should repeat the important part of the message as it keeps the attention of listener focused on the point. It avoids any of the listeners losing track of the subject. Simultaneously, speaker should ask questions to ensure audience participation.

(7) Maintaining listeners‟ interest

The speaker applauds good answers from the audience and makes positive gestures when listeners have grasped the idea or concept. He keeps them involved about the next step on the road map to the finish and readies them for receiving the message by telling listeners about its importance.

(8) Collecting feedback

„Feedback is the breakfast of the champions‟. If you want to be a champion speaker then, it is absolutely essential to be sensitive to the feedback from the audience. Active participation by the receivers is very desirable. Ideally, the feedback is more than the body language that they show – they way they move forward or backward on their seats, the way they yawn and they way they twitter their fingers are cues and clues that will never tell lies but if these are supplemented by comments / suggestions

BECOMING A POWERFUL COMMUNICATOR

BECOMING A POWERFUL COMMUNICATOR

Acquiring effective communication skills is a lot of hard work. It requires a complete change in individuals‟ attitude towards their environments. This change in attitude should be so strong as to impel them to bring about a sea change in their personality. It is now recognized that once persons have acquired good command over their speaking and writing abilities, they feel self-confident, assured and poised. Among others, following five qualities stand out in them:
(1) Perception
Good communicators are able to predict fairly accurately how their message will be received and whether it would have the requisite impact. They are really good at reading their audience correctly. They constantly modify and adjust their messages to tailor them to audiences‟ requirements and prevent any misinterpretation and misunderstanding.
(2) Precision
They create a meeting of minds of the senders and the receivers. When they finish delivering the message, audience shares the same mental picture as they have of the topic being discussed.
(3) Credibility
Good communicators come out as believable persons. Audience has faith in the substance of their message. They trust the senders‟ information and intention. The message is received rather well.
(4) Control
Good communicators shape response of their audience. In line with the original intent of the message, they can make their audience laugh / cry, calm them down, change their mind and prompt them to act in certain ways as would achieve the purpose of the communicators.
(5) Congeniality
They always maintain friendly and pleasant relations with their audience. They command respect and goodwill. As a result, despite differences, people like to work for them.

Communication overall

Communication overall

Communication is a vast subject; it stands for connectivity and networking in its broadest sense. In the context of an enterprise, business communication is the process of influencing others to achieve common, shared objectives. Communication is a two way process and is completed only when the feedback is received by the sender. Information flow is a one way process.
Communication can be verbal covering oral and written form and non-verbal that uses a large number of signs, signals, gestures, expressions and sounds. As learning about the non-verbal communication increases, it is changing the way people look at both the oral and written communications. Everyone seems to be communicating all the time especially during waking hours. By mastering the art of observing and interpreting body language and related aspects of communication, every one can become a better communicator!
Business communication is not only the life blood an organization but also the heart of its internal and external communications. Effective communication skills form vital part of a job requirement, are prerequisite for promotion to higher positions and are essential to all problem solving. They ignite enthusiasm, enhance motivation and hone traits of leadership. Communication skills are also advantageous in personal life and community work. They enhance will to work, skill to work and thrill to work. They promote joy at work, impart satisfaction and happiness.
A deeper understanding of the process of the inward and outward journey at the senders‟ and receivers‟ ends goes a long way in students‟ ability to draft and deliver effective messages. The six-stage model of business communication would enable them to gain deeper knowledge of the subject and acquire more effectiveness in communication skills – the strategic asset they must possess before they can move into senior corporate positions.

COMMUNICATION PROCESS-2

COMMUNICATION PROCESS-2

PROCESS AT COMMUNICATEES‟ END (RECEIVERS‟ PART)

The entire process at the communicators‟ end repeats in two parts:
 Inward journey
 Outward journey
The process follows all the steps as described above.

COMMUNICATION MODEL

In managerial terms, the process of communication follows the following six steps:
1 Sender has a idea to communicate (Conception)
2 Idea becomes a message (Encoding)
3 Message is transmitted through a medium (Transmission)
4 Message is received by the other person (Decoding)
5 Message is interpreted by the receivers‟ mind (Interpretation)
6 Receiver responds and give a feedback to the sender (Feedback

(1) Conception
(i) Mental images
All individuals are continuously bombarded by information flowing from
 Sights (Scenes)
 Sounds
 Scents
These streams of sensation are conveyed to the human mind. Each individual has a unique „mental filter‟ because of own experiences, exposures, emotions etc. The mental filter converts these streams of sensation in to a mental map of the event that becomes the basis of perception of the reality. No two mental images of the observers of the same event will be identical!
All sensations received in the mind go through the process of abstraction and simplification.

(ii) Psychological factors

A person tends to hear what he wants to and rejects what he does not want to hear. This is because of several factors as below:
 Sensory factors
 Demographic factors
 Psychographic factors
 Loyalty of individuals
 Personality of individuals

(iii) Technical aspects
These days communication is greatly influenced by the technology and choice of the medium of transmission. Followings should be taken in to account:
 Transmitter
 Transmission process
 Receiver
In most cases, a certain amount of repetition may be desirable to ensure that the message is not mutilated.

(iv) Role of being logical and systematic
The message, to be effective, should be logical and conveyed in a systematic manner. Messages suffer from:
 Logical errors
 False analogy
 Concluding from limited data
 Understanding syllogism (Deductive logic)
 Arguing in circles
Usually in such cases, the middle of the message remains undisturbed but most receivers tend to get misled.

(v) Conclusions
Arriving at the conclusion from the various conflicting and diverse factors is the real issue. As a rule, four possible conclusions are:
 Valid and true
 Valid and false
 Invalid but true
 Invalid and false
Communicators have to avoid the pitfalls and look for valid and true conclusions.

(2) Encoding

The process of how the mind converts an idea into words is not yet fully understood. Choice of words by the speaker depends up various factors as below:
 Subject
 Purpose
 Audience
 Personal style
 Mood
Besides, length of the message, tone and style are influenced by:
 Content of the message
 Familiarity of the receiver(s)
 Emotional conflicts
 Difficulty of expressing ideas

(3) Transmission

Choice of transmission mode depends upon the followings:
 Message
 Audience
 Need of speed / urgency
 Situation
In all cases, it is important to control the transmission link. This not only ensures its availability but also avoids distortion and level of noise. Also, remember that longer the chain of communication, bigger is the problem of ensuring correct transmission of the messages.

(4) Decoding

The receiver has to read or hear the message before he can understand it. One of the most common barriers to communication is the lack of attention by the receiver. Human mind tends to drift when it is forced to hear something. It is said that mind is like a horse; it is very difficult to control it. Usually, a person‟s mind has around 6,000 ideas flashing across in one day!
There are many words in all the languages with multiple meanings. To be able to understand the correct meaning in the context of the message or the way sender has used it to convey his intent is quite a challenge.

(5) Interpretation

If the background and the experience of sender and receiver vary considerably, understanding of the message can be very different. Following three diagrams show pictorially the impact on getting the meaning and understanding of the message:

Little amount of Average amount of Large amount of
shared experience shared experience shared experience
Dissimilar meaning Similar meaning Very similar meaning
Misunderstanding Average degree of High degree of
understanding understanding

(6) Feedback

Communication is a two way process. The communication loop is not complete until the sender of the communication receives a feedback from the receiver. The feedback may be verbal or non-verbal through the body language. Many a times, audience conveys through expressions, gestures or sounds. A sensitive speaker can always understand the feedback from the way the receivers stoop forward or backward, the way they yawn and the way they twitters their fingers. There are a large numbers of cues, signs and signals to pick up and interpret!

COMMUNICATION PROCESS -1

COMMUNICATION PROCESS -1

In order to develop a deep understanding of the subject of communication, it is important that everyone understands the complete process of communication. Broadly, it has two parts:
 Process at communicator‟s end (Senders‟ Part)
 Process at communicatee‟s end (Receivers‟ Part)

PROCESS AT COMMUNICATORS‟ END (SENDERS‟ PART)

The process at communicators‟ end can also be looked at in two halves as below:

(1) Inward journey

It entails the following steps:
(i) As received by senses
A human being perceives the world around him from spoken words, written words, visuals and cues from body language in terms of sounds, gestures, expressions, signs, signals etc through the five human senses of seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting and touching.
These are the external five senses – our antennas. However, ultimately senses only capture feelings, images etc and convey them to the human brain which is main receptacle of what is perceived by the five senses. That is why it is said that it is not the eyes that see but the brain; it is not the nose that smells, it is the brain; it is not the ears that hear, it is the brain; it is not the tongue that tastes, it is the brain and it is not the skin or hands that feel, it is the brain.
All that is captured by the human senses from environments are far from ideal i.e., without noise or distractions. On the contrary all kinds of distractions intervene and messages transmitted to the brain are far from perfect.
Additionally, there is also the problem of sensitivity of the senses. How sensitized they are varies very widely from one person to another. Someone remembers a scene from a movie very vividly after many years and another person cannot recall the scene from a movie seen a few minutes ago. Some people can detect a smell from long distance while others would not notice it even when they are passing besides its source. Some singers can hear a small variation in a note very clearly while others cannot. Thus this process of perceiving is very heavily dependent upon the faculty of receivers. Human beings vary widely in their ability to perceive different sensual inputs.
(ii) Influence of sources of distraction
If one is hearing music, even a small level of noise can be very disparaging – no wonder, music recording studious are noise proof. Similarly, speech delivered in noisy circumstances can be very difficult to understand and absorb. Noisy classrooms can be lethal for good learning. Even visuals placed in noisy room fail to make the impact they are intended to. Similarly, listeners may miss many cues from the body language that normally forms a major chunk of the message being delivered. A shabbily dressed person cannot make as good an impression as a well-dressed one.
If there are too many distractions behind or besides the speaker, the message may fall flat. The situation is similar to a young man having gone to see a bride at a place where there are many more beautiful girls present, finds very difficult to decide!
(iii) Receiving information by the brain
When information arrives at the brain, it passes through a kind of sieve that separates out difficult, strange or awkward words and simplifies them into familiar words. This is a part of the process of abstraction that takes place before the message is classified and stored
(iv) Searching for similar material in the brain memory
This is the second part of the process of abstraction that goes on in the brain – it is somewhat like classifying the message before storing. Once this search is completed, the material is stored next to the similar stuff already in the memory. Rarely, one can get identical material and one should be happy to get as near to the one in memory as possible. If it is totally new or alien material, it may not be possible to retrieve it when required!
(v) Storing the material in the brain
This is a complex stage. Needless to say that human memory is still the fastest to retrieve and recall. Owing to overload or bounded rationality, there is always a limit to what and how much can be stored in the human memory. This faculty or capacity to store also varies widely among individuals and has a significant influence on ones‟ competence to communicate.

(2) Outward journey

When an individual has the need to communicate with others, the process starts with the happenings in the brain of the sender who is already subjected to a lot of experiences, emotions, knowledge and opinions.
(i) Retrieval of information from human memory
This is very much like pulling a file from the filing cabinet. Since it is in response to a need, the file pulled out may not always be the one most appropriate to the stimuli. This may bring in variations in interpreting the message received.
(ii) Choosing the right words and phrases
This stage is highly subjective and is greatly influenced by the mastery of the sender over the language used for communication. Besides, linguistic competence extends to proper use of form of verbs, adjectives, adverbs etc
(iii) Delivery of message
Role of sender continues to be important as the style, speed and manner of speaking decide the impact of the message. The body language and ability of the sender to throw his voice towards the audience form the major part of the message delivered.
(iv) Sources of distraction
Once again, the message passes through a medium that may have one or several sources of distraction, impairing the message as received by the communicatee.

STOPS

STOPS

A STOP occurs when the exhaled air is completely blocked for a brief moment at the point of
articulation. It cannot get out through either the nose or mouth. The major stops are [b] & [p]
(bilabial), [d] & [t] (alveolar), [ɡ] & [k] (velar), and [ʔ] (glottal). There are voiced and
voiceless stops.

1. Voiced Stops [b], [d] and [ɡ]

A voiced stop requires the vocal folds to vibrate as air passes over them. This means that
there is air movement but all exits are closed. As the voiced stop is produced, air fills the oral
cavity (cheeks, back of mouth) momentarily. Then it is released.
English speakers vary greatly in the amount of voicing they give to the voiced stops in their
language. As you pronounce the following words, pay attention to the rumble in your throat.
Place your fingers on your larynx or cover your ears. You will be able to feel and hear the
vibration in your throat.

2. Exaggerate the Voicing of the Initial Stops in Each Word

Barry’s ball-batting’s better.
Dotty doesn’t dance divinely.
Gary got good grades.

Voiceless Aspirated Stops [pʰ], [tʰ] and [kʰ]

In linguistics ASPIRATION means a puff of air. A stop is ASPIRATED when there is a
slight puff of air immediately following the release of the stop. English speakers control
aspirated stops very naturally at the beginning of words, so this is no problem for them. Say
the following words while holding the back of your hand in front of your mouth and notice
the puff of air that follows the release of each stop.
Aspiration is written phonetically by a raised “h” immediately following the stop. [pʰ, tʰ, kʰ].

Voiceless Unaspirated Stops [p], [t] and [k]

A stop is UNASPIRATED when there is no puff of air after release of the stop. Producing
unaspirated stops at the beginning of words is not natural for native English speakers because
none occur in word-initial position. However, they do occur immediately following [s].

Language- Its Role In Communication Process

Language- Its Role In Communication Process

There are a wide number of sources of noise or interference that
can enter into the communication process. This can especially occur
when people don’t know each other very well and do not
understand the sources of error. For example, in a seminar
environment, it is even more common since interactions involve
people who do not know each other; communication is also
complicated by the complex and often conflictive cultural
differences. The following suggests a number of potential sources of
noise:

Choice of words or language

What the presenter uses to transmit a message will influence the
quality of communication. Because language is a symbolic
representation of a phenomenon, room for interpretation and
distortion of the meaning exists. Meaning has to be given to words,
and many factors affect how an individual will attribute meaning
to particular words. It is important to note that no two people will
attribute the exact same meaning to the same words.

Perceptual biases

People attend to stimuli in the environment in very different ways.
We each have shortcuts that we use to organize data. Invariably,
these shortcuts introduce some biases into communication. Some of
these shortcuts include stereotyping, projection, and self-fulfilling
prophecies. Stereotyping is one of the most common. This is when
we assume that the other person has certain characteristics based on
the group to which they belong without validating that they in fact
have these characteristics.

Interpersonal relationships

How we perceive communication is affected by the past experience
with the individual. Perception is also affected by the
organizational relationship two people have. For example,
communication from a superior may be perceived differently than
that from a subordinate or peer.

Cultural differences

Effective communication requires deciphering the basic values,
motives, aspirations, and assumptions that operate across
geographical lines. Given some dramatic differences across cultures,
approaching areas such as time, space, and privacy in cross-cultural
situations has the potential to increase the opportunity for
miscommunication.

World Englishes

World Englishes

When we talk about the World Englishes, we cannot ignore Indian English because it is
widely spoken. The Indian census has not actually counted the numbers of English speakers
recently; however, the English speakers are estimated to be in the range 9 percent (100 million)
to 33 percent of her population (350 million speakers). There are 100-200 million fluent speakers
of English, and 300 - 400 million people can manage to speak (Enokizono, 2000).

In India, there are 28 states and more than 18 official languages .
Recently, the survey said that around 325 languages are spoken, and more than 700 dialects exist
in India. Most languages in India link up with to one of the four language families: Indo-Aryan,
Dravidian, Tibeto-Burmese and Austro-Asiatic .

Gujarati, Bengali, Urdu, and Sindhi are common languages in North India. These
languages originated from the Sanskrit language and linked to the Indo-European group
. The people of North India often use Hindi language as a Lingua Franca
(Hohenthal, 2003). On the other hand, the South Indian languages such as Telugu, Tamil,
Kannada and Malayalam originated from Dravidian group, a very different group , When a North Indian migrates to South India and vice versa, English is used as a Lingua
Franca - a language that inherited from the British during their two-hundred-year rule. English is popular in India not only because English is an international language, rather English is a need for Indian people to communicate each other

English has various dialects in India due to the influence of local languages. In the
school, students have to study both local language and English as compulsory language. On
average, an Indian student needs to learn 3-4 languages. For example, someone from Western
India, has to learn the West Indian language Marwari, a dialect of Hindi, to deal with local
shopkeepers, servants, workers, whereas Hindi and English languages as a required course in the
school. In some cases, as a student has to move to another part say West India to East India,
he/she may have to learn an additional local language. These local languages mainly influence
the English pronunciation because people resort to local language to learn English pronunciation

Human speech

Human speech

Human speech sounds fall into two categories: CONSONANTS and VOWELS. With
consonants, the airstream from the lungs is at least partially obstructed; with vowels, the
mouth is open and the tongue is not touching the roof of the mouth, the teeth, or the lips.
Thus vowels have a steady, uninterrupted airstream flowing out of the mouth from the lungs.
Since there is virtually no restriction in the flow of air with the production of vowels, they are
made by manipulating the internal shape of the mouth with the position of the tongue and the
shape of the lips.
For instance, when we say “ee” as in “sheep,” the tongue is high and to the front of the
mouth, and the lips are relaxed and unrounded. When we say “oo” as in “boot,” the tongue is
high and to the back of the mouth, and the lips are rounded. When we say “a” as in “pat,” the
tongue is low and to the front of the mouth. In English, vowels produced by the back of the
tongue are accompanied by rounded lips (there is one exception), and those produced by the
front of the tongue with unrounded lips. This is not necessarily the case in other languages.
Accents fall on vowels, not on consonants.

POINTS OF ARTICULATION

POINTS OF ARTICULATION

In the production of consonants, the place where the airstream is stopped or
impeded is called the POINT OF ARTICULATION. That is the point where
some part of the lower mouth touches or comes near to some part of the upper
mouth.
1. BILABIAL: A sound made using both lips (p, b).
2. LABIODENTAL: A sound made using the lower lip and upper teeth (f, v).
3. INTERDENTAL: A sound made when the tongue tip is placed between the upper and
lower teeth (“th” as in “thin” and “then”).
4. ALVEOLAR: A sound made when the tongue tip makes closure with the alveolar ridge
(the gum ridge behind the upper front teeth) (t, d).
5. PALATAL: A sound made when the tongue makes closure with some point on the hard
palate (s, z).
6. VELAR: A sound made when the back of the tongue makes closure at or near the velum
(k, g).
7. UVULAR: A sound made when the airstream causes the tip of the uvula to move
(French “r”).

Communication In Management

Communication In Management

Communication is a significant part of a manager’s job. In today’s team-oriented workplace,
the development of good interpersonal communication skills is an important key to success.
To build the competence and commitment of employees, a manager has to communicate
effectively. Through effective communication, a manager can mobilize the employees
behind an organization’s vision and inspire a conscious and concerted team effort to attain
the vision. The pay-off of effective communication are:
• A more professional image
• Improved self-confidence
• Improved relationships
• Less stress
• Greater acceptance by others
The ability to effectively communicate with other people is an important skill. Through
communication, people reach some understanding of each other, learn to like each other,
influence one another, build trust, and learn more about themselves and how people
perceive them. People who communicate effectively know how to interact with others flexibly,
skillfully, and responsibly, but without sacrificing their own needs and integrity.
Intended message is frequently mis-communicated, misunderstood, mis-quoted or even
missed altogether because of ineffective interpersonal communication skills.

The distinction between vowels and consonants

The distinction between vowels and consonants

The distinction between vowels and consonants is based upon their
articulatory and acoustic characteristics. Unlike consonants vowels are produced
with no obstruction to the stream of the air and on the perception level their
integral characteristics is a musical sound or tone formed by means of periodic
vibrations of the vocal cords in the larynx. The resulting sound waves are
transmitted to the supra-laryngeal cavities (the pharynx and the mouth cavity)
where vowels receive their characteristic timbre. It is known from acoustics that
the quality of the sound depends mainly on the shape and size of the resonance
chamber. In the case of vowels the resonance chamber is always the same but the
shape and size of it can vary. It depends on the different positions of a tongue in
the mouth cavity, slight changes in the position of the pharynx, the position of the
soft palate and the lips. In producing vowels the muscular tension is equally spread
over all speech organs. Yet the tension may be stronger or weaker, hence the
distinct or indistinct quality of vowels. As vowels have no special place of
articulation because the whole speech apparatus takes part in their production, their
classification and articulation description are based on the work of all organs of
speech. English vowel phonemes are mutually dependent and form a system which
is determined by phonetic and phonologic causes. Each vowel phoneme possesses
some specific features which distinguish it from any other vowel phoneme. The
system of vowel phonemes has become stabilized in accordance with the linguistic
roles of the phonemes and questions such as:
a) the role of vowel phonemes in syllable formation;
b) the phoneme distribution in words;
c) the role of vowel phonemes in phoneme alternations.

Teaching pronunciation

Teaching pronunciation

There are many ways of teaching pronunciation, and many different opinions as to which
ways are the best or most effective. However there has been to date relatively little
serious comparative research on what really works in helping learners of a second
language with pronunciation. This is an area which needs considerable improvement
Nevertheless, there are a few things which are becoming well
established as key factors in effective pronunciation tuition.

It is important to emphasise that pronunciation teaching is currently undergoing a revival
after several decades of neglect. There are many questions requiring detailed research
and empirical investigation. The account presented here represents a current ‘best
guess’ for which there is considerable evidence but which is most certainly not the last
word on the subject.

Here are some of the factors that have been shown to be most relevant in creating good
outcomes in pronunciation teaching.

The first three are becoming more widely known and accepted. The last,
though, is less well understood. It will be given more extensive discussion below.

􀂙 Pronunciation teaching works better if the focus is on larger chunks
of speech, such as words, phrases and sentences, than if the focus
is on individual sounds and syllables. This does not mean that
individual sounds and syllables should never be referred to; it simply
means that the general focus should be on the larger units.

􀂙 Pronunciation lessons work best if they involve the students in
actually speaking, rather than in just learning facts or rules of
pronunciation. Many students of course feel more comfortable
learning the rules of the language, because it is less threatening than
actually speaking. However, the transfer of explicit knowledge of
rules into pronunciation practice is very limited. Teachers need to
devise activities which require learners to actually speak in their
pronunciation classes.
􀂙 Learning pronunciation requires an enormous amount of practice,
especially at early stages. It is not unreasonable for learners to
repeat a particular phrase or sentence twenty or fifty times before
being really comfortable with it. Unfortunately, ‘drilling’ has been out
of favor in language classes for some time, due to association with
several bad aspects of the behaviorist method of teaching. Indeed
some forms of drilling are at best a waste of time, and can even be a
hindrance to learning. However, drilling of real, useful phrases which
can actually be used outside the classroom is highly advantageous
to learners.
􀂙 Pronunciation teaching requires thorough preparation through work
on the perception of English sounds and contrasts, and the formation
of concepts of English phonology.

PRONUNCIATION: SOUNDS OF ENGLISH

PRONUNCIATION: SOUNDS OF ENGLISH
There are 44 sounds in English language, but unfortunately there are
only 26 letters of the alphabet to represent them. As such, people whose
mother tongue is other than English find it extremely difficult to produce
these sounds correctly – their pronunciation is often faulty. This
necessitates the learning of phonetic symbols on the part of all those
who are keen to speak English correctly.
 Further, the variation in the pronunciation of consonants may not cause
much difference in the meaning of the words, but the production of
vowel sounds does, if they are not properly and distinctly pronounced.
It may also be noted that a, e, i, o, u are only vowel letters and not just
sounds. The following are the Vowel sounds, with their universally
understood transcriptions. These are 20 in number

Digital Storytelling

Digital Storytelling

With the world constantly becoming more globalized, the integration of technology in the
classroom has become imperative. Current language learning students have access to more
technology and authentic materials than ever before. Teachers right now are looking for ways to
incorporate technology into their old activities in order to enhance the learning. With digital
storytelling, teachers can take a topic that will always have a place in the language classroom,
storytelling, and enhance it with technology. The advantages of digital story telling vs. traditional
storytelling techniques are numerous. Student motivation is higher when technology is involved.
Students can bring more of their own interests, express themselves at a higher level, learn a new
technological tool and give the learner more of a voice. There are so many options for digital
storytelling and language learners will have a great opportunity to use the language to its fullest
potential. With digital storytelling however, comes some tribulations for the learners. Within
groups, the load of the work might fall on certain students while others do not contribute as
much. This becomes an issue that the educator must work out ahead of time with strategic
planning.
Motivation, Creativity, Feedback and Engagement with Digital Storytelling
One reason Carmen Gregori-Signes argues for digital storytelling in the language classroom is
that it helps student motivation. For many students, digital storytelling is new. With more
technology access, students can create their very own digital stories. Tablets such as iPads,
Smartphones, and laptops all make this possible. Within each of these devices, more possibilities
await. Comic Maker, Keynote, Pages and Notability can assist with the story boarding and
brainstorming aspect. With the app Comic Maker, students can create a digital comic with
various characters, backgrounds and props. Keynote, Pages and Notability are different apps that
can be used to story board or create conversations. They can then be brought to life with iMovie
and Movie Maker. They can also edit the videos. They can then be uploaded to YouTube or
Vimeo and shared with more language classrooms across the world. This type of information is
appealing to the students . Before, storytelling consisted of writing a story or
maybe creating a comic strip with paper and a writing utensil. The student will have more
motivation to create a digital story because it is more attractive. It is also
more motivating to create because of how personalized it can be . One last reason
motivation plays a big part of digital storytelling is that it lowers the learner’s anxiety that they
might possess. This is also the learner’s affective filter. A student’s affective filter is how much
of the input is being learned by the student. This could be based on a number of factors, such as
motivation, attitude, anxiety, self-confidence and more . This is because the student
will potentially have the opportunity to practice the story telling numerous times, perfecting what
need be. This will help relax them and learning the language becomes less anxious and more
positive. There is time created by the teacher that is for editing and correcting. When video or
audio recording, the student can always edit or record something a second time. When the
student has the opportunity to repeat the vocabulary many times, the vocabulary is learned more
successfully.
creativity is another reason digital storytelling has a positive influence in the language classroom. This leads to different ways of learning and teaching the language . This is creativity by the teacher. The teacher has a multitude of ways to teach language through digital storytelling. The biggest advantage of this is that most of the tools are available to educators and are simple to learn to use. iMovie, for example, is one great tool to use digital storytelling with students. The teacher can create samples with iMovie and use them to teach concepts to the students.