UNIT 4: TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS

1. INTERVIEW
 An interview is a psychological and sociological instrument. It is an interaction between
two or more persons for a specific purpose, in which the interviewer asks the interviewee
specific questions in order to assess his/her suitability for recruitment, admission, or
promotion.
 It can also be a meeting in which a journalist asks somebody questions to determine their
opinions.
 It is a systematized method of contact with a person to know his/her views and is
regarded as the most important method of data collection.

OBJECTIVES OF INTERVIEW: Interviews may be conducted for various reasons.

Generally, interviews are conducted to achieve some of the following objectives:

 To select a person for a specific task

 To monitor performance
 To collect information
 To exchange information
 To counsel

2. TYPES OF INTERVIEW
3. JOB INTERVIEWS
4. STAGES OF INTERVIEW
 SKILLS AN EMPLOYER LOOKS FOR;
Technical skills: The candidate’s subject knowledge suitable for the post he/she has applied for.
For example, for a ‘programmer-analyst trainee’ the company may look for the candidate’s
ability to plan, develop, test, and document computer programs, and apply knowledge of
computer techniques and systems.
5. FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR REJECTION IN AN INTERVIEW

6. GROUP DISCUSSIONS

Guidelines to speak effectively in Group discussion

 Seize the first opportunity to speak if you have a good understanding of the topic of
discussion.
 Listen patiently to others and then react to their viewpoints.
 Speak clearly and audibly so that everyone hears and understands.
 Be concise in your expressions. Do not repeat ideas just for the sake of speaking
something.
 Ask for clarification, if necessary.
  Facilitate contribution from others.
 Use statistics and examples to justify a view point.
 Avoid talking to only one or two persons in the group.
 Assume an impersonal tone. Treat all members as fellow participants; none in the group
is either a friend or a foe.
 Be assertive without being aggressive; be humble without being submissive

USE OF BODY LANGUAGE IN GDs

 In a group, each person exhibits and observes the facial expressions, postures, and
gestures of others in order to understand the intentions behind what is being
communicated through words.
 For instance, while formal meetings at workplace may not involve much use of body
language, GDs, which are less formal, may entail more use of body language as an aid in
effective communication
 Maintain eye contact while speaking and listening to others.
 Adopt facial expressions that show interest and enthusiasm in participation.
 Restrain emotional expressions during an argument or disagreement.
 While communicating in a small group, use small hand gestures in order to avoid
encroaching upon the personal space of others.
 As the members sit and communicate with each other, their movement may be
restricted to a certain extent in a group.
 While setting up the venue for group communication, there should be adequate
space between the seats so as to avoid members from sitting very close to each other.
 Observe the non-verbal cues of others and try to understand the intentions behind
their verbal cues.

7. ORGANIZATIONAL GD

BRAINSTORMING
NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE

8. GROUP DISCUSSIONS AS A PART OF SELECTION PROCESS

A group discussion conducted for the selection of candidates for a job or for admission to a
professional institution is a well-formulated tool for judging the personality of candidates,
their communication skills, knowledge, and their ability to work as a team.
 Typically, in GDs conducted for recruitment, candidates are given a topic or case for
discussion.
 Normally groups of 8–10 candidates are formed into a leaderless group and are given a
specific situation to analyze and discuss within a given time limit of about 30 minutes.
 They may be given a case study and asked to come up with a solution or they may be
given a topic and asked to discuss it meaningfully.
EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS

KNOWLEDGE
 The depth and range of knowledge as well as analytical and organizational abilities of the
candidate are judged.
 One should be able to grasp the situation and analyse it not just at a mundane level, but
with a wide perspective.
 The originality of ideas, knowledge and initiative, and approach to the topic or case
contribute to one’s success in the GD.
 The greater our knowledge of the subject, the more interested, enthusiastic, and confident
we will be, the more fluent and forceful our contribution to the discussion will be.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS
GROUP BEHAVIOR

 An individual’s group behavior is reflected in his/her ability to interact with other

members of the group on brief acquaintance. Emotional maturity and balance promotes
good interpersonal relationships.

 You are expected to be more people-centric and less egocentric.

 Participating in a GD involves coordination and cooperation among the various members.

 The selection panel notes the differences in the amount of participation by members.

 There may be members who participate more and members who participate less.

LEADERSHIP SKILLS

 The success of any team depends, to a large extent, on its leader. A group cannot carry on
its assigned work effectively without a leader.

 Although there is no appointed leader in a recruitment GD, a leader usually emerges as

the discussion proceeds.

 The candidate who possesses both functional and coordinating abilities will emerge as the
leader. Functional ability involves knowledge, mental and physical energy, emotional
stability, objectivity, communication skill, integrity, and emotional intelligence.

9. CONFERENCES

A conference also is a type of business meeting. The level of formality of a meeting varies
according to its size and purpose. When two or more people gather in an office to discuss a
project, the meeting style will be much less formal than when 30–40 people assemble to learn
about a new government ruling.
The purpose of a conference is to confer with people having similar interests and to pool their
resources, i.e., experiences and opinions.

SIGNIFICANCE OF CONFERENCES
 Conferences play a significant role in developing an analytical and questioning attitude
among the participants.
 The participants in a conference make an attempt to define the subject of discussion and to
ascertain its depth, scope, and related critical factors.
 Conferences have educational value in business and also in other fields where negotiation,
collaboration, and collective thinking are essential.
 Within organizations, conferences are held to train employees. It may also serve the purpose
of modifying attitudes, opinions, and feelings of participants.
 A conference within a business organization can provide necessary information on the
policies, procedures, customs, traditions, and objectives of the organization to the attendants.

PLANNING A CONFERENCE

10. SYMPOSIA AND SEMINARS

A ‘symposium’ is a formal meeting in which experts on a particular subject domain have
discussions about certain topics in that domain.
For instance, biologists and biotechnologists can organize a symposium on recombinant DNA
technology and its applications in biotechnology wherein a number of experts will speak on
various aspects of this topic and present their academic and research expertise.

STEPS TO CARRY OUT A SYMPOSIA

SEMINAR

 A ‘seminar’ is a meeting held for exchange of useful information by members of academia/

business/industry.
 It brings together groups of people from a particular sector for recurring meetings focusing
each time on a particular topic.
 During a seminar, people present their research/new process/new technology in order to get
the views of others.
 Hence, the participants of a seminar need to be very active and contribute significantly to the
development of the research areas presented.
 Besides those organized for small groups, seminars are also organized for larger groups.
 In such cases, they are almost similar to conferences in terms of their preparation, planning,
and procedure.

11. ARGUMENTATIVE SKILLS

Arguments are claims backed by reasons that are supported by evidence. There are five highly
relevant characteristics of argument:
Argumentation is a social process. Having an argument involves two or more individuals
responding to one another's claim and support for such a claim. Argument is not simply restating
the same claims and reasons, rather it is supporting, modifying or defending positions
accordingly.
Argumentation aims to gain adherence from an audience. People argue to gain assent for their
positions.
WHY PEOPLE ARGUE?
To clarify thinking as individuals or groups: Oftentimes, individuals and groups do not know
what they believe but are still faced with information that requires interpretation. Argument can
help individuals and groups learn about issues.
To explain or defend actions or beliefs: People have reasons for doing what they do, though
oftentimes the reasons are not made clear. Argument seeks to shed light on those reasons and
make them explicit and open to scrutiny.
To solve problems or make judgments: The world is filled with controversies about how best to
act, all with competing interests and evidence that prescribe a particular direction. Argument
helps facilitate decision-making about what actors should and should not do.
To have fun: Participating in the clash of ideas can be an intellectually stimulating process that is
primarily pleasurable.
BASIC COMPONENTS OF ARGUMENT
Arguments can be divided into four general components: claim, reason, support, and warrant.
Claims are statements about what is true or good or about what should be done or believed.
Claims are potentially arguable. "A liberal arts education prepares students better than other
forms of education" is a claim, while "I didn't like the book" is not.
Reasons are statements that support a given claim, making a claim more than a mere assertion.
Reasons are statements in an argument that pass two tests.
Support substantiates the reasons offered and helps compel audiences to accept an advanced
claim. This usually comes in the form of evidence
Warrants are the inferences or assumptions that connect the support to the claim. Warrants
often answer the question “what do you have to believe in order to believe that the support
justifies the claim or reason being made?”
‘EXAMPLE:
Claim: Recent tax cuts should be abandoned.
Reason: …because they only benefit the rich.
Support: Statistics show that the majority of the tax cuts are targeted at upper middle class and
upper class families, not poor families and individuals.
Warrant: Tax cuts that only benefit the rich are unfair.

COHESION IN TECHNICAL WRITING

 Creating cohesion means ‘tying’ our words, phrases, sentences and paragraphs together.
 We create cohesion at all these levels (word, phrase, sentence and paragraph), in order to
direct our readers’ attention to the development of our argument.
 Following are some of the cohesive tools:
 Repetition: use a particular word or phrase across different sentences or paragraphs.
 Synonyms: use a word or phrase in a later sentence which has the same or similar meaning
to a keyword in the first sentence.
 Pronouns: use a pronoun to refer back to a phrase already used.

FOR THE FOLLWING TOPICS REFER TO THE PPT:

EMPAHSIS, CRITICAL THINKING, COMMUNICATION
COMPETENCE, NARRATION AND EXPOSITION.