GEC 324

TECHNICAL
COMMUNICATION
2024/2025

Engr. Dr. Ayoola A.A.

Chemical Engineering Department
Recommended Textbooks/Materials Used
1. Communication in English by Fadare B.O., Adedeji T.O. and
Olaniran O.B.A. (Revised Edition) 2008.
2. Introduction To Mass Communication in the Digital Age by Onyeka
Uwakwe 2010.
3. Previous notes/books on GEC324 (Technical Communication)
4. Any other useful textbook.

Mode of Grading
Tests = 30 marks
Examination = 70 marks
 Course Contents
1.Fundamentals of Communication: Definition, Strategies and
Modes
2.Technical Communication: Definition and Ethics
3.Technical Report writing: Types, Formats, Contents and Citations
4.Technical Report writing: Types, Formats, Contents and Citations
5.Reading Skills; Leadership in Communication
6.Proposal Writing and Manual Report Organization
7.Advertisement: Mode and Types
8.Listening: Principles of Effective Listening
9.Speaking in Public: Audience, Research and Presentation
10.Revision
 Welcome on board

Your appointment with

A, B, C, D, F Grades
starts from today

……..choose wisely
 Module One

Fundamentals of Communication:
Definitions, Strategies and Modes
 Imagine ……………………..

Imagine a room without communication among the room

mates.

Imagine a market place without communication among buyers

and sellers.

Imagine an factory without communication between the

supervisor and factory workers.

Imagine a family without communication among the family

 Introduction

• Communication is an essential part of man’s existence

because man is a social being. That is, it is the pivot upon
which human existence revolves.

• Communication is a platform for expression

• Communication is a platform for relationship
• Communication is a platform for learning
 Introduction

Aim of GEC324
• GEC324 aims at preparing students to be a good
communicator in order to meet both CU graduation
requirements and professional demands in life.

• Remember that it is expected of you to communicate or

report your findings (research/investigation),
understanding (test/examination) etc in a generally
accepted manner to your audience (either in CU or any
official setting).
 Introduction

Definition of Communication
• It is the dissemination of information or ideas or feelings.
• It is the exchange of feelings, thoughts or message through
speech, writing or signals.
• It is the transmission of information in the form of words,
images, and sound between the sender and the receiver
(recipient).
• It is the expression of the intents of both the sender and
receiver in a particular manners.
 Introduction
Definition of Effective Communication
A good communication has to be effective.
• It is the sharing or dissemination of understandable information ideas
or feelings for necessary action.
• It is the exchange of feelings, thoughts or message through speech,
writing or signals between/among the parties involved.
• It is the transmission of information in the form of words, images, and
sound between the sender and the receiver (recipient) through the
use of agreed/established medium.
• It is the expression of the intents of both the sender and receiver in
understandable manner that will achieve the desired result.
• It involves the establishment of a platform for easy accessibility
between the sender and the receiver
Effective Communication
In every Effective Communication, meaningful message
dissemination must be designed between the sender and
the receiver with purpose in mind and feedback system in
place.

Hence the five elements of an effective communication are:

• What are you communicating? ……….the information/message
• Who are the communicators? ……the sender and the audience
• Why are you communicating? ……..the purpose
• How are you communicating? …….the medium/channel
• How can the communication be evaluated? …….. Feedback
 Elements of Effective Communication Process
• Elements of an effective communication process are shown
in the Figure below
• That is, communication is effective if the desired
result/purpose is attained with feedback system in place.
 Elements of Effective Communication Process

The Source/Sender:
• This is the origin of the message.
• Sources can be individuals, groups or organisations.
• Encoding refers to activities that a source goes through to
translate thoughts and ideas into a form that is perceived by
senses.
 Elements of Effective Communication Process

Message:
• This is the heart of communication, because there is no
communication without the message.
• It is the information to be shared between the sender and
the receiver.
• It is the idea, emotion, thought, feelings, images, opinion,
perception, symbol, code that a sender passes to the
receiver with the expectation of receiving feedback.
• It has to be simple, clear, detailed, relevant and current.
 Elements of Effective Communication Process

Channels:
• These refers to medium/media through which messages
travel from the sender to the receiver.
• Examples: Sound waves carry spoken words, Hand touch
carries Braille messages.
• Technology provides opportunity for an array of channels
and these channels include newspaper, magazine, radio,
Television, telephone, pamphlets, flash drive, CD-ROMs and
social media (e.g. WhatsApp).
 Elements of Effective Communication Process
The Receiver:
• This can be individuals, groups or organisations.
• This is the destination of information (message).
• The receiver receives information and gives interpretation to
the information in order to provide reaction (feedback).
• Decoding refers to activities that a receiver undergoes in
translating or interpreting messages into a meaning.
• Inability of a receiver to decode a message leads to message
failure.
Elements of Effective Communication Process

Feedback:
• This is a response/reaction to the message received. It reverses the
flow of communication and creates a kind of new source.
• It explains the state of communication process which may be
positive or negative; successful or failure; continuing or
terminated.
• It is a way of evaluating the effectiveness of the communication.
• Feedback may be instant or delayed.
• Unnecessary delay in feedback can be reduced or eradicated
through the use of technology. E.g.: Email vs Postal service
Purposes of Communication
Some of the purposes of communication are to persuade,
influence, inform, share, correct, educate etc.
• To achieve shared understanding
• To promote acceptability of idea/intent/information
• To establish a well structured line of information
• To overcome barrier in information dissemination
• To stimulate audience in taking action in achieving
purpose(s)
• To encourage audience to think in new ways
 Hints on Effective Communication
Effective communication is achieved if the followings are practised:
• Clarity of purpose
• Correct, complete and precise message
• Empathy
• Rapt attention from both the sender and receiver
• Control of emotions/feelings
• Adoption of the feedback system
• Politeness
• Noise elimination
• The correct use of body language (when necessary).
 Noise in Communication Process
Noise
• Noise is a technical term for all forms of obstacles or
barriers or hindrances or disturbances which conspire to
reduce the fidelity of communication.
• It could be noticed at any stage of the communication
process.
• Noise could be
……… Physical
……… Psychological
……… Linguistic
 Noise in Communication Process
• Physical Noise (external noise): This includes sounds from radio
sets, markets in full session, classroom distractions, loud
conversation, sound from factory or generator, moving vehicles.

• Psychological Noise (internal noise): This includes poor mental

attitude or mannerism, depression or fatigue, emotional
disabilities (imbalance) of either or both the receiver and sender.

• Linguistic Noise (semantic noise): This refer to one’s inability to use

the language of communication correctly. This includes poor semantic
(e.g. wrong choice of words), grammatical errors (e.g. faulty sentence
construction) and poor phonology (e.g. poor pronunciation).
 Noise Elimination
The commandments are:
1. Clarify idea before communicating
2. Examine the true purpose of communication
3. Take the entire environment (physical and human) into
consideration.
4. When necessary, obtain advice from others in planning
communication.
5. Convey useful information only
6. Communicate with the future as well as the present in mind.
7. Support words with actions (if necessary).
8. Be a good listener.
Challenges in Communication
Some of the challenges in communication include:
• Differences in perception
• Language barrier
• Lack of knowledge/understanding
• Lack of concentration/interest
• Boredom
• Use of poor communication device
• Lack of feedback system
Communication Strategies

• Communication strategies are means adopted for the

exchange of information.

• The strategies set the tone and direction of all the

communication activities in harmony with the desired
change.
 Types of Communication Strategies

Communication strategies include:

• Verbal Communication
• Non-verbal Communication

Integrating all the strategies together will allow one to know the
most effective one in any given situation. And this allows a
business to meet customer’s needs
Types of Communication Strategies
1. Verbal communication strategies
• This form of communication involves the use of words in communication.
• The words can be spoken words or written words.
• Verbal communication strategies can be broken down into two categories:
Written communication strategy and Oral communication strategy.
Written communication strategy involves the use of the written words in
communication and these include the followings: written report, e-mail,
letters, memos, text messages, chat and other various writing documents.
Oral communication strategy implies information dissemination through
the use of spoken words. Examples of the oral communication include
phone calls, video conferencing, video chats and face-to-face conversation.
Examples of Verbal communication strategies
 Types of Communication Strategies
2. Non-verbal communication strategies
• This consist of mostly signs and signals such as actions, graphic
presentation, body language (body movement).
• It is very important that both the sender and the receiver must
clearly understand and properly interpret the message within
these cues. Otherwise, there would be misinterpretation of the
message.
• It is demonstrated through signs and illustrations.
• These strategies are used in the workplace to draw attention and
provide information. For instance, production department is
required to post certain visuals throughout the workplace to
comply with safety laws.
Types of Communication Strategies
Non-verbal communication strategies
Based on culture and occasion, a particular sign or
gesticulation may have different interpretations.
Some of the Safety signs are given below
 Types of Communication Strategies
2. Non-verbal communication strategies
Some of the Traffic signs are given below
 Types of Communication Strategies
2. Non-verbal communication strategies

What is the interpretation of each of the followings?

• Smiling
• Silence
• Nodding of head
• Sideway movement of head
• Clapping
• Shaking of hands
• Frowning of face
• Biting of finger
• Bowing down
• Patting on the back etc.
 Mode/Dimension of Communication
• Communication is multidimensional or multidirectional. That is,
there are various directions in which communication can follow.
• The direction of information depends on the source of the
information (sender).
Flow of Information
1. Upward Flow: Information is supplied to the upper levels from
the lower levels. E.g. CU Course Evaluation
Factory Product Evaluation
 Mode/Dimension of Communication
Flow of Information
2. Downward Flow: Information is passed from the top (management)
to lower levels.
Eg CU Academic Calendar
Company Strategic Plan

3. Lateral/Horizontal Flow: Communication takes place between two

or more persons who are subordinates working under the same
person, or those who are working on the same level. E.g. Group
Tutorial Class, Staff Departmental Meeting.
 Mode/Dimension of Communication
Flow of Information
4. Diagonal Flow: communication among persons at different
levels who have no direct reporting structures. E.g. Suggestion
box.

Exercises: Mention the unique features, advantages and

disadvantages of each class of the flow of information
Case Study: CU Communication Dimension
CU adopts majorly the combination of upward, downward and lateral
modes
Importance of Communication
Business Perspective
Through effective communication system, Employees
• maintain good customer (client relations, follow-up letters).
• ensure that work is accomplished on time (directive memos or
e-mail).
• provide documentation of the completed work (progress
reports).
• generate income (sales letters, brochures, and fliers).
• keep machinery working (user manuals).
Importance of Communication
Business Perspective
Through effective communication system, Employees
• keep machinery working (user manuals).
• ensure that correct equipment is purchased (technical
descriptions).
• get jobs (resumes).
• inform the world about a company’s products and services
(Internet service)