Vision - NRCMEC Student manual(16-17).pdfand rhythm To bring about a consistent accent and intelligibility in students‘ pronunciation of English by providing an opportunity for practice

Humanities & Sciences ELCS

Narsimha Reddy Engineering College Page -1

Vision

To emerge as a destination for higher education by transforming

learners into achievers by creating encouraging and thus building a

supportive academic environment.

Mission

To impart Quality Technical Education and to undertake Research

and Development with a focus on application and innovation which

offers an appropriate solution to the emerging societal needs by

making the students globally competitive, morally valuable and

socially responsible citizens.



OBJECTIVES

To facilitate computer-assisted multi-media instruction enabling individualized and

independent language learning

To sensitize the students to the nuances of English speech sounds, word accent, intonation

and rhythm

To bring about a consistent accent and intelligibility in students‘ pronunciation of English

by providing an opportunity for practice in speaking

To improve the fluency of students in spoken English and neutralize their mother tongue

influence

To train students to use language appropriately for public speaking, group discussions and

interviews

OUTCOMES

Students will be able to attain:

Better understanding of nuances of English language through audio-visual experience and

group activities

Neutralization of accent for intelligibility

Speaking skills with clarity and confidence which in turn enhances their employability

skills.



Syllabus

CALL LAB:

Unit 1

Introduction to Phonetics – Speech Sounds – Vowels and Consonants – Minimal Pairs-Consonant

Clusters-Paste Tense Marker and Plural Marker.

Unit 2

Structure of Syllables – Word Accent & Stress – Weak Forms and Strong Forms – Sentence Stress

- Intonation.

Unit 3

Errors in Pronunciation – Influence of Mother Tongue (MTI) - Common Indian Variants in

Pronunciation- Differences between British and American Pronunciation.

Unit 4

Listening for General Details – Listening Comprehension Tests.

Unit 5

Listening for Specific Details – Listening Comprehension Tests.

ICS LAB:

Unit 1

Ice-Breaking activity and JAM session – Situational Dialogues – Greetings – Taking Leave –

Introducing Oneself and others.

Unit 2

Situational Dialogues – Role-Play- Expressions in Various Situations – Making Requests and

seeking Permissions – Telephone Etiquette.

Unit 3

Descriptions- Narrations- Giving Directions and guidelines.

Unit 4

Extempore- Public Speaking

Unit 5

Group Discussion – Interview Skills.



COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING

LAB

(CALL LAB)



UNIT-1

Introduction to Sounds of English

The power of speech is so enormous that one can make effective impact on the others mind. English

language is globally recognized and is a part and parcel in all walks of life. It‘s an instrument of intellectual

discussion and social interaction in society. To achieve the pinnacles of success one has to be professional in

their communication. It‘s a well known fact that there are different English dialects in the world such as

British, American, and Australian etc. We in India, follow standard British English, recognized as R.P-

Received Pronunciation.

We use spoken English in day-to-day life more often than the written language. While speaking

utmost care of language in terms of grammar, structure and usage is taken, but pronunciation is generally

ignored. To acquire good soft skills one has to concentrate on pronunciation too. To master English

pronunciation you should learn the sound system, structure of word, stress and Intonation. This chapter

highlights on certain aspects of pronunciation which will help you to use them in one‘s own speech.

Communication involves three stages. The psychological stage where the idea is formed, This idea

is transmitted to the [physical organs of speech, physiological stage. The movements of these organs

produce different sounds on acoustic stage through air-stream mechanism. The study of these sounds is

called phonetics which is a branch of linguistics. The air stream is either regularized or obstructed by speech

organs at various stages in the mouth for producing different sounds. Before we begin to acquaint with

sounds of English language there is a need to understand the organs that are involved in the production of

sounds. The figure 1 illustrates the different organs of speech.



ORGANS OF SPEECH

Fig .1

Vocal cords, hard palate, soft palate, alveolar, teeth, lips, tongue are some of the organs of speech

(look at the Fig.1). They play an important role in producing the sounds. For example, to produce a sound

/p/ the involvement of upper lip and lower lip is required. We as human beings possess the ability to produce

sounds by using certain organs of our body. The organs that are involved in producing sounds are referred to

as organs of speech.

SOUNDS OF ENGLISH

In English language, there is no one-to-one relationship between the alphabets and the sounds they

represent. For example, the letters ch, can be pronounced in different ways as in character, machine and

church .There are 26 letters which represent 44 sounds. They are divided into vowel sounds and consonant

sounds.



VOWELS

Vowel sounds are produced through the mouth freely without any friction. Therefore all the sounds given

below are vowels but each one of them sounds different from the others. Vowel sounds are divided into

Monophthongs and Diphthongs. Let us look at Monophthongs with examples.

Pure Vowels

Or

Monophthongs

Examples

/ɪ/ kill, fill

/iː/ feel, meet

/e/ bet, set

/æ/ cat, mat

/ɑː/ car, park

/ɒ/ pot, cot

/ɔː/ Ball, fall

/ʊ/ put, good

/uː/ shoot, root

/ʌ/ cut, but

/ɜː/ heard, bird

/ə/ about, around

Practice

Give five examples each for the following sounds:

Sounds Examples



/æ/ _______________________

/ɪ/ _______________________

/ʊ/ _______________________

/ ə / _______________________

/ e/ _______________________

/ʌ / _______________________

/ɜː/ _______________________

We describe vowel sounds in terms of the following:

a. Part of the tongue raised ( front, centre and back)

b. The height to which tongue is raised ( closed, half closed, half open and open)

c. The position of the lips (rounded or unrounded)

In order to understand this division look at the vowel diagram below.

For example, when we produce a vowel sound /iː/, we can easily find that it is produced from front

part of the tongue, the mouth closed and lips are in unrounded position. So, the vowel sound /iː/ three term

label is front, close unrounded. Likewise, you can also give three term o each vowel sound.

Activity- A

Give three term labels for the following vowel sounds.



Sound three term label

/ iː/ _______________________

/ e/ ______________________

/ ɒ/ ______________________

/ uː/ ______________________

/ æ / ______________________

/ ə / _____________________

/ ɑː/ _____________________

DIPHTHONGS

Diphthong is a vowel glide (i.e., the tongue moves from one position to another vowel position) in

the same syllable we have eight diphthongs in English language. They are listed below with examples

Diphthongs examples

/eɪ/ day, play

/aɪ/ fly, tie

/ʊ/ go, no

/aʊ/ cow, know

/ɔɪ/ oil, boil

/ɪə/ fear, dear

/eə/ fare, hare

/ʊə/ tour, poor



Activity – A:

Identify and write the phonetic script of the underlined sounds in the following words.

Words Sounds

kite ___________

hear ___________

boy ___________

round __________

care __________

old __________

Generally, we describe the diphthongs with a three term label. For example, /ʊə/ is a vowel – glide which

moves from one element to another element. This is shown in the vowel diagram given below.

Remember that a dot represents the starting point and the arrow indicates the direction in which the glide

moves. The three term label for the vowel glide /ʊə/ can be described as a glide from a back rounded vowel

just above half close to a central unrounded vowel between half close and half open. In same way, you can

also give three term labels to rest of the diphthongs.

CONSONANTS



There are 24 consonant sounds in English according to the received pronunciation of England and

production of them involves some friction. They are given below with examples.

Consonants Examples

/p/ pen, copy, happen

/b/ back, baby, job

/t/ tea, tight, button

/d/ day, ladder, odd

/k/ key, clock, school

/g/ get, giggle, ghost

/tʃ/ church, match, nature

/dʒ/ judge, age, soldier

/f/ fat, coffee, rough, photo

/v/ view, heavy, move

/θ/ thing, author, path

/ð/ this, other, smooth

/s/ soon, cease, sister

/z/ zero, music, roses, buzz

/ʃ/ ship, sure, national

/ʒ/ pleasure, vision

/h/ hot, whole, ahead

/m/ more, hammer, sum

/n/ nice, know, funny, sun



/ŋ/ ring, anger, thanks, sung

/l/ light, valley, feel

/r/ right, wrong, sorry, arrange

/j/ yet, use, beauty, few

/w/ wet, one, when, queen

Activity – A

Give one example each for the following sounds:

Sound Example

/t/ ________

/p/ _________

/f/ _________

/k/ _________

/s/ _________

/dʒ/ __________

Activity –B

Identify the sound and write the phonetic script of the underlined in the following words.

Word Sound

chat _________

rest _________

thin _________

ship ________

leisure _________

you ________



The 24 distinctive consonants are tabulated below

Place

Manner

Bilabial Labio

dental

Dental Alveolar Post

alveolar

Palato

alveolar

Palatal Velar Glottal

*vl vd vl vd vl vd vl vd vd vl vd vd vl vd vd

Plosive p b t d k g

Affricate tʃ dʒ

Fricative f v θ ð s z ʃ ʒ h

Nasal m n ŋ

Lateral l

Approximants

or

(Semi-vowel)

w r j

*vd = Voiced sounds vl =: voice less sounds

Usually, consonants can be described in terms of the following:

1. Place of articulation

2. Manner of articulation

3. Voice of articulation

Place of Articulation:

Place of articulation simply involves the activity and passive articulators used in the production of a

consonant. They are several types of consonants depending on the place of articulation. They are given

below

Bilabial: The two lips are the articulators.

Labio- dental: It is produce by the lower lip and upper teeth.

Dental: The tip of the tongue and upper front teeth are the articulators.



Alveolar: The tip or blade of the tongue and the teeth ridge are the articulators.

Post alveolar: Tip of the tongue and back of the teeth ridges are the articulators.

Palatal: The front of the tongue and the hard palate are the articulators.

Palatal alveolar: The tip, blade and front of the tongue and teeth ridges and hard palate are articulators.

Velar: The back of the tongue and soft palate are the articulators.

Glottal: Produced at the glottis and the two vocal cords are the articulators.

Manner of Articulation:

It refers to the type of the structure (i.e., the way in which the passage of air is restricted by the

various organs of speech) involved in the production of a consonant. Consonant sounds are of six types

depending on their manner of articulation.

Plosive/stop: It is a consonant produced with a structure of complete closure in the mouth and sudden

release of air. Ex:/p/,/b/,/t/,/d/,/k/,/g/.

Nasal: A nasal consonant is articulated with a structure of complete oral closer and

air passed through the nose. Ex:/m/,/n/,/ŋ/

Fricative: In the production of a fricative consonant the structure is one of close approximation, for the

escape of air stream to produce strong friction.: Ex::/f/,/v/,/θ/,//ð/,/s/,/z/,/ ʃ/,/ ʒ/.

Affricate: If the stop is not held for any appreciable time and released slowly, we get an affricate:/ tʃ/,/

dʒ/

Lateral: It is a consonants produced by a structure of complete closure in the centre of the vocal tract but

the air has a free passage on the sides./l/.

Approximants: It refers to sounds that are articulated with a structure of open approximation. .They are

also called semi-vowels.: /j/.



VOICE OF ARTICULATION:

Voice of Articulation can be divided into two-voiced and voiceless. Voiced: Voiced sounds are

produced when the vocal cords vibrate in the larynx. Voiceless: Voiceless sounds are produced without

the vibration of the vocal cords.

Activity – A

Give three term labels for the following consonant sounds:

Sound Three –term label

/ p/ ________________________

/ f/ _________________________

/m/ _________________________

/n/ ______________________

/b/ _______________________

/ θ/ ______________________

/l/ _______________________

/v/ ____________________

Activity - B

Give Phonetic symbols to match the following descriptions of consonant sounds:

Voiced labial plosive ____________________

Voiced alveolar nasal ____________________

Voiceless dental fricative ____________________

Voiced alveolar lateral ___________________

Voiceless alveolar fricative __________________

Voiced bilabial nasal ___________________



Minimal Pairs

In phonology, minimal pairs are words that differ only by one phoneme, or the smallest part sound that makes a difference in the meaning between words. That one little vowel, consonant,

or couple of consonants/vowels can make all the difference to a new English speaker that is trying to communicate in English.

It is important that students first recognize the differences in the phonemes between minimal pairs before they can produce them accurately.

As an example for English vowels, the pair "let" + "lit" can be used to demonstrate that the

phones [e] (in let) and [ɪ] (in lit) do in fact represent distinct phonemes /e/ and /ɪ/. An

example for English consonants is the minimal pair of "pat" + "bat". The following table

shows other pairs demonstrating the existence of various distinct phonemes in English. All

the possible minimal pairs for any language may be set out in the same way.

word 1

word 2

IPA 1

IPA 2

note

pin bin /pɪn/ /bɪn/

rot

lot

/rɒt/

/lɒt/

initial consonant

thigh thy /θai/ /ðai/

zeal

seal

/ziːl/

/siːl/

bin

bean

/bɪn/

/biːn/

vowel

pen

pan

/pen/

/pæn/

hat had /hæt/ /hæd/ final consonant

The above concept can be best understood by looking at the following list of examples.

Vowel Sounds



/I/ and /i:/ (sit and seat)

/e/ and /I/ (desk and disk)

/e/ and /eI/ (wet and wait)

/æ/ and / / (bat and but)

/ / and / :/ (so and saw)

/æ/ and /e/ (bad and bed)

/ a:/ and / / (fast and first)

Consonant Sounds

/b/ and /v/ (berry and very)

/b/ and /p/ (buy and pie)

/n/ and / / (thin and thing)

/l/ and /r/ (alive and arrive)

/ / and / / (catch and cat)

/s/ and / / (see and she)

/f/ and /v/ (fan and van)

/f/ and /h/ (fat and hat)

/s/ and / / (sing and thing)

/f/ and / / (free and three)

/ / and / / (bad and badge)

/ / and / / (page and pays)

/ / and / / (with and whizz)

Initial consonant sounds

/f/ and /p/ (fast and past)

/k/ and / / (came and game)

/t/ and /d/ (two and do)

Final consonant sounds

/k/ and / / (back and bag)

/m/ and /n/ (mime and mine)

/t/ and /d/ (hat and had)



Consonant Clusters

A consonant cluster (sometimes known as a consonant blend) is a group of consonants that appear together in a word without any vowels between them. When reading clusters, each letter within the cluster is pronounced individually.

In English consonants are found to be clustered in word initial, medial and word final

positions. The consonant clusters/ sequence belonging to a single syllable are known as intra

syllabic clusters whereas the consonant clusters belonging to two different syllables in a single

word are known as inter-syllabic clusters. Thus, in linguistics, a consonant cluster also known as

consonant blend is a group of consonants which have no intervening vowels in between them. The

maximum possibility of consonant cluster is three consonants in the beginning and four in final

position.

Some examples

Tray – /tr/ are clustered in word initially in a single syllable. Thus it is intra syllabic cluster.

Doctor-/kt/ are clustered word medially in two different syllable.

Thus it is a inter syllabic cluster Apt-/pt/ are clustered word finally but in a single syllable.

Word Initial Clusters

If consonants are sequenced word initially, the cluster is known as word initial cluster.

a) CC cluster: It also has two subtypes. They are:

One of /p, t, k, b, d, g, m, n, l, α, f, v, h, l/ + one of /l, r, w, j/ as for example: play, prey, cry, dry, view, etc.

/s/ + one of /p, t, k, f, m, n, l, w, j/. As for example, speak, sky, stick, snail, swim, skim, Shrine, snakes, sticks, sphere, stair, skeet, slope, snow, etc.

b) CCC Cluster: In the word initial position three consonants occur together. The structure

of this cluster is the following: /s/ + one of /p, t, k/ + one of /l, r, w, j/ as for example,

Splash, Spring, Strong, Stupid, Screen, Square, Spurious, Screw, Skewer.

Word Final Clusters

The sequence of consonants in the final position of a word is called word final position consonant cluster. The following types of word final consonant clusters can be found:

a) – CC Cluster: As for example, Slept, taps, caps, depth, jobs, robbed, books, looks, bags, watched, draft, craft, graphs, etc.

b) -- CCC cluster: As for example, Pushed, gasp, ask, test, rest, camp, ramp, warmth, terms, rent, dent, bench, pens, gulp, bulb, film, gold, sold, told, solve, etc.

c) – CCCC Cluster: As for example, Milked, tempt, arranged, whilst, jumps, months, acts, amongst, texts, sixths, prompts, etc.



Word Medial Clusters

The cluster of consonants in the middle position of the word is called word middle consonant

cluster. There are two types of word medial consonant clusters. They are:

a) Intra-syllabic consonant cluster: The sequence of consonants in the word medial position

which belong to the same syllable is called intra-syllabic cluster. As for example, camping,

reply, windy, extra, etc.

b) Inter-syllabic cluster: If the consonant belonging to different syllables occurs together, the cluster formed is called inter-syllabic cluster. As for example,

movement /vm/, description /skr/, import /mp/, blackboard /kb/, extra /kstr/

Some more examples of consonant clusters

a) Nasal + stop – camp, bend, stamp, etc.

b) Nasal + fricative – length, warmth, terms, kings, etc.

Stop + stop – packed, begged, kept, tract, etc.

c) Stop + nasal – written, bitten, certain, etc.

d) Stop + lateral – middle, cattle, bottle, huddle, etc.

e) Nasal + affricate – change, bench, lunch, etc.

f) Fricative + stop – best, test, ask, draft, etc.

g) Lateral + fricative – health, wealth, solve, etc.

Vowel Sequences:

Like consonant clusters, if two or more vowels occurring next to each other in a

single syllable with no intervening consonant, then it is called a vowel sequence. So the

combination of more than one vowel forms a vowel sequence. Sometimes, two pure vowels are

grouped together but sometimes a diphthong is sequenced with another pure vowel. It should be

noted that like pure vowel, a diphthong is also monosyllabic. Let‗s see some examples:

Vowel+sequence

Sawing, being, doing, react, bluish, beyond

Diphthong+ Sequences

/ai/ + /ə/

Buyer, flyer, quite, iron, hire, tyre

/au/ + /ə/

Bower, coward, flower, tower, ours, vowel

/ei/+/ə/

Player, betrayal, grayer

/əu/+/ə/

Grower, follower, thrower

/oi/+/ə/

Employer, royal



Other Sequences across the words: In connected speech or across words, many other vowel sequences can be found as,

I am/ai+ei/

Go out/əu+ au/ My own/ai+əu/

Gray eyed/ei+ai/

Many such possibilities are found in connected speech.

Identify the number of consonant clusters in the following words and write them the space

provided below.

1) Technique, 2) Cluster, 3) Instruct, 4) Scoundrel, 5) Squirrel

Past Tense Marker –ed

The past tense marker –d or –ed is pronounced /-t/, /-d/ or /-id/. The choice depends upon the sound

with which the present tense form ends. The following rules will have to be remembered in this

context:

1. If the present tense ends in voiceless consonants other than /t/ the past tense marker –d or –

ed is pronounced /-t/. for example,

Capped /kæpt/ laughed /lɑːft/

Cooked /kʊkt/ passed /pɑːst/

Looked /lʊkt/ pushed /pʊʃt/

2. If the present tense ends in voiced sounds other than /d/ the past tense marker is

pronounced /-d/. for example:

rubbed /rʌbd/ buzzed /bʌzd/

bagged /bæɡd/ pulled /pʊld/

judged /dʒʌdʒd/ allowed /əˈlaʊd/

loved /lʌvd/ annoyed /əˈnɔɪd/

loathed /ləʊθd/ sawed / sɔːd/

3. If the present tense ends in /t/ or /d/ the past tense marker is pronounced /-id/. For example,

Wanted / wɒntid/

Mended /mendid/

Plural markers

When one thing is spoken about the noun used is singular. When more than one thing is being spoken about the noun used is plural. You are aware that, to change a singular noun into plural you must add –s or –es as a suffix to the noun. However, there are many exceptions to this rule. Let us study them in detail.



Singulars Plurals

Apple (ˈæpl) apples (ˈæplz)

Book books

Chair chairs

Picture pictures

Page pages

Key keys

Computer computers

After sounds s /s/, z /z/, sh /ʃ/, ch /tʃ/ and j /dʒ/, we add the plural suffix -es /ɪz/

Box (/bɒks/) boxes (/bɒks -iz/)

Kiss kisses (-iz)

Wish wishes (-iz)

Watch watches (-iz)

Buzz buzzes (-iz)

Garage garages (-iz)

Judge judges (-iz)

We add the plural suffix –es to most words that end in -o

Tomato (təˈmɑːtəʊ) Tomatoes (təˈmɑːtəʊ)

Echo (ˈekəʊ) Echoes (ˈekəʊz)

Embargo (ɪmˈbɑːɡəʊ) Embargoes (ɪmˈbɑːɡəʊz)

Hero (ˈhɪərəʊ) Heroes (ˈhɪərəʊz)

Optional os/oes

Buffalo (ˈbʌfələʊ) Buffalos/buffaloes (ˈbʌfələʊz)

Cargo (ˈkɑːɡəʊ) Cargos/cargoes (ˈkɑːɡəʊz)

Zero (ˈzɪərəʊ) Zeros/zeroes (ˈzɪərəʊz)

Mosquito (məˈskiːtəʊ) Mosquitos/es (məˈskiːtəʊz)

Give the word in plural markers and write the transcription



1. Page ____________

2. Judge ___________

3. Buffalo _________

4. Kilo _________

5. Baby __________

6. Monkey _______

7. Leaf __________

8. Chief ________



UNIT-2 Structure of Syllables

Words can be cut into units called syllables. Humans seem to need syllables as a way of

segmenting the stream of speech and giving it a rhythm of strong and weak beats, as we hear in

music. Syllables don‘t serve any meaning-signaling function in language; they exist only to make

speech easier for the brain to process. A word contains at least on syllable.

The syllable can be structured hierarchically into the following components:-

In this example, the English word "plant" consists of a single CCVCC syllable. This syllable has

been broken up into its onset (any consonants preceding the vowel) and its rhyme (all phonemes

from the vowel to the end of the syllable).

The rhyme has been further divided into the nucleus, which in the vast majority of syllables is a

vowel (the exceptions are syllabic consonants) and the coda, which are any consonants following

the nucleus.

Some other examples:

flounce: onset = /fl/

rhyme = /aʊns/

nucleus = /aʊ/

coda = /ns/

free: onset /fr/

rhyme = /iː/

nucleus = /iː/



coda zero

each: onset zero

rhyme = /iːt ʃ/

nucleus = /iː/

coda = /t ʃ/

Word Stress-Weak Forms and Strong Forms

By understanding the concept of syllable you have come to know that words are made up of

syllables. If a word has more than one syllable, all the syllables are not equally prominent: One of

the syllables is more prominent then the others. The syllable that is prominent will receive the

stress. For example, the word computer is made up of three syllables ‗com, pu and ter.‘ Here, the

second syllable ‗pu‘ is more prominent than the first syllable ‗com‘ and third syllable ‗ter‘.

Obviously, the second syllable i.e., ‗pu‘ is stressed. Usually, stress is marked with a vertical bar

above and in front of the syllable to which it refers. For example: Computer

Stress in English Words

What is more difficult for non-native speakers of English is to place the stress on the correct

syllable(s) of a word. In English words the stress is both free and fixed. It is free in the sense that

it is not tied to any particular syllable in the chain of syllables constituting a word. For example,

English words can be stressed on first syllable as in miserable, on the second syllable as in agree,

and on the third syllable as in understand and so on. It is fixed in the sense that the stress always

falls on a particular syllable in a given word. For example, in the word miserable, the stress is on

the first syllable i.e., mis, whether the word is said in isolation or in connected speech. However,

here are a few rules of words stress. These will help you to locate stress in English words.

Rules of Stress and Word Accent:

1. There are a number of disyllabic words in English in which word-stress depends on

whether the word is used as a noun /adjective/ or a verb. When the word is used as a noun

/adjective/, the stress is on the first syllable. When the word is used as a verb, the stress is

on the second syllable. For example,

Noun/ Adjective Verb

'Present pre'sent



'increase in'crease

'contact con'tact

'progress pro'gress

'desert de'sert

2. Words with weak prefixes are stressed on the root. For example,

a'round

a'bout

be'cause

be'come

be'low

3. Most compound words have the primary stress on the first element. For example:

'blackbird

'dining-room

'tea-party

'postman

'school-bus

4. Words ending in -ion, -ic, -ical, -ically, -ially, -ian, -ious, -eous

A. Words ending in –ion have the primary stress on the penultimate (i.e., the last but one)

syllable.

appli'cation

culti'vation

exami'nation

qualifi'cation



imagi'nation

B. Words ending in –ic, -ical, -ically, -ial, -ially, -ian have the stress on the syllable

preceding the suffix.

-ic

scien'tific

sympa'thetic

e'lectric

-ical

bio'logical

'optical

-ically

'chemically

apolo'getically

-ial

me'morial

resi'dential

-ially

of 'ficially

'specially

es'sentially

-ian

vic'torian

lib'rarian

mu'sician

C. Words ending in –ious, -eous have the stress on the penultimate (i.e., the last but one)

syllable.

-ious -eous

'anxious cou'rageous

in'dustrious 'gorgeous

in'jurious 'righteous

5. Words ending in –ate, -ise/-ize, -ify, -ity, -cracy, -crat, -graph, -graphy, -meter, -logy.

A. Words of more than two syllables ending in –ate, -ise/ize, -ify are stressed on the

ante-penultimate syllable (i.e., third from the end).

-ate

'complicate

'educate

'cultivate

-ise/-ize

'colonize

'realize

'recognize

-ify

'justify

'satisfy

'certify

B. Words ending in –ity, -cracy, -crat have the stress on the ante-penultimate syllable

(i.e., that is third from the end)

-ity

e'quality

-cracy

de'mocracy

-crat

'democrat



ac'tivity

a'bility

aris'tocracy

tech'nocracy

'bureaucrat

'technocrat

C. Words ending in –graph, -graphy, -meter, -logy have the stress on the ante-

penultimate syllable(i.e., third from the end)

-graph

'autograph

'photograph

'paragraph

-graphy

pho'tography

bi'ography

-meter

lac'tometer

pa'rameter

-logy

bi'ology

psy'chology

zo'ology

_______________________________________________________________________

Activity – A

Pronounce the following words. As you pronounce them mark stressed syllable in each

word (apply the rules we have discussed above).

decrease (verb) de‘crease

beside be‘side

rain-coat ‗rain-coat

admiration admi‘ration

terrific ter‘rific

commercial com‘mercial

compromise ‗compromise

facility fa‘cility

Activity – B



Try and pronounce the following words correctly.

ear

brown

exam

recipe

whether

weather

facsimile

(If you find it difficult, take help of a good dictionary)

Intonation

Beauty of English language lies in using an appropriate tone which conveys the meaning

according to speaker‘s intention. When we hear someone‘s voice while speaking, we find that he

does not speak always on the same tone. We also hear constant variations in the pitch of the voice

(the pitch of the voice is determined by the frequency of the vibration of the vocal cards) which is

continuously in the process of falling or rising. That is to say, sometimes the pitch rises and

sometimes it falls. The patterns of variation of the pitch of the voice (i.e., the fall or the rise)

constitute the intonation of the language.

The tone is decided by number of import words in a word group and by the attitude we wish to

express. Let us see what tones you must learn to use while speaking. There are three important

tones and they are the falling tone, the rising tone and the falling-rising tone.

The Falling Tone:

It is used when the pitch of the voice moves from a high level to a low level .It is marked [ \ ]

The falling tone is generally used in:

1. Ordinary statements.

a. It was quite\

g o o d .

b. I liked it very\

much .

2. exclamations:

a.\ s p le n d id !



b. How extra \ordinary!

3. Commands

a. Go and open the \window.

b. Take it a\way.

4. Questions beginning with words like what, how, where, and why.

a. what is the \matter?

b. where are you \going?

5. Question tags (expecting agreement)

a. It was a good film, \wasn‘t it?

b. Its pleasant today, \isn‘t it?

The Rising Tone:

It is used when the pitch of the voice moves from a low level to a high level .It is marked [ / ].

The rising tone is generally used in:

1. Polite requests

a. Go and open the /window.

b. Close the /door.

2. Incomplete statements.

a. I‘ll buy you a /dress (If I go there).

b. It‘s seven O /Clock (and she hasn‘t got up as yet).

3. Yes/No Questions

a. Are they /coming?

b. Is father at /home?

4. Question Tags (Expecting disagreement).

a. You are a \gardener,

/aren‘t you?

b. It was a good \film,

/wasn‘t it?

5. Greetings, partings, apologies, encouragement, etc.

a. Good/bye.

b. I‘m so /sorry.

c. Good /evening.

The falling - rising Tone:



The falling-rising Tone is normally used for special implications not verbally

expressed. It consists of a fall from high to low and then a rise to the middle of the voice.

This tone can be used either on one syllable or different syllables of a word or sentence.

It is marked as [V] . Let us look at the following examples.

a. She is Vbeautiful.(but not very clever)

b. The houses are Vnice( but perhaps the people are not ).

c.\ I / can ( I am almost sure you can‘t )

Activity – A

Try and say the following utterances using falling tone.

Sit down

What is the time?

She is a doctor

He dances very well, doesn‘t he?

What a pretty girl!

Activity – B

Try and say the following utterances using rising tone.

Shut the window.

Are you married?

Good Morning.

You should keep on trying.

He is a good student, isn‘t he?

UNIT-3



Errors in Pronunciation and Influence of Mother Tongue(MTI)

Common Errors in Pronunciation

Proper English pronunciation can be a big problem for some ESL learners and more

difficult for some students than for others. A student‗s native language determines, for

the most part, the degree of difficulty and the types of difficulties students will have.

ESL students whose native language is not English have a much harder time than

those whose native language is English, Spanish, Portuguese or French. But despite

the differences between countries, there are certain mistakes that are the most common

among ESL students all over the world. Here, we will see not only the problems in

pronunciation, but also how to overcome them.

Error Type 1: The schwa sound /ə/

That is not only a problem for Indian learners but also for all learners regardless of their

background.

For example, the word [available] has 3 schwa sounds, 2 of which are spelled as [a],

which leads the learners to pronounce it as /a/.

This affects the rhythm and intonation of English. I usually recommend pronunciation

teachers to teach the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) so that the learners can use it

to identify the schwa sounds in a word.

It wouldn't take too long before the students realize that the schwa sound is quite common

and worth paying extra attention to it.

Examples: wonderful; characterize; development; suggestion etc.

Error Type 2: /ɔ:/

Indian learners seem to replace the long vowel /ɔ:/ with /ɑ/.

Instead of moving the lips to the front in a square shape, they keep the lips sort of idle and

open the jaw slightly wider than it should be open which causes the tongue to go down

too low.

The focus here should be on the lips moving forward in a square shape with the jaw

slightly open.

Now, since vowel /ɔ:/ is often pronounced as /ɑ:/ in American English except when it's



followed with an /r/, this is not considered to be a major error.

Examples: order; born; sword; court; dormitory; source etc.

Error Type 3: /eɪ/

That is a fairly common problem among all learners of English especially Thai,

Vietnamese, Chinese and of course Indians.

To pronounce vowel /eɪ/ correctly, the learners have to glide their tongue from one

position to another. The tongue starts from a close-mid (jaw slightly open, tongue high)

position with /e/ to close (jaw closed, tongue very high) with /j/.

Indian learners, like many others, find it difficult to perform the glide and alter the

position of the tongue during pronouncing the vowel /eɪ/.

Examples: name; date; wait; train; great; same; wage etc.

Error Type 4: /oʊ/

Like /eɪ/, this vowel is classified as a diphthong. This means that the learners have to

produce two sounds at the same time, a vowel /ɔ/ or /o/ and a consonant /w/.

Indian speakers only pronounce vowel /ɔ/ and leave consonant /w/ out.

Their lips stay idle and do not form a tight circle at the end of the sound as they should.

Examples: wrote; old; boat; coat; mode; road; showed etc.

Error Type 5: /w/

Mainly when it occurs before vowels /ʊ/, /i/ /ɪ/ or /e/, Indian learners confuse /w/ for /v/.

Again, consonant /w/ requires that both lips move forward to form a tight circle and when

the lips stay idle and the lower lip somehow touches the upper teeth, the result is a sound

that is similar to /v/.

Examples: would; with; women; ; wheel; womb; moving etc

Error Type 6: Voicing and de-voicing

Like Arabic speakers, Indian learners mispronounce /p/ at the beginning of words by

voicing it (not consistently however) as a /b/.

Ironically, they mispronounce /b/ at the end of words by de-voicing it as a /p/.

Similarly, /t/ and /k/ may sound like /d/ and /g/ respectively at the beginning of words.



Examples: /p/ at the beginning: past; pardon; peel; poured etc/b/ at the end: rob; Forbe; curb;

bulb; grab etc/t/ at the beginning: time; tall; toe; turtle etc/k/ at the

beginning: character; Karma; carpet etc

Error Type 7: /θ/-/ð/

Both of these consonants require that the speakers place the tip of the tongue between the

teeth and and let the air escape through a little gap between the tongue and teeth but

Indian learners, like most learners of English, seem to find this quite difficult to manage.

What happens then is that they keep their tongue inside and press the tongue tip against

their teeth resulting in /t/ instead of /θ/ and /d/ instead of /ð/.

Examples: think; both; father, that; mother; weather etc

Error Type 8: /s/ and /z/

That is not a very common problem for Indian learners who may confuse /z/ for either /ʒ/

or /ʤ/ and /s/ for /ʃ /.

It depends on what comes before or after /s/ and /z/.

Since the tongue tip in Hindi is often curled back when producing consonants, it comes

into contact with the soft palate resulting in /ʃ / instead of /s/ and /ʒ/ instead of /z/.

The /s/ and /z/ in English require that the tip contact the alveolar ridge just behind the

upper teeth, hence the confusion between the /s/ and /ʃ / or /z/ and /ʒ/ or /ʤ/.

Examples: /z/: hazard; zebra; zero; reservation; musical etc

/s/: sue; soon; suit; super etc.

Error Type 9: /l/

Due to the tongue tip's curl, the /l/ in Hindi is quite different from that in English.

In the case of the English /l/, the tongue body is low and only the tip is pressed against the

alveolar ridge while air is freely flowing out through the gap between the sides of the

tongue and the upper teeth.

In the case of the Hindi /l/, the tongue body is higher, the tongue tip is pressing against the

area between the soft palate and alveolar ridge, and so the stream of air is more restricted

as a larger area of the tongue is already in contact with the upper teeth.

Examples: Like; love; call; fallen; sold; deal; field etc

Error Type 10: /r/



In Hindi, the [r] has the same quality as the /t / (the tap) in English. The tongue tip quickly

taps the alveolar ridge.

The American /r/ does not allow any contact between the tongue tip and the roof of the

mouth.

The root of the tongue moves back and rises until the sides of the tongue touch the gum

above the upper teeth.

The tongue tip curls back and lips move forward at the same time. The British /r/ on the

other hand is always silent at the end of the words and between a vowel and a consonant.

Indian learners often do pronounce the silent /r/.

Examples: road; cord; park; ordinary; letter; first etc

Error Type 11: /t/ and /d/

Due to the fact that the tongue tip is curled back in Hindi, it gives a different quality to

voiced and voiceless consonants including /t/ and /d/.

Like many English consonants, /t/ and /d/ are produced by pressing the tongue tip against

the alveolar ridge.

Examples: /t/: time; turtle; better; party; certify; short etc

/d/: dog; Madrid; code; ladder; drive; bedroom etc.

Influence of Mother Tongue (MTI)

The basic criteria of communication or accent are that one should understand what the other person is saying and vice versa. Communication is a crucial part of

globalization. This globalization has created revolution in entrepreneurship and outsourcing. The need for speaking in a neutral accent has been growing today

because the customers and the clients have to interact in a universal language in a globally acceptable style and accent.

Initially people focused only on the American accent as Americans were the clients for many projects handled by different developing nations. Today many countries including developing nations like India outsource their projects for the sake of cost, quality and resources.

People other than the ones in the USA do not understand the American accent. This

communication barrier is solved after the arrival of the accent neutralization concept.

Steps to overcome mother tongue influence

1. Get familiar with the sounds of English, and learn about the

International Phonetic Alphabet: The IPA was created by A. C. Gimson



and is essentially composed of the symbols used in the majority of dictionaries for foreign students. It has 20 vowel sounds – plus glides- and

24 consonants. Although they don‗t exhaust all of the genuine English sounds a natural may utilize, they represent a comprehensible structure

from which to commence to notice the difference amid fundamental pairs

of sounds, those that are commonly incorrectly pronounced by foreign speakers, regardless of their mother tongue.

For example: ―day‖ and ―they‖, or ―bark‖ and ―back‖. Once you become acquainted with the sounds, it will be priceless instrument to see weak points and make them stronger.

2. Practice translates into perfect: Once you get acquainted with the

English phonemes - this is how sounds are known, phonemes-, you need to

train, not merely your accent, but your ear. Study how to listen. Try to face

the English language as often as possible. A good idea is to remove

subtitles from movies. Study how to make out sounds, teach your ear to

identify those critical pairs we mentioned above. Keep speaking with the

implementations from the new learning. Speak to everyone who would

understand the language.

3. Enjoy singing: This is your occasion. Get the lyrics of your favorite songs

and, let yourself go. Keep in mind to constantly be conscious of your

accent and the sounds you release. Think in that language using those

sounds.

4. Finally avoid rolling back to the earlier habits.

Differences between British and American Pronunciation:

The Standard American Pronunciation and British Received Pronunciation (RP) of the

following words are different. Local dialectal pronunciations vary.

1. Barter, larder, centre/center, etc.- Americans curl their tongues to pronounce the ―r‖

sound in these words. British RP speakers do not- they pronounce a schwa instead (i.e.

bahtuh, lahduh, sentuh).

One of the basic differences between the British accent and the American accent is the

treatment of /r/. British English is non-rhotic, whereas the American accent is rhotic (r is

pronounced when found in spelling). For British accent, potential uses of /r/ in such

positions, especially in the word-final position, are indicated by a superscript /r/. This

occurs only in relation to the linking r. The intrusive r, because it is a controversial

element upon which agreement has not been reached by phoneticians, has been avoided.

2. Class, grass, path, etc.- British RP speakers use the /a:/ sound (i.e. clahs, grahs, pahth).

Americans use the ―short a‖ /ae/ sound.

3. Opulent, body, etc.- British RP speakers pronounce the ―o‖ sound in these words with

their lips rounded and the sound coming from the back of their mouth. The American

pronunciation of these words sounds like ―ahpyulunt‖ and ‖bahdee‖.

4. Pity, party, etc.- British RP speakers pronounce the ―t‖ sound in these words (i.e. pitee,

pahtee). Americans pronounce a ―d‖ sound (i.e. pidee, pardee).



- In AE ―t‖ and ―d‖ both have a very light voiced pronunciation ―d‖ between vowels so

words like writer and rider sound the same. In BE ―t‖ remains unvoiced between vowels

so words writer and rider are pronounced differently.

5. Due, tuna, etc- All British RP speakers pronounce ―yoo‖ in these words (i.e. dyoo,

tyoonuh). The majority of (but not all) American speakers pronounce ―oo‖ in these words

(i.e. doo, toonuh).

UNIT-4



Listening for General details

Listening is the one skill that you use the most in everyday life. Listening comprehension

is the basis for your speaking, writing and reading skills. To train your listening skills, it is

important to listen actively, which means to actively pay attention to what you are

listening to. Make it a habit to listen to audio books, podcasts, news, songs, etc. and to

watch videos and films in the foreign language.

You should know that there are different types of listening:

Listening for gist: you listen in order to understand the main idea of the text.

Listening for specific information: you want to find out specific details, for example key

words.

Listening for detailed understanding: you want to understand all the information the

text provides.

Before you listen to a text, you should be aware of these different types.

You will have to decide what your purpose is.

Becoming aware of this fact will help you to both focus on the important points and reach

your goal.

SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING YOUR LISTENING SKILLS

Before you listen

Think about the topic of the text you are going to listen to. What do you already know

about it? What could possibly be the content of the text? Which words come to mind that

you already know? Which words would you want to look up?

If you have to do a task on the listening text, check whether you have understood the task

correctly.

Think about what type of text you are going to listen to. What do you know about this

type of text?

Relax and make yourself ready to pay attention to the listening text.

While you are listening

It is not necessary to understand every single word. Try to ignore those words that you

think are less important anyway.

If there are words or issues that you don't understand, use your general knowledge as well

as the context to find out the meaning.

If you still don't understand something, use a dictionary to look up the words or ask

someone else for help.

Focus on key words and facts.

Take notes to support your memory.

Intonation and stress of the speakers can help you to understand what you hear.

Try to think ahead. What might happen next? What might the speakers say, which words

might they use?



After listening

Think about the text again. Have you understood the main points?

Remember the speculations you made before you listened. Did they come true?

Review your notes.

Check whether you have completed your task correctly.

Have you had any problems while listening? Do you have any problems now to complete

your task? Identify your problems and ask someone for help.

Listen again to difficult passages.

Practice:

Students will listen to the passages in the lab and answers the comprehension tests.

UNIT-5



Listening for Specific Details

There are situations in real life where we listen only for some specific details and ignore

the rest of the entire message.

e.g. weather forecast, announcements in train stations/airports, ... etc

Once you have learned to pick out the main idea in a lecture, your next step is to note the

specific details. You will need these details later to answer questions on all types of

exams: multiple choice, short answer, and essay. To listen for and note specific details, it

is helpful to notice

how the lecture is organized.

Lecture Organization and Note Taking

If the lecture is organized in the standard way; i.e. if it contains and introduction, body,

and conclusion, listen for and note the main idea in each of these sections.

The following information help you decide which specific details you should write in

your notes

1. If the introduction to the lecture is a summary of the previous class session, take

note of this. These notes will be an added reminder of what the lecturer thinks is

important.

2. If the introduction is just a general introduction or an attention gesture (a fact, a

saying, a story), you don‘t need to write it down.

3. Next, listen for information in the body of the lecture. You will probably hear the

most details in this section. Write down as much information as you can in your

notes, but don‘t worry if you can‘t get everything. Put a question mark in the

margin and ask questions later.

4. As you listen to the conclusion, continue to make your notes as complete as

possible. Most conclusions won‘t contain any new information, but be ready in

case the instructor has forgotten to include an important detail earlier and decides

to mention it in the conclusion.

Four ways to organize your notes:

1. This method of note taking is useful when the main points and details are

long phrases and sentences.

Main point

Detail

Detail

Detail

2. This method of note taking is most useful when details are symbols,

statistics, single words, or very short phrases.



Main point

\ ׀ ⧵

Detail Detail Detail

׀

Further detail

3. The following method is useful when the lecturer tends to back up and give specific

details on points mentioned earlier in the lecture.

Detail

∕ Further detail

Main point─ Detail <

Further Detail

4. This method is useful when the details precede the main point.

Detail

Detail

} Main point

Detail

Detail

} Main point

Detail

Detail

Practice: Students will go through the passages in the lab and answers the

comprehension tests.



UNIT-1

INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS

(ICS LAB)



Ice Breaking Activity and Jam Session

Ice Breakers are an effective way of starting an interaction session or team-building event. They can be interactive and fun sessions, which run prior to the main event or day‗s activity. The

activities can form a number of varieties including problem solving, facilitation, communication, leadership, team building, sharing and trust and decision making.

Ice breakers are particularly well suited for beginning a speech or starting a meeting. As the name implies, they ―break the ice, help participants relax, and generally set the tone for the

presentation. They help to relax participants, and that makes them more receptive to listening and contributing. An ice breaker can also serve to create a ―team atmosphere and motivate

participants to work with others in a cooperative manner.

Our Ice Breaker Activities are aimed at adding some energy and fun, allowing your team to think and look differently at how they can work together. Knowing when to insert an ice

breaker requires sensitivity and creativity. This will provide a unique opportunity for your team to develop new skills that can be critical for success in the workplace.

In order to make ice breakers to be effective, it must employ

Content, appropriate to the group,

Appropriately timed,

Should occur at the beginning, and then at appropriate times during the program.

Lucky Penny: Each person takes a penny or other coin out of his/her pocket and looks at the

date. When it's his/her turn, s/he states the year that's on their coin and recalls something spectacular that happened that year.

Categories - Have members of the group arrange themselves into groups by their favorite

dessert, sport, color, movie, car, etc. This is a good activity to get people up and moving and to

find out common likes. You can shift from one category to another group by favorite vacation

spot.

Stereotype Chat: Place a paper on each person's back with a characteristic on it (Valley Girl,

Smart, Happy, Rich). Don't let them see what you are putting on them. Let the participants

wander around and talk to each other, treating each other as they might treat someone with that characteristic. Afterward have everyone guess what characteristic they had and tell how they

felt (good way to start a discussion on stereotypes or a cultural program).

True or False: Participants say three things about themselves - two true and one false. Other participants guess what the lie is. The correct guesser goes next.

Know thyself: In this activity, the participants are asked to make a sincere attempt to symbolize themselves in the form of a pictograph. For example: a flower for sensitiveness and a stone for hardness.

JAM session



Just a minute or JAM is an impromptu speech test conducted with the time limit of one

minute. As a student and as a budding technocrat, you will be asked to speak on the spur of the

moment to make a presentation. Right from a classroom situation where the instructor would

like to know what we have understood, to viva voce in the practical examinations, where your

external examiner tests your domain knowledge, many situations will demand you to make an

impromptu speech.

While many of us do not like to speak before people, there are times when we are asked

to get up and say a few words about someone or a topic when we have not planned on saying

anything at all. We are more shocked than anyone else. Has this ever happened to you? If and when this does happen to you, be prepared to rise to the challenge.

The following two steps can be best used to master the art of giving an effective JAM session:

The first step is to go back to background knowledge and gather all the necessary ideas related to the topic given to you. Once you gather all the necessary ideas organize them in a sequential

order either chronologically or thematically. Then express them with clarity and cohesiveness.

Three important rules to be followed in JAM are:

No deviation

No repetition

No hesitation

For an effective JAM session…

1. Be ready to speak in any given situation

2. Utilize every opportunity as a suitable one to express yourself

3. Authorize your ideas and stick to the topic

4. Be creative and express new ideas

5. Follow sequential order

6. Be brief and to the point

7. Maintain good flow of sentences

8. Maintain good body language

9. Be cautious of time

10. Use positive and appropriate vocabulary.

Topics for Jam sessions

1. Bifurcation of states into smaller units

2. India‗s money in Swiss Bank

3. Business ethics

4. Stitch in time saves nine

5. Money saved is money earned

6. Growing threat of global warming

7. Inflation



8. Depression among teenagers

9. Impact of FDI in India

10. Communication as a basic human need.

Student Activity Sheet:

2. Indias’ money in Swiss Bank: The most common way is through the hawala route. It's

basically a process in which mediators (hawala contractors) are involved . They will take

your m0ney and transfer it to the foreign location of your choice for some fee. They have

very strong network in various countries. Suppose A person has 100 corers black money in

India which he wants to transfer to B person in Switzerland. He approaches a hawala

contractor C in India and gives him money and details of person B in Switzerland. Now C

will call his associate in Switzerland and tell him to give 90cr equivalent of Swiss currency

to B assuming 10 cr is his cut. From their B can deposit it any of the so called Swiss banks

(UBS, Credit Suisse, Julius Baer, etc.). This is a simpler example but in reality it‘s much

more complex and may involve many more hawala moderators.

Now, C has certain ways of their own to convert that to white as they have very strong network all

over the world.

4.A stitch in times saves nine:

This proverb simply means that it requires only a few stitches to repair a small tear in a

garment. But if you ignore it, the tear will become bigger requiring more stitches. This means

that you have to put in more efforts to get it mended. Similarly, in life, it is better to tackle all

problems at an early stage. Delay in finding a solution for a problem only complicates it further

making it difficult to undo the knots.

Tiny problem that can be solved easily develops into a huge one when we ignore it, thus giving

rise to confusion and loss of precious time and energy in untangling it.

Situational Dialogues-Greetings

Useful phrases

• Hi

• Good morning

• Good afternoon

• Good evening

• Hey, John.

• How's it going'?

1. Greetings before a Conversation

Useful Phrases

• Nice to see you.

• Long time no see. (I haven't seen you in a while.)



• What have you been up to?

• Ho It's been a while. (It's been a while since I've seen you.)

• What's new?

• Not much. (answer to What's new?)

Pair Practice (casual between friends or coworkers)

A: Hi Corey.

B: Hey, Jennifer. Good to see you. (hug)

A: You too. How've you been?

B: Busy, you?

A: Pretty good. How's your new job?

B: It's okay. There's a lot to learn. What's new with you?

A: Not much. The kids are back at school.

3. Greetings in the Classroom

Useful Phrases

• I'm from........(city or country)

• I hear it's beautiful/hot/expensive there.

• How do you like it here?

• How long have you been here?

Pair Practice

A: Hello. I'm Sasha.

B: Hi Sasha. I'm Brent. (hold out hand to shake)

A: Nice to meet you Brent. Where are you from?

B: Chicago, Illinois. And you?

A: I'm from Australia. I live in a small town near Sydney.

B: Australia. Wow. I've always wanted to go there. How long have you been in

Canada?

A: I just arrived this week. It's my first day of school.

B: Really? I think you'll love Vancouver. It's not too hot and not too cold.

4. Greetings in Business

Tips

• Introduce yourself with name and title.

• Shake hands.

• Express happiness to meet the other person.

• Give or accept directions.



Useful Phrases

• Please have a seat.

• Thanks for agreeing to meet with me.

• He'll be right with you.

• Can I offer you something to drink?

• My pleasure.

Pair Practice

A: Hello. I'm Mia Connors.

B: Hi Mia. I'm David Sinclair, and this is my partner Gina Evans. (hold out hand

to shake)

A: Nice to meet you Mr. Sinclair and Ms Evans. Thank you for taking the time to meet with

me today.

B: It's our pleasure. And please, call us David and Gina. Can I take your coat?

A: Thank you.

B: No problem. Please take a seat and we'll be right with you. I just have to take make a

quick phone call.

5. Greetings at a Party or Social Event

Tips

• Say hello and introduce yourself to a person who is not in a conversation.

• Talk about your relationship to the host.

• Discuss one party related item (food, theme, length of stay).

Useful Phrases

• Who are you here with?

• How do you know Jane? (party host)

• I don't think we've met.

• Have you been here long?

• Have you tried the cheese dip/dessert/punch?

• Where did you get your costume?

• The food looks great. I can't wait to try the dip.

• I love your dress/shirt/hat. It really suits you. (looks good on you)

• These decorations are wonderful. I love the table cloth/balloons/flowers.

Pair Practice

A: I don't think we've met. I'm Stacey. (hold out hand to shake)

B: Hi Stacey. I'm Carl.

A: Hi Carl. So, how do you know Jane?

B: Oh, Jane and I used to work together at a coffee shop.

A: Oh, you mean when you were working in Japan?

B: That's right. And how do you know her?



A: Actually, Jane is my cousin. Our moms are sisters.

B: No way! You two don't look anything alike.

6. Greetings in a Friend's Home

Tips

• Introduce yourself to people you don't know.

• Express happiness to meet the other person.

• Make small talk.

Useful Phrases

• You can call me...

• Thanks for coming.

• Thanks for having me.

• I've heard so much about you.

• It's nice to put a face to a name.

• You have a beautiful home.

Pair Practice

A: Hi Mike. I've heard all about you. Jesse says you love to play guitar.

B: Yes I do, Mrs. Simpson. Nice to meet you.

A: We're glad to finally be able to meet you. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes.

B: Is there anything I can do to help?

A: No, everything is pretty much ready. We're just waiting on the roast. I hope you like

roast beef.

B: Yes, of course. Jesse tells me you are a fabulous cook.

Useful Phrases: Taking Leave Formal Situation – Good bye

– I look foward to seeing you again soon, good bye

Informal Situation Pre-closing ‐ Sorry, I’ve go to

‐ Well, talk to you later, then

- Please, excuse me but I really have to be going

-Sorry, I have to go now.



– I’ll talk to you later.

– It’s been nice talking to you

– So, I’ll see you next week

– OK then…

– I think I’d better be going now.

-Well, it’s time for me to leave.

-I think it’s already late at night.

-I must be going home.

Closing/leave-taking – Good bye and give me regard to Mr/Mrs.…

‐ See you later

‐ Take care

Introducing Oneself and Others

Introduce Yourself:

Say: Hello. Hello.

I’m……. (or) My name is………

How do you do? Pleased to meet you.

Introduce others:

Say: This is …………….

He’s/ she’s my friend.

He’s a/ She’s a/ an………………

Practice: Students will use the above situational dialogues in Role Play.

UNIT-2



Situational Dialogues -Role Play

Role-play is an activity where one would be given a role to play. Role play is any

speaking activity where you either put yourself into somebody else shoes or you may stay in

your own shoes but put yourself into an imaginary situation. In these speaking activities, the

student can assume the role of any one such as managers, chef, officers etc. and experience the

joy of learning by involving in the character chosen by him. While playing the role of someone

else, the student reflects either himself or the character. By being involved in the character the

student has to think in a broader way, correct his attitude and find facts and responsibilities that

are required for an ideal personality.

Role-play allows a student to prepare thoroughly for real life situation and paves a way to think through the language at the initial stage. Later the student becomes confident in framing structures/sentences grammatically correct and tries to get into the role.

Students learn best if objectives are clearly told. Students develop and practice new

language and behavioral skills by being involved in the roles given. They should be given

freedom to choose their own partners who he/she would feel comfortable with and are essential

for meaningful communication to take place. Students are asked to discuss on the topic and

choose their roles to frame dialogues. Each pair will be given 15 min to act out the dialogue

using expressions, gestures and posture. Students involve themselves in the roles and understand

the process of real life communication. At the end of the activity a student would judge himself

on the basis of teacher, peer group & through self evaluation.

Role-play improves speaking & listening skills. Students develop non-verbal

communication techniques. They learn to use appropriate language in real life communication.

By providing an opportunity for the students to create and participate in role-plays, the

instructors can gain knowledge of each student while the students can benefit through increased

interaction with the material and with each other. Role-play also motivates the quiet students to

learn by themselves in a more forthright way. Students benefit from explicit feedback that

focuses on the learning objectives that leads to learning experience.

Useful Phrases and Expressions:

Making request for help/seeking directions

Excuse me, could you help me please?

Is there a medical store close by?

Could I ask a favour of you?

I‗m sorry to trouble you, but I need your help

Certainly, I shall be glad to help.

Thanks a lot/you very much

You‗re most welcome

Complaining



I regret to bring to your notice that some of the items supplied by you are of poor quality.

I‗m sorry to say this, but you are playing a loud music.

I have a complaint to make.

My new washing machine is not working.

I‗d like to have the piece replaced.

Offering suggestions, to advise or to persuade

Stop using polythene bags immediately.

I suggest you repeat these expressions twice each.

Let‗s repeat these expressions for practice.

You should repeat these expressions in order to perfect them.

Could I persuade to repeat the expressions as many times as possible?

Congratulate on an achievement, express sympathy and offer condolences

Congratulations!

You really deserve this honor.

Well done! Keep it up!

I‗m sorry about what happened.

I‗ve no doubt that you will do much better next time.

I just got the sad news.

It‗s a great loss indeed.

Remember that we are all with you.

Extend invitations and accept or decline them

Accepting

There‗s some good news.

I‗ve completed my Ph.D.

I‗m hosting a party this weekend.

I‗ll be happy if you can join me along with your family.

Thank you for the invitation.

We‗ll certainly make it.

Declining

Thanks for your invitation.

I‗m sorry; I may not be able to honor your invitation.

It‗s disappointing that you won‗t be joining us.

We all miss you.



Make apologies and respond to apologies

I must apologize for…..

I‗m terribly sorry about…..

Please accept my sincere apologies.

It‗s quite all right.

No need to feel sorry about it. These things do happen.

Introduce yourself….

Good morning/hello! /hi! my name is/ I‗m ……..

I‗ve just joined ……

I‗m from …….

I work for …….

I am the new ……

Introducing others…

Good morning all. I would like to introduce……

Hello everybody, here is Mr. / Mrs ………

It‗s my pleasure to introduce our today‗s guest……

I feel delighted to introduce Mr. / Mrs ……

It‗s a great honor for me to introduce…….

I‗m happy to introduce my friend…..

I‗m proud of introduce my friend …….

Asking for people’s opinions and giving opinions to others

I‗m convinced …….

I think…. / I believe….. / I feel …..

As far as I‗m concerned……….

What is your opinion about ……….

What are your views on/about ……..

Are you in favour of ……..?

DOS



1. Understand and analyze the situation.

2. Identify your role and act accordingly.

3. Frame your sentences, questions and answers properly.

4. Be as natural as possible. Be yourself.

5. Check the posture and move a little.

6. Use your hands to express your point.

7. Maintain very good eye contact with the other person.

8. Make sure of shortened forms of words like ‗shan‗t‗, don‗t etc., which are vital for spoken

form of language.

ROLE PLAY- Example

A customer comes to a bank to apply for a bank loan and approaches the manager. (Conversation between the Customer & the Manager)

Customer: Good Morning Sir.

Manager: A very good morning. Tell me how can I help you?

Customer: Sir, I would like to apply for a loan of 2 lakh Rupees.

Manager: Yeah sure, please fill this form. Do you have the required documents?

Customer: Yes, here they are. I brought all the documents you need.

Manager: We would verify these documents. If everything goes well, your loan will be sanctioned in a week‗s time.

Customer: Thank you Sir. Have a nice day!

Manager: A good day to you too!

Tips on Telephone Etiquette:

1. Speak Clearly:

A picture paints a thousand words but the caller on the other end of the phone can only

hear you. They cannot see your face or body language. Therefore, taking time to speak

clearly, slowly and in a cheerful way, professional voice is very important.

Modulate your voice to exhibit your polite and positive attitude.

Confident, clear and properly audible and composed voice indicates balanced and

assertive personality.

Use simple and direct sentences to avoid ambiguity.

Use your normal tone of voice when answering a call:

If you have a tendency to speak loud or shout avoid doing so on the telephone.

Pace of speech, pitch of voice, stress, intonation, and pronunciation play a key role in

achieving the desired result.

Address the caller properly by his/her title:



Never address an unfamiliar by his/her first name. (i.e. Good Morning Mr. Brown, Good

Afternoon Miss. Sanders).

Respond pleasantly, positively, and do not keep the speaker wait too long.

Identify the person with name or position with whom you are speaking to

Introduce with proper greetings.

Listen to the caller and what they have to say:

The ability to listen is a problem in general but it is very important to listen to what the

caller has to say. It is always a good habit to repeat the information back to the client when

you are taking a message. Verify that you have heard and transcribed the message

accurately.

Clarity, aptness and presence of mind are required.

Always ask if you can put the caller on hold:

Always ask the caller politely if you may put them on hold. Remember that the caller could

have already waited several minutes before getting connected to you and may not take

lightly to be put on hold.

Never leave the person on hold for more than a few seconds or they may become upset and

hang up.

Ending a call:

Summarize your objective of calling and confirm if the receiver has understood the subject

correctly.

Close the conversation with formal thanks.

Some points to remember:

Keep all the documents ready if necessary for quick reference.

Have a note pad and pen to jot down vital points.

Lift the phone promptly.

Maintain decorum in language to exhibit professional etiquette.

Analyze the situation, role and the task you need to perform.

Sometimes telephonic interviews are conducted. Telephonic interviews are conducted just like in-person

interviews. They are used by hiring managers and recruiters as a tool for screening candidates for

employment. It’s important to take time to review the typical phone interview questions you'll be asked

and to prepare answers appropriately. In addition, plan on being prepared for a phone conversation about

your background and skills. One has to be positive relaxed and confident while answering.



Example 1:

Aruna: Hello Finance Department, XYZ & Co.

Prabhu: Hello, I am calling form Suave Printers Group. I have just received our statement of account and

there are some problems.

Aruna: I’ll need to check the records. Can you give me your name, please?

Prabhu: Prabhu Singh

Aruna: and your account number? It’s at the top of your statement.

Prabhu: it’s TM 25008.

Aruna: OK. And what was wrong?

Prabhu: We ordered 24 printers about two weeks ago. You only had 20 in stock and that was all you could

deliver to us.

Aruna: were you charged for 24?

Prabhu: No, but you hadn’t included the correct discount. When I spoke to the Sales Dept. we agreed to a

15% reduction but in our statement its only 12%.

Aruna: I will look into it. The balance is wrong as well.

Prabhu: Yes, it should be rs.39, 450/- instead of Rs.48, 817/-.

Aruna: I may have to ring the Sales and Account Dept. We will try to get a new statement sent today.

Prabhu: Fine. Thanks.

Example 2:

Man: Hello is it Global Instruments Company?

Receptionist: Yes, may I help you?

Man: This is Prem Kumar from 3 star industries. Can I talk to Mr. Ravi Chandran, the Sales Manager?

Receptionist: I am afraid, he is out of town and won’t be available until next Tuesday sir.

Man: How annoying. I wanted to speak to the Sales Manager personally.

Receptionist: is it anything important sir.



Man: well, actually yes. We ordered 45 cases of your recent product and when they arrived here, 30 boxes

were found broken and the content damaged. You don’t seem to be paying much attention to packing and

self delivery.

Receptionist: I am extremely sorry to hear that Mr. Prem Kumar, but we don’t have a well trained Packing

Dept. which does a good job. It might have happened in transit, sir.

Man: Well, where ever it happened the cases are badly damaged. I will not accept these boxes and I am

quite disappointed with your explanation.

Receptionist: Well, our goods are insured, sir. I am sure we will be able to take back the damaged cases

and replace the items with new ones sir. I apologize for this and will inform the sales section to arrange to

bring back the goods immediately sir.

Man: I am glad you are ready to take them back. Please arrange for it immediately. We don’t want to make

our customers wait.

Receptionist: No sir. We don’t want it, either. The replacements will be sent tomorrow and you will receive

them on Wednesday. I am extremely sorry about it sir. This is the first time in 20 years such a thing has

happened.

Man: think nothing of it. We appreciate what you are doing

Receptionist: hope to hear something good from you.

Man: yes.

Activity

Match the verbs with their meanings

1) Ring up 1. Make the call successfully

2) Ring off 2. Telephone

3) Ring back 3. Put the phone down

4) Put someone through 4. Be interrupted in the middle of a call

5) Get through 5. Telephone again

6) Be cut off 6. Transfer someone to the right person

Exercises:

1. Report an accident you have witnessed to 108 and ask for help.

2. You are a newly formed company which specializes in production of Italian pizzas. Contact a client

who may be interested in selling your products.



3. Take an appointment with the company sales manager to advertise your new robotic toy that you

would like to launch in the market.

4. You are offered a well paid job over the phone in another city. Discuss your priorities.

Student Worksheet:

UNIT-3



DESCRIPTIONS-NARRATIONS-GIVING DIRECTIONS AND GUIDELINES

Describing objects, situations and people is very much a part and parcel of our daily life. We

observe that we engage in describing people, objects and situations to others for various reasons.

However, we tend to take it in a light way without thinking of improving the skill of doing it. The

objective of this chapter is to hone the students in this area. After the completion of the class,

student should be able to describe objects, situations and people in an effective manner.

Some suggestions for effective description.

1. Employ appropriate language and not a roundabout one.

2. Speak to the point and don‘t digress much.

3. Provide factual information only. Avoid emotional and imaginative statement.

4. Try to include a good number of details while describing objects, situations and people.

Describing an Object

The skill of describing an object requires the person to observe it closely. By close examination, it

means collecting as much information about the object as possible. As a guideline, following things

can be observed.

Physical appearance: In physical appearance, one can note down the following (not

exhaustive list, can add further

Size small, medium, large

Color black, brown, blue

Weight light, heavy

Material glass, silver, platinum

Shape circular, oval, spherical, cylindrical

Age old, new

Cost Cost of the article

Any special quality: An object can be of special use or it can have some unique features. An

identification of such qualities always helps to describe it effectively. It indicates that the person

knows the object intimately.

Uses: An object has varied uses. While describing object, an attempt should be made to point out

all the important and significant uses of the object under scanner.



History: A specific product will have manufacturer or brand name. Also, some objects carry

interesting stories like who made them, why and when. Mentioning them makes the description

attention-grabbing and fascinating.

Part-wise Description: It is preferable to divide an object into parts to describe each of them

separately. And later as a whole. This allows the audience to understand the object in a better way.

After collecting details, it is necessary to arrange them in a systematic order, connecting one

element with the other. In other words, there should be a flow in the presentation.

Words useful for describing an object: Rectangular, square, rounded, oval-shaped, long, tall, small,

tiny, big, cubed, straight, circular, spherical, cylindrical, curved, conical, angular.

Why do we need to describe an object?

There are various reasons for which we need to describe an object. And in all of them there

is a need for accuracy, brevity and clarity. A scientist may need to write about a newly discovered

object. We may need to describe an object to a shopkeeper, in case it is not visible on the stall.

While penning for an advertisement regarding an object say, a newly launched mobile phone, we

are required to describe it in detail. If we have seen a new product in the market or elsewhere, we

may feel the need to describe it to our friends. In all such circumstances, the skill of describing

objects comes handy. Illustration

Look at the wrist watch and describe it--

Puma Men‘s Race Stainless Steel Watch is the latest in the market. It has some excellent features

like scratch resistance, three sundials, and water resistance to 330 feet. Moreover, it has luminous

hour and minute hands and date window. The attractive style and design make it popular among the



users. It is available in different colors such as red, silver, gold etc. The one given is in black color.

Its price is only $44.97. It is a watch worth buying or giving to someone.

Describing Situation

We come across many events in our life. And in some of them, we need to tell others. Take

for instance, there is a road accident, a reporter needs to survey this situation, makes necessary

notes and write down in detail before sending the report to the newspaper. In this case, the reporter

can make his or her personal observations and can also ask others. People who have witnessed the

event will narrate it to the reporter. Describing events is very common in newspapers. Students can

improve the skill of describing situation by frequently reading newspaper.

In describing situation, following aspects can be considered. The given ones are not exhaustive and

can be added more.

- date and time of the situation

- place of occurrence

- people who witness the situation

- any facts related to the situation

- outcome of the situation

Illustration

Surprise test: NADA raid at NIS

(Express India)

The athletes camped in the premises were in for a surprise on Saturday afternoon when a

four-member team of doctors from the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) came calling at

their doorsteps for random tests. The development comes on the back of the doping scandal that has

hit Indian athletics, with high-profile quarter-milers, among others, testing positive. It was the first

such raid by the national anti-doping body at the institute where 172 athletes are training for the

London Olympics in track & field, boxing, weightlifting and wrestling categories.

The NADA team led by Dr Ankur Gupta and also accompanying a woman official, searched

the rooms of athletes and coaches for unauthorized supplements and steroids, besides randomly

collecting urine samples of players for testing. The operation, which started around 1 pm in

the afternoon, continued till late in the evening. The team, however, remained tightlipped when

asked if they found anything during the search operation.

Describing People

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Surprise-test--NADA-raid-at-NIS/815360/

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Surprise-test--NADA-raid-at-NIS/815360/



We are surrounded by people, some of them who are close and some who are not. We

cannot simply avoid interacting with them unless in rare cases of illness etc. The art of describing

people focuses on those elements which are useful for identifying the person. In newspapers,

magazines, and novels etc we see the need of such skills.

Often use words and phrases in describing people

Age young, teens, teenaged, teenager, middle-aged, elderly (early, mid, late)

forties/fifties/sixties, old

Complexion fair, whitish, dusky

Hair Wavy, curly, straight, thick, thin, long, short, grey, black, brown, blond, blonde,

silver.

Build slim, thin, well-built, fat, plump, stocky

Height tall, short, medium, (160cms/ 5‘6‖) tall

Face round, square, long thin, wrinkled

Nose big, small, straight, flat, snub-nosed hooked nose

Mouth/lip small, wide, thin, thick, full

Looks good-looking, attractive, beautiful, charming, cute, pretty, handsome, smart,

distinguished, homely, ordinary, ugly

Character generous, friendly, soft-spoken, kind, aggressive, ambitious, reserved, talkative,

rude, cheerful, polite, frank, considerate, polite, shy, ambitious

We will examine the process of describing people through selected illustrations.

Let us describe an imaginary doctor. We can describe him as follows:

Appearance: Mr. Ram is a popular doctor in our locality. He dresses himself neatly. He is fair and

tall with a sharp nose. He is 42.

Qualification: He is a surgeon, having obtained his M.S. degree from the U.S.



Qualities: He is kind to all. He gives a patient hearing to all. He is never in a hurry. Before

undertaking a surgery, he plans well about it. He is a poor man‘s Doctor and charges patients very

moderately.

Achievements: Even when he was a medical student, he had obtained credentials. As a doctor, he

has performed many surgeries very successfully. He has a well equipped hospital of his own and is

recruiting efficient Doctors.

Habits: He has clean habits. He is very punctual. He leads a systematic life and advices others also

to cultivate good habit. He reads a lot and loves to be a student always.

Interest: He was a cricket player during his college days. Even now he is much interested in

cricket. His hobby is reading books. He is interested in gardening and has reared a garden in front

of his house.

Describing Place:

While describing a place the following features may be kept in mind as explained in below

example: (description about kallanai dam near Trichy)

Location: Kallanai is around 15 kms west of Trichy. It has built across the the river cauvery.

History: It was built by Karykala chola, a popular chola king in the 10th

-11th

century. It was

built with a view to improving irrigation in Tanjore and Trichy districts. It is an imposing

structure.

Popularity: It is a great picnic spot often visited by tourist. It attracts foreigners too, thus

bringing a lot of foreign exchange. Built of burial bricks, it stands today as a great monument. It

is wonder how such a structure could be built in the days when there were no modern engineering

skills.

Soil Type: The lands around kallanai contain alluvial soil, and the water from kallanai is used for

irrigation. Rice, plantain and millets are grown in large quantities.

Climate: The Trichy and Tanjore districts lie in the Tropical zones and enjoy good sunshine and

heat.

Activity

Here is an extract from Khushwant Singh‘s story ―The Portrait of a Lady‖.



My grandmother, like everybody‘s grandmother, was an old woman. She had been old and

wrinkled for the twenty years that I had known her. People said that she had once been young and

pretty and had even had a husband, but that was hard to believe. My grandfather‘s portrait hung

above the mantelpiece in the drawing room. He wore a big turban and loose fitting clothes. His

long, white beard covered the best part of his chest and he looked at least a hundred yeas old. He

did not look the sort of person who would have a wife or children. He looked as if he could only

have lots and lots of grandchildren. As for my grandmother being young and pretty, the thought

was almost revolting. She often told us of the games she used to play as child. That seemed quite

absurd and undignified on her part and we treated it like the fables of the Prophets she used to tell

us.

She had always been short and fat and slightly bent. Her face was a criss-cross of wrinkles

running from everywhere to everywhere. No, we were certain she had always been as we had

known her. Old, so terribly old that she could not have grown older, and had stayed at the same age

for twenty years. She could never have been pretty, but she was always beautiful. She hobbled

about the house in spotless white with one hand resting on her waist to balance her stoop and other

telling the beads of her rosary. Her silver locks were scattered untidily over her pale, puckered face,

and her lips constantly moved in inaudible prayer. Yes, she was beautiful. She was like the winter

landscape in the mountains, an expanse of pure white serenity breathing peace and contentment.

After reading the above passage, describe the grandmother

Age ____________________________________________

Family Background ________________________________________________

Height ________________________________________________

Appearance ________________________________________________

Complexion ________________________________________________

Face ________________________________________________

Hair _______________________________________________

Dress _______________________________________________

Nature/ character ________________________________________________



Any other ________________________________________________

Observations _________________________________________________

Exercise:

1. Describe your friend whom you know closely, take hints from the exercise practiced above.

Use 150 words.

2. Describe the prized object in your room using 150 words.

3. Try to recollect a memorable occasion in your life and describe the situation in around 150

words.

4. Describe the beauty of your native place in 150 words.

Student’s Worksheet:



Narrations:

Narrative writing can be broadly defined as story writing – a piece of writing characterized by a

main character in a setting who encounters a problem or engages in an interesting, significant or

entertaining activity or experience. What happens to this main character is called the plot. The plot

follows a beginning, middle, and end sequence. The middle of the story is the largest, most

significant part, which we call the main event. The main event is really what the story is all about

and involves either a problem to be solved or a significant life experience for the main character.

Authors write narrative stories in order to entertain an audience of others – this is called author’s

purpose.

What specific skills are involved in narrative writing?

Authors of successful narratives are well-versed in the following skills:

organization – they understand the shape that a narrative story takes as well as the salient

characteristics of this kind of writing

crafting entertaining beginnings – authors must understand the function of a story beginning –

to grab the reader‘s attention and introduce the reader to the story world. They also need

to recognize the specific strategies and techniques authors use to accomplish this.

elaborative detail – involves so much more than assigning adjectives to nouns! – the author needs

to know why to elaborate (to allow the reader to experience story critical characters, settings, and

objects through the five senses of the main character.), where elaboration is appropriate, and how to

create it.

suspense – story tension is what keeps the reader reading. Young authors must understand the need

for suspense/tension and some specific techniques for building this into their plots.

fully elaborated main events – every short story has a single significant main event – what the story

is really all about. This main event needs to be told through a mix of action, description, dialogue,

thoughts and feelings. It needs to be stretched out to reflect its relative importance to the story.

satisfying extended story endings – after the main event concludes the author needs to allow

the main character to reflect on memories, feelings, hopes, wishes, and decisions brought about by

the main event.

Exercise:

1. Narrate a story on a trip that included something unexpected or surprising?

2. Narrate a story on the moment that you met someone who changed your life?

3. Narrate a story on a random act of kindness in 150 words?

4. Narrate a story on the end of a friendship or relationship using 150 words?

5. Narrate a big storm (rain, snow or even a tornado!)?

Student Worksheet:



Giving Directions:

In Business Communication we have to either give directions orally or in written form. The

presenter not only must demonstrate an operation, but also must teach techniques and ideas, present

information, and persuade the audience to follow directions. The key to effective oral instructions is

planning.

Planning involves:

Analyze The Audience – Consider the age, experience, attitude, and needs of your audience. You

must carefully plan instructions for 30 people than you would for 3 people.

Research the Subject – If there are any gaps in your knowledge of your subject, consult manuals,

experts, or other sources to fill in those gaps. Remember, your audience may ask questions, and you

want to give accurate answers. Nothing is more important in giving instructions than accuracy.

Double-check accuracy by asking someone who is not familiar with the subject to follow your

instructions. Note places where this person had questions or made errors; then revise the

instructions accordingly.

Organize –The listener should be able to follow your directions easily. Present Information in the

order the audience will use it as they carry out the instructions.

Make Notes – Since it is important to present instructions in the proper order, outline your

presentation or prepare note cards so that you don‘t forget an important fact or step. The

presentation will be more effective if you occasionally refer to notes as you talk, instead of reading

word for word from a page.

Prepare Visuals – Since the most highly developed sense is sight, most people learn more from

seeing than from hearing. Whenever possible, show rather than tell. Whether your visuals are actual

tools or equipment that you are using, a drawing or diagram, or some other type of illustration,

make sure that the visual is large enough and is clearly visible to everyone in the audience.

Practice – The most important benefit to practicing your presentation is that it will give you

confidence and relieve your anxiety about having to speak publicly. Practice as though your

audience were there. Don‘t just think the words; talk out loud. Use your visuals as you practice. If

you find that you occasionally need to pause and think—that‘s OK. Do not fill brief silences with

umm, all right, and similar expressions.



Give the Presentation – Guard against performing the process without talking; an effective

presenter describes the steps as they are being performed. Do not rush through your demonstration

and remember to talk clearly and loudly enough to be heard in the back of the room. If you don‘t

mind interruptions, let your audience know that they can ask you questions during your

presentation. Otherwise, ask if they have any questions when you finish the instructions. Non

verbal communications are very significant as it communicates the message effectively.

Warnings and Precautions - can prevent safety hazards, injuries, ruined materials, broken

equipment, and other problems. It is your responsibility to ensure the safety of your audience as

they follow your instructions

Location Instructions

Location instructions explain how to get from here to there. Only the simplest Instructions may be

given orally, since the human brain is able to remember only a limited amount of information at

one time. A clear map will sometimes be sufficient. At other times written or oral instructions with

a map will be most effective. The complexity of the directions and careful audience analysis will

guide you.

Tips for giving Location Instructions – When giving location instructions, follow these

guidelines:

1. Identify the starting point and destination.

2. Give the distance between the starting point and the destination in terms of space

(two miles or blocks) or time (about five minutes).

3. Indicate the general direction between the starting point and the destination. If

appropriate, use compass points (northeast, south).

4. Give specific, step-by-step directions in chronological (time) order. Note Landmarks

and places where mistakes might occur.

5. Include enough detail to make the instructions easy to follow, but eliminate

unnecessary detail that may only confuse your audience.

Using Maps to give Instructions – A clear, accurate, well-designed map is often the most effective

way to present location instructions. If you cannot find a suitable map, you may have to draw one

yourself. Drawing a simple map does not take artistic ability, but it does take time and patience. As

in all instructions, accuracy is the most important factor.



Useful Phrases:

Seeking instructions Giving instructions

Can you tell me where……………?

Can you guide me to………………..?

Would you please,………….?

May I request you to…………………….?

I would like to go to………………..

Can you help me…………………….?

I seek your help………….. can you?

I seek guidance, please help me.

Where is ………………….? Please guide me.

I am new to this place……….. can you…….?

I am afraid I have lost my way.

Would you kindly…….. etc.

Yes, I can, ……….. listen to me.

Turn right/left.

Go straight.

Take this bus or take an auto.

You will see a park(such landmarks)

The pan-shop owner can guide you.

Seek the help of an auto walah.

Example of Giving Directions:

Wally : Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the city hospital?

Sally: Sure, the hospital is on Tenth Street, about 20 minutes away by foot. Go south on this street

two blocks until you come to the stop light.

Wally: Go south two blocks to the stop light.

Sally: Correct, then, turn left and go three more blocks, until you come to the end of the road. A

park will be in front of you.

Wally: Turn left and go for three blocks to the park.



Sally: Right, then turn right again and go seven blocks, to Lipton Avenue.

Wally: Turn right and go seven blocks to Lipton Avenue.

Sally: Next, turn left on Lipton Avenue and go two blocks. The hospital is on your left, across from

the baseball stadium.

Wally: OK, let me see if I‘ve got this straight. Go south on this street for two blocks to the stop

light. Turn left at the light and go three blocks to the park. Turn right at the park and go seven

blocks to Lipton Avenue. At Lipton Avenue turn right and…

Sally: No, turn left on Lipton Avenue.

Wally: OK, turn left on Lipton Avenue, the hospital is two blocks down, on my left.

Sally: You got it.

Wally: Thanks.

In both written and oral the ideas should be have proper logical thinking. Clarity and cohesiveness

are very important in giving directions. There should be connectivity. Use pictorial representations

where required. Apt vocabulary should be used. Simple and plain English is the norm of the day.

Be a good listener to give effective directions.

EXAMPLE 2:

Anitha: Is showing Reema how to use a photocopier.

Anitha: Have you worked with a machine like this before?

Reema: Not this kind exactly, no; but in my previous office there was one like it.

Anitha: Well, it‘s not complicated. The paper goes in here on the left hand side, you see? Notice

that I am making sure that it‘s fixed in tightly. If it is not right, the paper doesn‘t go in properly and

the machine gets blocked. Now, have you got the letter?

Reema: Yes, I have put it on the glass under the cover.

Anitha: Right, switch the machine on, then. Actually, we usually leave it on, all day.

Reema: Oh dear, its not working. The green light hasn‘t come on.

Anitha: that‘s strange. Is it plugged in?



Reema: Oh no. it is not. Ok, I have plugged it in. now it is on.

Anitha: Yes but it is not ready yet. When it is ready, the WAIT sign light goes off and a green

READY one comes on. I have set it for automatic copying.

Reema: Ah, its ready now. The green light is on. Can I start it now?

Anitha: Yes, go ahead.

Activity:

Read the conversation and choose the correct words.

1) Dinesh: Excuse me, where is ……………… hospital, please? (a/the)

Man: it is …………………. (at/on) Marks Road……………. (go/goes) along this road and

go …………… (along/past) the petrol station. The hospital is ………………. (in/on) your

right.

Dinesh: thanks a lot, bye.

2) Ramya: excuse me…………….. (do/are) you know the Ginger Hotel?

Man: yes, go along this road and …………………. (turn/take) right. That is bridge street.

Go along over the bridge and turn right again. The Ginger Hotel is ……………… (in/on)

your right, opposite the park.

Ramya: thanks very much.

Exercises:

1. Direct your friend to your house from college over a telephone.

2. You are asked to demonstrate how to prepare your favorite dish. Give instructions

accordingly

3. Write instructions to follow in your chemistry lab.

4. Give written instructions on basic operations of any instrument.

Student Worksheet:



UNIT-4

PUBLIC SPEAKING- EXTEMPORE-MAKING A PRESENTATION

There are times in almost everybody’s life when public speaking is required. Occasions can be as

informal and brief as offering a toast at a party or as formal and involved as delivering a speech at

a graduation ceremony. Many careers are based on a certain amount of public speaking. Take

teachers, trial lawyers, politicians, broadcast journalists, or preachers, for example. For all of

them, public speaking is an integral part of daily life. Likewise, people in leadership positions are

routinely asked to share their views or provide guidance in larger settings. But even for those

whose careers don’t call for public speaking, opportunities for speaking in front of audiences

abound. There are individual or group presentations in a classroom setting, for example,

contributions during a town meeting, or reports as members of a committee in school, at work, or

in the community.

In short, almost everybody sooner or later has to speak in public. Try not to see the task as

unpleasant. Instead, try to see it as a chance to have an impact or to improve yourself. The earlier

you start gaining experience and honing your skills, the better. There are many techniques and

“tricks of the trade” that can help you become an effective and confident speaker

Preparing Your Presentation

Considering Your Audience

The most important aspect of public speaking is the audience. At all times during the process of

preparing and delivering a speech, we need to keep in mind that we are speaking to an audience

and not just to ourselves. Whether the goal is to entertain, to inform, or to persuade, we should

try to reach our listeners and tailor the speech to them.

To do this effectively, engage the audience in a dialogue in which the audience members interact

mentally with your ideas. For this purpose, choose a topic, examples, and language appropriate to

your listeners.

Key Points

Getting to Know Your Audience

• What are the age range and educational background of your audience? Marital

Status? Children? Gender and sexual orientation? Occupations?

• What do you know about their ethnic diversity? Languages represented?

Group affiliations? Regional characteristics?

• Do you know something about their interests? Values? Political views?

Religious beliefs?

• What do the audience members know? What do they want to know? What are their

reasons for listening?



• What is the relationship between time of delivery and expected states of mind?

(e.g., hunger before lunch, tiredness in the evening), between the physical environment

and its effect on the audience (e.g., lighting, temperature, seating arrangements, outside

noise), between occasion and emotional climate? Are there reactions to previous

speakers?

Choosing a Topic

Key Points

How to Search for a Speech Topic

• Skim headlines in newspapers for current events.

• Check television schedules for interesting news programs or documentaries.

• Surf the internet.

• Think about people (individuals or groups), places (local, national, or international),

objects (natural or human-made), events (personal or public), processes (how something is

done or made), concepts (theories, complex ideas), and controversial issues.

• Make an inventory of your own interests, experiences, and classes you have taken.

• List things you are curious about and skills you have always wanted to learn.

Write down everything of interest to you. Here is an example of what a list of search results might

look like. Do you find any of the topics interesting? Do they make you think of other possibilities?

• The Safety of Internet Sales

• Differences between American and British English

• Extreme Skiing

• A Day in the Life of a Homeless Person

• The Future of the Automobile

• Table Manners in Chinese Culture

• “Once in a Blue Moon:” The Origin of Idioms

• The Music of Australian Aborigines

• Children and TV Advertisement

When you have brainstormed possible topics, go through the list and evaluate them.

Key Points

How to Select the Most Suitable Topic

1. Which topics stimulate your imagination the most? (In order to excite your audience, it

is important that you be enthusiastic yourself.)

2. Which topics will be of greatest interest to the audience?

Determining Your Purpose

To fine-tune your focus before you start researching your topic, determine the general and

specific purpose as well as the central idea of your speech. The general purpose of a speech



usually is to entertain, to inform, or to persuade; the specific purpose describes exactly what a

speaker wants to accomplish; and the central idea is the core of your message. Here is an

example.

Topic: Video Editing on Home Computer

General Purpose: To inform

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the processes involved in

editing videos on one’s home computer and to introduce commonly

used software Central Idea: Video editing skills are easy to acquire.

Researching Your Topic

After you have selected a topic and determined your specific purpose, you should research it

thoroughly. Your audience will expect comprehensive and up-to-date coverage. There are many

sources for information.

Key Points

Sources for Conducting Research

• Books

• Encyclopedias

• Almanacs

• Atlases

• Magazines

• Newspapers

• Professional Journals

• Audio recordings

• Videos and Films

• Internet

• Electronic Databases

• Lectures

• Interviews

• Surveys

Organizing Your Speech

Once you have researched your topic and collected support materials, the first part of your speech

preparation is completed. Now, it is time to organize your ideas. The most common and versatile

pattern is the division into introduction, body, and conclusion.

Body. You may be tempted to plan the introduction first. The easiest way to organize a speech,

however, is to start with the body. Look at your material and divide it into major points. In

general, the fewer main points you have, the better. A relatively small number of main points

makes your speech more translucent and memorable for the audience. A short speech of five

minutes, for example, should not have more than three or four main points.

The next step is to arrange your main points within the body. For this purpose, you need to

consider the general content of your main points. Depending on this content, your speech will

probably lend itself to one of the following traditional organization patterns.



Determining the content of the body will help you plan an effective introduction and conclusion

for your speech. The body is best done first so that it can provide an anchor for the beginning and

ending of your presentation.

Introduction. One of the most important parts of a speech is the introduction. The introduction

should function as an attention-getter, create interest, motivate the audience to listen, establish

your credibility, and give a preview of your main points. While there are different ways to

accomplish these goals, the following pattern has been proven effective and may serve as a

guideline.

Key Points

How to Create an Effective Introduction

1. Gain the Attention of Your Audience

The first few sentences of your speech should serve to gain the attention of your listeners.

Instead of saying “Today, I will speak about . . . “or “My topic is . . .,” begin with one of the

following openers.

• A rhetorical question (no answer expected)

• A participatory question (wait for answers from the audience or a show of hands)

• A colorful description

• A quotation (from a famous person or from a piece of literature or music— you can

find quotations arranged by subject matter in quotation dictionaries in any library or

bookstore)

• An audiovisual aid

• A suspenseful story

• A joke or funny anecdote

• A reference to a current event

• Surprising statistics

2. Motivate Your Audience

Point out how the topic relates to your listeners and why it is relevant for them. This part of your

introduction should answer the question: “Why should the audience listen?”

3. Establish Your Credibility

Tell the audience what makes you knowledgeable on the subject. You may list classes you have

taken, professional training, research projects, or personal experiences that make you a credible

speaker. This part of your introduction should answer the question: “Why should the audience

listen to you?”

4. Preview Your Main Points



There is a saying: “Tell them what you are going to say; say it; then tell them what you said” (Jaffe,

1998, p. 172). To list your main points briefly before you move to the body of your speech (where

you mention them again and elaborate on them) may seem like overkill to you; however, for your

audience, this preview provides invaluable guidance that helps them focus on each point with

more ease and follow your train of thought throughout the speech.

Conclusion. While the introduction leads into the body, the conclusion leads out of it and provides

closure. Introductions and conclusions should be about equal in length and significantly shorter

than the body. As a rule of thumb, the introduction and conclusion together should be about one

fifth of the total speech (i.e., in a five-minute speech, the introduction and conclusion should be

about half a minute each).

Key Points

How to Create an Effective Conclusion

1. Signal the End

Pause slightly before you start your conclusion. Use a term like to conclude or in conclusion

to show your listeners that you have completed the main part of your presentation.

2. Review Your Main Points

Just as you listed your major points during the introduction, list them again in your

conclusion. This will help your audience recall your major ideas and result in a sense of

accomplishment.

3. Refer to the Introduction

Referring to the introduction will provide your audience with a sense of closure.

For example, if you started with a suspenseful story, provide the conclusion now.

Or if you mentioned some surprising statistics, repeat them again and relate them to your

overall presentation.

4. End with an Impact

Use the last few sentences of your speech to ensure that you leave a good and memorable

impression.

The following are a few techniques useful in ending with an impact.

• Humor

• A thought-provoking question

•A quotation

• A call for action

• A connection to a larger context

A complete outline for a demonstration speech on flower arranging might look like this.



Note the numbering for the divisions in the outline: Roman numerals (I, II, III) for introduction,

body, and conclusion; capital letters (A, B, C, etc.) for main points; Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.)

for sub points; and lower-case letters (a, b, c, etc.) for sub points.

Sample Speech Outline

Title: Flower Arranging

General Purpose: To inform

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience how to arrange flowers in a vase

Central Idea: Arranging your own bouquets is a fun and inexpensive way to surprise a

loved one.

I. Introduction

A. Gaining Attention: Anecdote: I once received a dozen red roses from a secret

admirer.

B. Motivating the Audience: Arranging flowers is fun and affordable.

C. Establishing Credibility: I took a flower arrangement course last year.

D. Preview of Main Ideas: I will describe how to select flowers, use the equipment, and

display the bouquet.

II. Body

A. How to select flowers

B. How to use the equipment

1. Choosing a vase

2. Anchoring the flowers

a. “Oasis” (sponge like cube)

b. “Frog” (platform with spikes)

C. How to display the bouquet

1. Cutting the flower stems

2. Arranging the flowers in the vase

3. Using fillers (e.g., the plant “Baby’s Breath”)

III. Conclusion

A. Signaling the End: “to conclude”

B. Review of Main Points: I have discussed how to select flowers, how to use the

equipment, and how to display the bouquet.

C. Reference to Introduction: I ended up marrying my secret admirer.

D. Ending with Impact: Flowers don’t need special occasions surprise a loved one

with a bouquet tomorrow.

Delivering Your Speech



Before you deliver your speech, take time to set up. Don’t hurry. Having everything in good

working order will help you feel confident as you move on to the delivery of your speech.

• Make sure the stage is arranged according to your needs (e.g., move chairs out of the

way, lower blinds if there is sun glare).

• Arrange your notes (manuscript, outline or index cards—depending on your speech) so

that they are easily accessible.

• Prepare your audiovisual equipment (e.g., focus the overhead projector for your

transparencies, get a pointer ready for overhead projections, insert your videotape in the

VCR and make sure it is forwarded to the correct spot, etc.).

Appearance and Body Language

As the saying goes, “One cannot not communicate.” Even if we don’t speak, we communicate

through our appearance and body language. Make this fact work for you when you deliver your

speech. In general, all nonverbal behavior should reinforce the verbal message of your speech.

The audience will understand you more easily and believe you more when nonverbal actions

support your words.

Appearance. The first impression your audience will get of you as a speaker is through your

appearance. Make sure you find out what clothing is appropriate for the occasion. If you speak in

a classroom situation, dress a little more formally than usual. This will communicate that your

audience and speech is important to you. With respect to accessories (such as jewelry), less is

more. Don’t distract your audience by being too flashy and overpowering in your appearance.

Eye contact. Body language consists of eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, body posture,

and movement. Eye contact is maybe the most important of these elements. As an effective

speaker makes sure you maintain constant eye contact with the audience. Look at your listeners

directly and include all parts of the audience (including listeners in the back, and on the left and

right). Avoid looking down on the ground, over the heads of your listeners, or out the window.

Remember that the main purpose of public speaking is to reach the audience. Eye contact is

essential in achieving this goal.

Facial expressions. Appropriate facial expressions can connect with your audience and reinforce

the content of your speech. You can show your friendly intentions through a smile at the

beginning of your speech, for example. During your speech, you can signal the importance of

words and phrases through widened eyes and raised eyebrows and accompany accounts of

excitement, puzzlement, or unpleasantness with the respective expressions.

While facial expressions, like all nonverbal support, can bring a speech to life, take care to stay

natural and authentic. Anything that is overdone distracts the audience rather than contributes to

the message.



Gestures. Similar to facial expressions, you can use gestures to establish contact with the

audience and provide visual support for your message. Here are some dos and don’ts.

Key Points

Gesturing

• Don’t put your hands in your pockets or lock them behind your back. This will prevent you from

gesturing freely.

• Likewise, don’t clasp your notes or hold on to the lectern. In fact, if possible, don’t use a lectern

at all. Not only do lecterns tempt speakers to use fewer or no gestures, lecterns also place a

physical barrier between the speaker and the audience and therefore create a feeling of distance

and disengagement.

• Don’t fold your arms. This communicates closeness rather than openness and will disconnect

you from the audience.

• In general, people who use their hands for gesturing appear more open and honest to the

audience. Gestures should therefore be an integral part of your speech.

• Gestures should be conscious and purposeful. Don’t use too few or too many gestures. Aim for a

medium amount and use them in a natural manner.

• Vary your gestures. Anything overly repetitive distracts the audience.

• Avoid nervous mannerism such as twisting your hair, scratching your face, rubbing your hands

together, or playing with an object (e.g., a pen, your necklace, an earring). Remember that

gestures should strengthen your verbal message. Mannerisms don’t.

• Consider which gestures to use before your speech and practice them during rehearsal.

Examples:

1. When counting (e.g., first, second, third), don’t just say the numbers, also indicate them with

the use of your fingers.

2. When discussing measurements (e.g., three feet), use your arms to show the length.

3. When using phrases like “on one hand . . . on the other hand,” support your words by first

turning one palm up, then the other.

4. Phrases such as “we don’t know whether . . . “ can be visualized by a shoulder shrug.

5. Think of gestures that would be appropriate for the following statements: “This affects all of

us,” “We have to stop immediately,” “ This machine is powered by a tiny battery.”

Body posture and movement. A powerful speakers shows confidence through body posture and

movement. There are some occasions where a speaker may sit while delivering a speech (e.g.,

during a business meeting); in most cases, however, standing will be more effective.

How to conquer communication anxiety

Several days or weeks before your speech:



• Put the situation in perspective. Remind yourself that you’ve been talking to people all

your life.

• Select a topic that interests and excites you. If you truly wish to share your knowledge

and communicate with the audience, you will probably forget your nervousness and

focus on the topic instead.

• Research your topic well. Nothing helps reduce anxiety better than thorough

preparation.

• Plan your opening carefully. Nervousness is at its peak at the beginning of a

presentation. A well-prepared introduction will help calm you down and build your

confidence for the rest of your speech.

• Imagine that you are giving your speech first to one person, then two people, then five,

and finally to the whole audience.

• Don’t forget to rehearse gestures and body movements. Don’t force them, but let

them become an integral part of your presentation.

• Check out the room in which you will deliver your speech and determine the best

location for visual aids.

• Practice, practice, practice!

The night before and the day of your speech:

• Try to get a good night’s sleep before your speech so that you are physically and mentally rested

and at your best.

• Explain to yourself what’s happening to your body. Remember that the symptoms you are

experiencing (butterflies, dry mouth, etc.) are your body’s ways of helping you through stressful

situations.

• Burn up excess energy. Relieve the tension in your muscles by getting off the bus a stop early,

walking around the block, or taking the stairs rather than the elevator.

• Practice relaxation exercises. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing.

Breathe deeply and slowly. Tense and then relax your muscles, starting with your toes and

working up to your neck and face.

• Identify negative self-talk (e.g., “My audience will be bored.”) and replace it with positive

messages (e.g., “My speech is important and interesting.”).

• Have a positive attitude toward your listeners. Assume that they will be supportive and

attentive. Expect that they understand the speechmaking process and will be helpful. They know

just how you feel!

• Visualize success. Imagine that you are part of the audience and watch yourself deliver your

speech competently and with confidence, If you think you can do it, you can do it.

Right before, during, and after your speech:

• Take a few deep breaths.

• Act with confidence and you will feel that way. Show your listeners a confident speaker

communicating well-researched and carefully prepared ideas.



• Focus on your message, not yourself. Don’t talk about your speech to your audience (e.g., don’t

say “I hope you will like my presentation.”), and never ask for sympathy (e.g., don’t say “I’m

nervous” or “I’m scared”). Remember that your audience is with you and wants you to succeed.

• Pause before you speak. Gather your thoughts, make eye contact, and start with conviction.

Don’t be afraid to smile—the audience will smile back!

• Use energy while you talk. Employ gestures and utilize the space provided by moving around

just a bit. But keep in mind that too many gestures and movements may be distracting; so be

aware and move naturally.

• Use visual aids. They create interest and make you feel less self-conscious because they help the

audience to focus on something besides you.

• Make eye contact with all parts of your audience, but also search for friendly faces. They can

provide an anchor of reassurance throughout your speech.

• If you make a mistake, it is not the end of the world! Most mistakes are not even noticed by the

audience.

• Pause before your conclusion, and then present the rest of your speech with special emphasis.

• Don’t end with a statement that expresses relief (e.g., “I made it.) or disappointment (e.g., “This

was not very good.”). The focus should remain on your message, not on yourself.

• Don’t go back to your seat immediately after your speech. Accept applause, invite questions,

and thank the audience for their interest.

Checklist of Effective Public Speaking Techniques

Planned speech with audience in mind.

Researched topic thoroughly.

Collected suitable support material.

Organized speech well.

Consciously selected effective language.

Rehearsed speech sufficiently.

Practiced techniques for reducing communication anxiety in case of nervousness.

Before delivering speech, took time setting up.

During speech, maintained constant eye contact with all parts of the audience.

Supported verbal message through appropriate nonverbal behaviors (including gestures

and body movement).

Varied pitch, rate, and volume.

Used attractive and professionally prepared audiovisual support.

During the question-and-answer session, repeated or paraphrased questions before

answering them.

At the end of the question-and-answer session, reemphasized message and thanked the audience for listening.

Exercise:

1. The truth about Caffeine

2. Cell phone use while driving



3. Does fashion influence Indian culture?

4. What did I do during my last vacation?

5. It is important to keep up to date with current political affairs.

Student Worksheet:



UNIT-5

Group Discussion - Interview Skills

‗Group Discussion‘ refers to a communicative situation that allows its participants to express

views and opinions about a particular topic. It is a systematic oral exchange of information,

views, and opinions about a topic, issue, problem, or situation among members of a group who

share certain common objectives.

Group discussion differs from debate in nature, approach and procedure. Debates are intended

to advocate a particular point of view while GDs raise a particular issue for a positive exchange

of views. Unlike debate, which is competitive in nature, GD is basically a cooperative group

process. A debate follows a limited approach because the speaker must argue either in favour of

or against a given point of view. On the other hand, in a GD the approach is not limited to a

single view point. Group Discussion is a group process, that is, it involves both person-to-

person as well as person- to –group interaction. Every group has to develop goal-oriented or

group – oriented interaction. GD is hence a systematic, purposeful and goal –oriented activity.

This unit will be conducted in three sessions. First session deals with theoretical inputs on the

nature of GD, what is assessed in a GD and Dos and Don‘ts. One group discussion on general

topics will be conducted in the class. Second session will deal with fact based GDs. Third

session will deal with case based and abstract GD topics.

The term ―group dynamics‖ refers to the interactions between people who are talking together

in a group setting. Group dynamics can be studied in business settings, in volunteer settings, in

classroom settings, and in social settings. Group roles are largely determined by a combination

of a person‘s personality and his or her experience with group settings. A person who is shy is

more likely to sit back in a group. A person who is impatient is more likely to push the

discussion ahead. A person who is very confident will offer more opinions. If such roles are

more or less pre-determined, how can the group dynamics be improved? The way a group

interacts can be improved in several ways. There are training programs to attend and there are

tests one can take to learn about one‘s communication style. Perhaps the simplest way to

improve a group‘s dynamics is for one or more group members to learn to manage the

discussion, and thus help a group accomplish its goals, much as a conduct or the opportunity to



improve the effectiveness of the members‘ interactions. The entire group is responsible for its

own effectiveness and all members share equally in that responsibility.

Body language and Voice modulation in GDs

One of the most important elements of communication is body language. Our gestures, hand

movements, facial expressions etc come under body language.To understand the importance of

body language in group discussions candidates must understand that it is not just the mouth

that speaks but the entire body acts as an instrument of speech. So, one must first understand

how our body speaks and then learn to manage and control the non-verbal messages that we

send across to audience.

Demonstrating a positive body language is important, pay attention to the slightest details of

postures and gestures during the GDs. Experts advise that we must know how to use your body

to effectively enhance our verbal message. Leaning forward slightly towards the group during

the Group Discussion would go on to show that we are interested. Giving listening cues such as

nodding whenever a fellow aspirant makes an important point shows your engagement in the

process.

In a group discussion, positive body gestures are a sign of confidence and security. They are a

sign of active participation and leave a good impression. When we communicate, it is very

essential for us to have the correct body language to avoid offence to anyone.

Positive gestures include

• Walking upright, Shaking hands confidently etc.

• Often body language conveys a lot of messages that words may not. A positive body

language increases an impact on others.

• Body language helps to build a rapport with others.

• Body language helps to understand what others may try to convey.

• Body language helps to control aggression and conflicts.

• Body language can show you are energetic in a group discussion.

When communicating, it is important for us to have positive body gestures. Direct and steady

eye contact is the most important of them. Group discussion is based on some norms and

aspirants need to develop the art of following those norms. Body language of the participants in

a Group Discussion is observed by the moderators very keenly.

Voice modulation means fine tuning of pitch and tone of voice that helps the audience clearly

hear the words spoken by any person.. It is a very important skill in public speaking. If you



want to become an efficient speaker, you must master the art of voice modulation. It makes

your talk more interesting, understandable and memorable to the audience. Avoid talking in a

monotone as it leads to monotone. Pronounce words clearly and properly. Speak loud enough to

be heard by everyone.

The Process of Conducting a GD

• The batch of 24 students is divided into groups of 8 students each.

• Once the topic is announced the participants are given 5 minutes for preparation.

• Total time given for the discussion is 25 minutes.

• Last 5 minutes are allocated for summarizing and concluding the GD.

Group Roles:

Initiator or Contributor: Initiates the discussion

Informer: Adds new information in discussion

Team Leader: Contributes to the flow of discussion on track

Creativity Contributor: Gives new perspectives to the discussion

Motivator: Contributes to inspire the morale of the group

Opinion Seeker: Encourages others to speak

Opinion Giver: Voluntarily gives opinions

Elaborator: Elaborates the points

Orientor: Facilitates the betterment of points given by others

Energizer: Motivates the members

Recorder: Records the minutes

Summarizer: Summarizes the discussion

A BUZZER will be given 5 minutes before the discussion concludes.

Intervention and Summarizing

As the group discussion is in progress, whenever there is a deviation from the topic or if

an argument persists any one of the participants can intervene politely to express his concern

and direct the participants towards the right track. It can also happen when a participant refuses

to budge or is adamant about his argument or does not allow others to speak .

Generally towards the end of the discussion, when the buzzer is given , one of the

participants is expected to give a comprehensive over view of the discussion by summarizing.

This helps the participants in recapitulating all the ideas put forth by all the participant. This

also helps in arriving at a conclusion.



The importance of GDs has increased in recent times due to its increasing role as an effective

tool in

a) problem – solving

b) decision – making

c) personality assessment

In most organizations, GDs aid in problem-solving and decision-making. Whenever there is a

need to take a decision in a particular case, the matter is discussed, analysed and evaluated. GD

is also used as a technique for personality assessment of candidates for job selection or

admission to professional courses. Groups of six to eight members are formed, and given a

topic to discuss within a limited time (generally 30-40 minutes). The members of the selection

committee closely evaluate the different skills of the candidate. Those who emerge as natural

group leaders are normally short-listed for a personal interview.

There are four major areas of evaluation in a GD:

a) Subject Knowledge

b) Communication Skills

c) Leadership Skills

d) Team Management

Characteristics of successful GDs

Agreement on group goals

Goal oriented interaction

Agreement on Procedures

Cooperative and Friendly Atmosphere

Use of effective communication Techniques

Equitable distribution of participation

Areas of evaluation

1. Subject knowledge

The participant should possess knowledge of a wide range of subjects – national and

international affairs, burning social and economic issues, scientific and environmental

issues, key newsmakers, controversial topics, etc. have general awareness of the

above topics and be able to connect them to recent issues he / she has come across in

newspapers, magazines, etc. be able to analyse facts or information in a systematic

manner and put them across in a creative way.

2. Communication skills Appropriateness of Language

Clarity of Expression



Listening skills

Positive speech attitudes

Clear Articulation

Effective non-verbal communication

3. Leadership skills

Initiative

Analysis

Assertiveness

Self confidence

Objectivity

Patience and composure

Persuasiveness

Motivation

4. Team skills

Adaptability

Positive Attitude

Cooperation

Coordination

Types of Topics

Factual Topics: - Social/ Economic/ Political current Affairs

Controversial Topics: - Factual Topics which are argumentative in nature

Abstract Topics: - They make a candidate think laterally and link the abstract with

concrete.

Case study: - Simulates a real-life situation

I. Inputs on the nature of GD, what is assessed in a GD and Dos and Don‘ts of GD are highlighted.

Dos & Don’ts

Discuss the topic thread bare

Look at the topic from the point of view of all affected parties; from all angles and

perspectives

Anticipate views

Break in and make your point, without being called to do so, ensuring politeness and

relevance to the context



Be audible

Make brief remarks rather than long speeches

Be open-minded and conciliatory rather than dogmatic

Avoid personal attacks

Back your arguments with evidence and authority

Use appropriate gestures

Maintain eye - contact

Be group-centered rather than self - centered

LISTEN keenly and understand the points made by others

Don‘t withdraw; contribute steadily and vigorously throughout the discussion

Smile – look cheerful

Disagree agreeably

Relate your remarks to others

Be assertive

Don‘t be abrasive, dominating or aggressive

Conclude by giving a quick recap and by emphasizing points on which there were

differences and convergences

• Different situations when a GD is conducted are explained – for eg. In

Personality Assessment, decision making, problem solving, opinion

sharing etc.

• The difference between GD and debate is highlighted. PPT on what is

assessed in a GD is shown

Group discussion strategies

Getting the GD started

Contributing Systematically

Creating a Cordial, Cooperative Atmosphere

Moving the Discussion Along



Promoting optimal Participation

Handling Conflict

Effecting Closure

exchanging

opinions,

suggestions,

proposals

Asking for opinions

Giving opinions

Supporting your opinions

Balancing points of view

Agreeing disagreeing

Requesting suggestions

Making suggestion

Accepting and Rejecting Proposals

PREP FORMULA

(For a structured GD)

Position

Reason

Example

Position

Practice

The students are divided into three groups. With these inputs in mind, students are asked to

participate in a GD on a general topic, for example: Is Euthanasia justified?, Is the current

budget common man friendly? Media and Sensationalism, Should Women work?, Impact of

Westernization on India,etc.

Parameters for Assessment

• Intellectual Competence

• Leadership Skills



• Teamwork

• Interpersonal Skills

• Attitude

• Communication Skills

Exercise

Students watch GDs on NDTV 24X7, CNN-IBN, Times Now, etc analyze it based on the

parameters of content, expression, logical reasoning and body language and submit a report.

Students need to submit a transcript of the GD in the next lab session.

II. Fact-based GDs and controversial topics

Fact Based - These topics require a basic level of awareness. The given topics are I the form

of a statement. They test interpersonal skills and behavior, rather than discrete information.

The group should arrive at a consensus by the time they conclude the discussion.

Cricket and India.

Issues of managing diversity in a country like India.

Honesty is the best policy.

Living in a joint family is better.

Guessing is an act of intelligence.

Controversial group discussion topic is a speech topic that has many controversies, pros and

cons. Participants need to take a stand on the issue and put forth their points.

Most people support embryonic stem cell research.

Life imprisonment is a good alternative to capital punishment.

Practice

Students are divided into three groups .They discuss these topics.

The pros and cons of having a credit card. o Why drinking and driving is

dangerous to yourself and others. o Passive smoking is equally harmful. o

Should we have a dress code in college?

Internet – Boon or Bane? o Should Cricketers endorse advertisements?

Indian Railways should be privatized o Is euthanasia (mercy-killing) justified?

Exercise

Students are asked in advance to download TV programmes like ‗We the People‘ ‗The Big

Fight‘, ‗Extra Innings‘ watch them and analyze them in class. Students should also go through

software and get additional inputs through text/video. Students need to submit a print out of the

report on group discussion in the next lab session.



III. Case –Based GDs and Abstract GDs

Theory

Case –based : The fourth type of group discussion topics are so-called case studies. Here a

short description of a situation is given to all the participants. They need to study the situation

analyze it and discuss various solutions to the problem.

School Violence - What are the real causes of violence and bullying in Schools? o

Recycling - Sort out how to make money with recycling.

Abstract:

Such topics are based on one‘s perception. The way one looks at the topic decides the

subsequent participation and performance. The challenge here is to put forth multiple

implications of the topic and then evoke a discussion on some of them. Idea generation and

ability to add a tangible angle to an otherwise abstract topic are the hallmarks of success here.

Examples:- And the clock

struck 13!

Red is red, blue is blue and never the two shall meet.

Inputs are given on case studies taken from fields like sales, marketing, commerce, industry,

technology, etc. Students are taught to comprehend and analyse the case from various angles.

Students are exposed to abstract topics and shown how they should interpret and discuss them.

Practice: The class, consisting of 20-24 students, is divided into 3

groups.

A Case Study is given and they are asked to speak.

.

Video of the GD is shot; photographs and video CD have to be affixed in the

record.

The team leader submits the recording in the form of CD.

Exercise

Students are asked to collect case studies from different fields and analyze them

Students are asked in advance to download TV programmes like ‗We the People‘ ‗The Big

Fight‘, ‗Extra Innings‘, watch them and analyze them in class.



Students should also go through software and get additional inputs through text/video.

Interview Skills

Concept, process, pre-interview planning, opening strategies, answering strategies, interview

through tele and video conferencing.

Introduction

An interview can be defined as ―a pre-arranged and planned conversation used for evaluating

the suitability of a candidate for a particular position‖. Job seeking is directly related to one‘s

success. In this process, the resume of the candidate establishes the initial contact of the

candidate with the employee. The second step is the interview. It is the key to the success of the

application – the ―final examination‖.

With growing competition in a technologically advanced world, job interviews are becoming

more challenging. New and effective techniques have been devised for the evaluation of a

candidate. Alternate interview formats include telephone interviews and interviews through

video-conferencing. Apart from knowledge, confidence and speaking skills; candidates are

expected to orient themselves to face the interview.

This unit will be conducted in three sessions. First session deals with the theoretical inputs on

the concept, process and steps in an interview process. Second session deals with conducting

personal interviews. Third session deals with conducting interviews through tele and video

conferencing.

Interview Skills - concept, process, pre-interview planning, opening strategies, and answering

strategies

The Process of Interview: Preparation for a job interview includes three time frames-―before‖,

―during‖ and ―after‖ the interview.One way to think about the interview process is as three

separate, albeit related, phases:

o the pre-interview phase which occurs before the interviewer and candidate meet, o the

interview phase where the interview is conducted, and

o the post-interview phase where the interviewer forms judgments of candidate

qualifications and makes final decisions.



The Pre-Interview Phase: As a part of pre-interview preparation techniques, students are

facilitated to do self-analysis, researching the organization, developing the interview file and

revising the subject knowledge.

Preparation Techniques are

• Self-Analysis

• Identifying one‘s skills

• Researching the Organization

• Analyzing the job position

• Revising subject knowledge

• Developing the Interview File

i. Self-Analysis: This involves identifying one‘s background, career goals,

accomplishments, achievements, special interests, hobbies and one‘s strengths and

weaknesses. Self-analysis helps in answering questions like:

Tell me about yourself.

What are your accomplishments?

Have you ever solved a problem?

What makes you stand out from the rest?

What are your hobbies?

What are your career goals?

ii. Identifying one’s skills: This is important in terms of suiting one‘s skills to the

requirements of the job position. Recognizing one‘s skills helps in answering questions

like:

How do you rate yourself for this position on a scale of one to ten?

Why should we hire you?

How do you think your skills will suit the present job position?

Learned skills like computer programming, data processing, marketing and managing a

product line and intuitive skills like adaptability, analysis, assertiveness, creativity,

leadership, team building and so on are assessed during the interview.

iii. Researching the Organization: Information regarding the company will help one

understand and discuss topics with some familiarity during the interview. It will provide



perspective in helping answer questions regarding the company and also in making a

decision if a job offer is extended. Referring to company directories, quarterly

publications, company reports and online information about the company will help the

candidate answer questions related to major areas of operation, products/services of the

company, vision & mission of the company and so on.

iv. Analyzing the job position: In order to research the job, one may use several available

resources such as the internet, the library, the organization‘s public relations office and

people working in the organization. This analysis will help the candidate in confidently

answering questions related to the job position.

v. Revising subject knowledge : This helps one in developing clarity and confidence.

Technical interviews focus on the candidate‘s depth and scope of his/her subject

knowledge. Apart from this, the candidate is expected to brush up his/her general

awareness.

vi. Developing the Interview File : Preparing for an interview demands a professional

approach. This involves filing the following:

Interview letter

Original degrees, certificates and transcripts

Experience certificates

References and testimonials

Certificates of merit

Copies of resume

Visiting Cards

Other relevant papers that might be needed during the interview.

The Interview Phase:

Opening strategies:

The first few moments of the job interview can be the most nerve-wracking. It's often unclear

who should officially begin the interview, and this is particularly true if you're interviewing

with a representative of the company whose job doesn't include extensive interviewing.

However, if you follow the interviewer's lead, you'll easily determine when it's appropriate to

interject with information about your academic or professional career and how you came to

respond to the job posting.



Ice Breaker

Let the ice breaker be just that. Many recruiters and hiring managers experience the same jitters

that job candidates have. The ice breaker gives you both an opportunity to settle into the office

space and prepare for the formal interview to begin. For example, if the recruiter engages in

small talk to make you comfortable, welcome the gesture and refrain from jumping right into

why you are suitable for the job.

Establishing Rapport

Rapport is a relationship based upon mutual trust. Rapport is important to consider when

establishing and maintaining a relationship between interviewer and interviewee. Oftentimes,

the first few minutes of the interview are the most important. Establishing rapport can enhance

the outcome of the interview. If an honest, sincere and persuasive attitude is not used by the

interviewer, then the interviewee may not share their real opinions on the matter at hand

Self-Introduction

The question many interviewees expect is "Tell me about yourself." If you have an elevator

speech prepared, this is the time to share it with the interviewer

Students are made familiar with the nature and type of questions asked during the interview

phase for better confidence levels. These questions include open, closed, probing, reflective,

loaded, and hypothetical and leading questions. They are also taught how to conduct themselves

during the interview and know the dos and don‘ts.

Types of Questions:

The applicant should also be familiar with the nature and type of questions asked during the

interview for better confidence levels. These questions include open, closed, probing, reflective,

loaded, hypothetical and leading questions. The interviewers try to probe deep into the answers

given by the candidate and try to read ‘between the lines‘ for an accurate evaluation of the

candidate‘s over-all personality.

Open Questions – These questions are asked to encourage the candidates to talk broadly about

a topic. They engage the candidate in deeper thinking. Examples are:

- Tell us something about yourself.

- What are your views on ‗Recession‘ of the economy?



Closed Questions – Closed questions limit the scope of the response as the candidate is

expected to provide specific information or facts. Examples of such questions are:

- What was your major subject in college?

- Do you know Data Processing?

Probing Questions – These questions probe deeper into the responses given by the candidate.

For example, after a response that discusses various means and ways to fight ‗Recession‘, the

interviewer might ask the probing question ―At the same time do you think ‗Recession‘ might

help a developing country like India?‖

Reflective Questions – These questions are asked to confirm the statements given by the

candidate. Some examples are:

- Does that mean that you want the Public sector companies to be locally privatized?

- Does that mean that you have your own reservations about globalization?

Loaded Questions – The main purpose of loaded questions is to judge the candidate‘s ability to

handle difficult and sensitive situations in a balanced manner. Some examples are:

- You are too short. Don‘t you think this is going to be a handicap for you?

- Do you think reservations should be banned?

Hypothetical Questions – These questions involve a hypothetical situation. They are asked to

test the problem-solving and decision-making skills of the candidate. Some examples are:

- What will you do if you have a difference of opinion with your boss while working on a

particular project?

- What would you like to change in your past if given a chance?

Leading Questions – A leading question leads the candidate to a particular desired response.

The answer is expected to come very close to the point- of- view of the interviewer. For

example:

- Don‘t you think most of the Indian news channels sensationalize news in order to increase

their TRP ratings?

- Don‘t you think that Indian villages need to be concentrated upon by the government?

Interviewee’s questions – An interview is a two-way conversation, so it is legitimate for the

candidate to pose relevant questions at appropriate moments and the candidate should prepare



these questions before-hand. These questions should help the candidate in bringing out his / her

personality and project his / her correct understanding of the job requirements. For example, a

student seeking a job might ask ―Do you attach any importance to projects taken up as class

projects in your evaluation?‖ The anticipated affirmative answer allows the candidate to show

the successful project. The strategy here is to make certain that the interviewer gets all the

information that the candidate might consider important. Some more:

What are the organization‘s plans for the future?

What are the advancement opportunities for this position?

Each of these questions sends a positive non-verbal message that the candidate is interested in

the position as a long-term commitment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you do for us?

Do you prefer to work with people or alone?

How well has your performance in the classroom prepared you for the job?

How do you feel about working overtime?

What are the qualities of an ideal boss? Do you think that you can lead a team?

Sample Questions and Answering Strategies:

Question :

Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses

Approach: When asked about strength, the candidate may mention one of his/her qualifications

that is directly related to the specific job and give an example such as, ―I am good at working in

teams. Last semester, for example I was named to a four-person team to participate in a project

competition which was part of a Tech–fest. We had a tremendous amount of work to

accomplish in a very short time, but we all worked together, engaged in intense discussions and

provided lot of feedback to each other. Incidentally, we came second in a field of ten teams‖.

If the interviewer asks about a weakness, he or she might not be impressed with canned

responses like, ―I am very tenacious; once I‘ve started a project, I won‘t relax until I‘ve finished

it‖. A more savvy response would be to honestly identify a weakness i.e. one that is not

centered to the success of the hoped for job and follow it up with steps that the candidate is

taking to correct the weakness. For example, ―In the past I was very nervous about formal

presentations to my colleagues or customers, but I‘ve joined an institute which specializes in



Personality Development and I am gradually getting over this fear‖. The candidate should

address the weakness part of the question first (and quickly), ending with a discussion of some

job related strength.

Question:

What position do you expect to hold in five years?

Approach: The candidate should avoid telling the interviewer that he/she aspires for the

interviewer‘s position. Such a response might not be appreciated even if it is the accurate

answer. Instead, the candidate should talk about what he/she hopes to have accomplished by

then, the types of increasing responsibility he/she might hope to be given or the opportunity to

make a greater contribution to the organization‘s efforts.

Question :

Tell me about your personal interests?

Approach : The candidate, while answering such a question must bear in mind the vision and

mission of the organization. The answer should suit the ‗personality‘ of the organization and it

should be an honest and middle–of–the road response. The interview is not the time to discuss

your preoccupation with music. The hobbies and interests mentioned should help the candidate

boost his/her personality. Organizations are looking for well-rounded individuals who enjoy

outside interests but at the same time do not let their interest interfere with their jobs. Thus the

candidate must be able to perceive what the interviewer wants.

Question :

How would you describe yourself ?

Approach : Keep your answer mostly work and career related. This is your chance to introduce

your qualifications, good work habits, attributes and achievements that make you a valuable

employee.

Question :

What was your greatest accomplishment and how did you achieve it?

Approach : Briefly describe the project / projects that made you proud or earned you pats on

the back, promotions, pay raises or other commendations. Focus more on achievement than

reward.



Question :

How do you handle criticism?

Approach : Your answer should be along the following lines: "I always think that it is

important to get feedback on how I am performing so that I can improve any areas which my

Manager/supervisor highlights.‖

Question :

How do you handle pressure and stress?

Approach : Everyone experiences stress; the only difference is in the degree. A good answer

may include exercising, relaxing with a good book, socializing with friends or turning stress

into productive energy.

Question :

Explain how you could overcome a major obstacle.

Approach : The interviewer is likely looking for an example of your problem-solving skills

and the pride you show in solving it. Emphasize the skills you used to deal with it, such as

organizational and interpersonal skills, perseverance or diplomacy.

Practice: Mock Interviews will be conducted in the lab.

Exercise:

Mr Sushil Kumar Sinha is a smart and young man of average height. He exudes

confidence, enthusiasm and keenness. He is a postgraduate in economics from Utkal

University, Bhubaneswar. He has been selected in the Indian Civil Services Examination

and is now attending the interview for his post. He enters the interview chamber after

seeking the Chairperson’s permission.

Student Worksheet:



ADDITIONAL UNITS

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Get in touch with the way the other person feels: Feelings are 55percent body language, 38 percent

tone, and 7 percent words.

Objectives

To instill an awareness of the nuances of body language

To complement the verbal communication

The two main aspects of communication are verbal and non-verbal communication. If verbal

communication deals with words, sentences or spoken expressions, non-verbal language constitutes

body movements, gestures and facial expressions. (Body language forms a very important part of

our day to day communication. It expresses our inner feelings our conflicts and our attitudes)

Body Language

Body language includes eye contact facial expression, gestures, posture and body movements.

Experts say that very little of our communication in everyday matters takes place through actual

words. Most important are gestures, the tone and the facial expressions. As non-verbal

communication expresses individual emotions, social attitudes and feelings, it can convey more

meaning than spoken words. Different non-verbal cues may suggest different meanings. We may

annoy, displease a colleague, irritate a teacher or superior or even lose a business deal. As culture,

social class, age, occupation, ethnic background and communication contexts influence non-verbal

forms of communication, we must be very careful while using non-verbal messages.

FACIAL EXPRESSION

Facial expression refers to the use of eyes, eyebrows, fore head, and mouth. Facial expression is

another dimension of body language. Like a positive eye contact, positive and appropriate facial

expression adds meaning and helps to improve the effectiveness of a verbal message.

The following suggestions may be borne in mind.

Facial expressions must be kept natural

Positive facial expressions should be used. A good smile helps to make the atmosphere

friendly. It indicates good will and shows that the speaker is a positive and pleasant person.

However he/she should not smile constantly and contradict his/her message.

Facial expression should be consistent with the verbal message, i.e. facial expression and

content should match.

EYE CONTACT

Our eyes are usually a mirror of our truest and innermost feelings, that is why we normally distrust

people who do not maintain eye contact while telling us something, where as we believe those who

look directly at us. Since the eyes are probably the most accurate predictor of our feelings and

attitudes, we should know how to use good or positive eye contact.

Good or positive eye contact improves the effectiveness of a verbal message during oral interaction.



Maintain eye contact while listening to someone. This will indicate you are paying attention

to what the person is speaking.

Use eye contact to show sincerity and confidence. Do not speak while looking at your feet.

This means that you are either too shy or telling lies.

If there is more than one listener as in the case of a meeting, group discussion, oral

presentation, the speaker should look at all the listeners giving each of them equal

importance.

Do not stare at a person.

GESTURES

A gesture is a visibly bodily action that may express implicit meaning. It refers to the use of

fingers, hands and arms for expression. Positive and appropriate gestures can make us better oral

communicators.

The following suggestions may help us in this regard:

Gestures should be normal/natural.

Avoid using gestures to express negative feelings. Such feelings should be expressed

verbally. For example, if we have to say ‗NO‘ we should not use fingers or shake our heads

to express it. Such -ve gestures could be very annoying for some people.

Use positive gestures.

Do not reflect nervous mannerisms

Do not use fingers too often

Use hands and arms very carefully and effectively.

While using gestures, be sure that they are consistent with the verbal message and there is

no contradiction

Learn the cultural patterns of physical gestures to avoid cross cultural misunderstandings.

POSTURE AND BODY MOVEMENTS

Your posture talks about your personality. It may tell that you are a bold, confident and dynamic

person or a timid, submissive and servile person. Use your posture and body movements to reflect

self confidence, maturity, alertness and physical stamina.

Appropriate posture and body movements may reflect positive personality traits such as maturity,

confidence, alertness and physical stamina and fitness.

DISTANCE AND POSITIONING

In our day- to- day life, very often our attitude is signified by spaces we occupy – both in relation

to others and ourselves. We stand in particular places, occupy particular chairs and maintain

specific distances vis-a-vis specific people.

Space or distance can, in general, be divided into the following broad categories.

1. Intimate distance

2. Personal distance

3. Social distance

4. Public distance



EXAMPLES OF NON-VERBAL EXPRESSIONS AND THE EMOTIONS THEY SUGGEST

Non-verbal form Non-verbal Cue What does it suggest?

a) Eye contact - Sustained eye contact

- brief eye contact

- avoiding eye contact

- Trust, admiration, stress

- nervousness, fear

- shyness, lack of sincerity

b) Facial expression - Raising eyebrows

- Lowering eyebrows

- Furrowed forehead

- Open mouth

- Swallowing

- Frowning

- Surprise, question curiosity

- Acceptance, submission

- Anger

- Shock

- Nervousness

- Anger, displeasure

c) Posture and body

movements

- Leaning towards

A speaker/listener

- Pulling away/leaning back

- Interest

- Fear, anger, distrust

BASIC ETIQUETTE

Objectives

To recognize the importance of proper etiquette

To understand the elements and characteristics of proper etiquette.

Webster defines it as ―the forms, manners, and ceremonies established by convention as acceptable

or required in social relations, in a profession or in official life‖

Etiquette is respect, good manners, and good behavior. It is not just each of these things, but it is all

of these things rolled into one.

We will focus on five elements of behavior: Work Etiquette, Meeting People, Telephone Etiquette,

Dining Etiquette, and Correspondence Etiquette.

1. Work Etiquette: The following principles show proper etiquette. They include all

aspects of the work environment.

1. Be punctual. Arrive to work, college on time. Complete work assignments on time.

2. Be polite, pleasant and courteous.

3. Utilize effective listening skills to discover appropriate behavior. Pay attention to the

way things are done.

4. Understand the unwritten rules of business.

5. Appear as professional as possible. Being well groomed and clean is essential. Dress

for the occasion.

6. Adopt a can-do attitude. Those who accept challenges and display creativity are

valuable.



7. Be flexible. By remaining flexible and implementing change you gain a reputation

as cooperative.

8. Give credit to everyone who made a contribution to a project or event.

9. Don‘t differentiate people by position.

2. Meeting People: When meeting people, both your nonverbal and verbal behavior helps

to define your social skills. Using effective handshake, good eye contact and making

proper introductions show correct etiquette

a. Handshake is vital in social situations.

1. Develop a comfortable handshake and keep it consistent.

2. Handshake should neither be too hard nor too soft.

3. Make a solid connection of the web skin between the thumb and forefinger.

4. The host or person with the most authority usually initiates the handshake.

b. Eye contact is another critical factor when meeting people.

1. Eye contact increases trust.

2. It shows confidence and good interpersonal skills

3. Eye contact shows respect for the person and business situation.

c. Proper introductions help to establish rapport when meeting people.

d. Authority defines whose name is said first. Say the name of the most important person first

and then the name of the person being introduced.

Tips to follow

Keep the introduction basic

Remember names for future reference

Provide some information about the people you are introducing to clarify your relationship

with that person

Keep notes on people in order to follow-up both personally and professionally

3. Telephone Etiquette: When speaking on the telephone, proper etiquette is just as important

as when you meet someone in person.

a. How you conduct yourself on the telephone tells others as much about you as face to

face interactions.

b. Always try to return your calls on the same day.

c. Keep conversations to the point.

d. Do not keep someone on hold for more than 30 seconds.

e. Always leave your phone number if you ask for someone to call you back.

f. Maintain a phone log to refer back to, for valuable information.

g. Listening is essential whether in person or on the phone.

4. Dining Etiquette: In today‘s world a tremendous amount of business is conducted at the

dinner table. Whether at home or in a restaurant, it is important to have a complete understanding

of how to conduct yourself when entertaining or being entertained.



Anxiety while dining can be reduced by following guidelines on how to order your meal, what

utensils to use and how to use them and knowing proper table etiquette

a. Knowing guidelines on what to order will help relieve dining anxiety.

When possible let the host take the lead

Ask for suggestions/recommendations

Do not order the most expensive or the least expensive item on the menu

Avoid foods that are sloppy or hard to eat

b. Choosing the correct crockery is not as difficult as it may first appear. Knowledge of a formal

table setting will allow you to focus on the conversation rather than what utensil to use.

Note: Even though in Indian settings we do not use the table manners as given below knowledge of

these things has become a necessity because of the advent of MNCs and spreading of

foreign culture.

Eating utensils are used from the outside in. Dessert forks/spoons are placed at the top of the

plate

Everything to your right you drink. Everything to your left you eat.

Proper table manners will increase your confidence and promote your ability to show your

skills in handling social situations.

Napkin Etiquette

Place the napkin on your lap immediately after the last person has been seated at your table.

Do not shake it open

If the napkin is large put the fold toward your waist

If you must leave the table during the meal, be sure to put the napkin on your chair or to the

left of your plate.

When you are finished eating, place the napkin to the right of the plate.

Passing the Food

Always pass to the right

It is ok to pass to your immediate left if you are the closest to the item requested

Always pass the salt and pepper together

Ask the person nearest to what you want to pass the item after they have had it themselves

Eating

Begin eating only after everyone has been served

Bring food to your mouth, not your mouth to the food

Chew with your mouth closed

Always scoop food away from you

Do not leave a spoon in the cup; use the saucer or plate instead

Cut food one piece at a time

Do not smoke while dining out

Do not use a toothpick



Do not talk with your mouth full

Take small bites, so you can carry on a conversation without the delay of chewing and

swallowing large amounts of food

5. Correspondence Etiquette

Whether you have just met someone, or have known the person for some time, it is important to

follow-up meetings with written correspondence.

Write a follow-up letter/thank you note within 48 hours.

Whether a handwritten note or formal letter, always follow guidelines for writing effective

business letters

Women should be addressed as ―Ms‖, no matter what their marital status.

Do not forget to sign your letter

Always proof read for misspelt words

Letters usually contain the following elements:

Opening: The opening should be friendly and tell the reader why you are writing

Justification: The second paragraph reinforces or justifies what you are looking for and why

you should get it.

Closing – Close the letter by seeking the person to act on your behalf on request.

Email etiquette

Always include a subject line in your message

Make the subject line meaningful

Use correct grammar and spelling

Always use a signature if you can, make sure it identifies who you are and includes alternate

means of contacting you (phone/mobile number are useful)

Use active words instead of passive

Avoid long sentences

Be concise and to the point

Conclusion

Good etiquette is a necessity and there is a need to consciously cultivate it. Good etiquette results in

good personal relations. The guidelines provided are only indicative and change according to the

situation.

Vision - NRCMEC Student manual(16-17).pdfand rhythm To bring about a consistent accent and intelligibility in students‘ pronunciation of English by providing an opportunity for practice

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