Effective Communication skills (Course Code HS 302 ...

Effective Communication skills – Lecture Notes prepared by Mr. Makkena Suresh , Assistant Professor, Department of SREE, Faculty of Engineering, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, Libya

Effective Communication skills

(Course Code – HS 302)

Lecture Notes

September’ 2021

Prepared By

Mr. Makkena Suresh

Assistant Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Omar Mukhtar University, Libya


Chapter 1 – Introduction

This chapter covers course objectives, course contents, definitions and the need of effective

communication skills to Engineers.

Course Objective: To teach and train the students to acquire effective communication skills and

make them effective in their professional careers.

Course Contents: Introduction to Communication skills, Types of communication – Speaking,

Listening, Reading and Writing, public speaking, Short speeches by students, Role of memory in

effective communication skills, Verbal Communication skills, Non-Verbal Communication

skills, Body Language, Facial Expressions, Gestures, Expressing and speaking while displaying

various emotions, How to create effective PowerPoint presentations, , Group discussions,

Interview skills , Enhancing Communication skills using advanced technology – Virtual reality,

Augmented reality and Mixed reality , Importance of Goal Setting and Time management in

Effective Communication , 4 Quadrant time management model.

What is COMMUNICATION?

According to Merriam-Webster: Communication means to transmit information, thought, or

feeling so that it is satisfactorily received or understood

Here, the term communicate refers to all the ways a person uses to send information and receive

information to get his/her task accomplished. Communication is a Powerful skill for students,

engineers and business men

The term effective implies various ideas such as excellent, efficient, very good, extraordinary

etc.

So Effective Communication skills deals with special and effective communication skills

required to communicate in personal and professional affairs of a person.

Need of Effective Communication Skills for Engineers:

While communication skills are necessary for every living being, it is extremely important for

Engineers to have Effective Communication skills.

The reason is Engineers design, modify and invent new systems. While solving the existing

problems related to Engineering fields , they need to have effective communication skills to

become successful in their career..


Chapter 2 – Speaking Skills

How do we learn to communicate?

We as humans tend to develop communication skills by natural process.

As children, we all develop communication skills naturally – by observing parents, teachers,

friends, neighbors and people in the surrounding society.

While developing these skills we follow certain sequence - Listening, Speaking, Writing and

Reading. And as we develop these skills, we slowly learn other means of communication such as

Body Language, Gestures and Facial Expressions.

Common Types of Communication Skills

1. Listening Skills

2. Speaking Skills

3. Writing Skills – This includes various aspects of writing including report writing and

PowerPoint presentations.

4. Reading Skills

5. Body Language

6. Gestures

7. Facial Expressions

In the following pages, we keep our focus on the above topics.

Speaking Skills

Among the available means of Communication Speaking is very important. As effective speaking

requires more time, we start our discussion with a focus on acquiring Speaking skills.

Speaking Drills:

In this session, each student practices the following short speeches and speak it in front of others

in the classroom.

Short Speech 1:

Subject : Introducing oneself to the class

Asssalam Alaikum.

Good morning everybody. How are you doing ?

First of all, thank you very much for this chance to speak to you .

I am Mr. Mohammed Mohamood Mohammed. I am from Libya. I am a student of Mechanical

Eningeering department. Along with you, I am attending this course - Effective Communication

skills. Let’s have Fun. All the best. Thank You


Short Speech 2 :

Subject: Tell something about your uncle

Asssalam Alaikum.

Hello everybody ! I am ----------------. Now I would like to speak about my uncle.

My uncle’s name is Mr. -------------------. He is --------- years old. He is a the brother of mother / father.

He is very close to me and also to my family.

He is a teacher / business man / ----- by profession. He is a very kind person. He always advises me to

study hard and improve my communication skills.

So, I will try my best to improve my Communication skills.

Short Speech 3 :

Subject: Tell something about world cup football

Asssalam Alaikum.

Hello everybody. Good afternoon. Thank you for giving me a chance to speak about world cup football.

How many of you know about football world cup?

Please raise your hands! Wow, all of you? That’s great!

Now let me tell something about this competition. This tournament is held once in every four years. The

next tournament would be held in -------------- in ----------------. I am very eager and excited to watch the

games live on TV. I think, this time ------ ( name of team) has bright chances of winning the tournament.

Because, it has great players such as ---- , ---------------.

The last tournament was won by ---------------. It defeated ------------- in the final. In the future, I want to

see my country Libya as world champions of football. Thank you for your attention.

Short Speech 4 :

Subject: Tell something about what you have done last weekend

Asssalam Alaikum.

Dear friends! How are you doing? I wish all of you are hale and healthy.

Now I would like to share about what I have done during last week end.

Well! On Thursday evening, I visited my uncle’s /aunt’s / friend’s house. I had dinner with their family.

In the evening I went shopping and bought some beautiful dresses for my brother / sister. I had a great

weekend. Thanks for listening.


Speaking with Emotions

Each Student is required to make the above 5 speeches with the following emotions :

1. Happiness

2. Extreme happiness

3. Anger

4. Extreme anger

5. Sadness (un happiness)

6. Extreme sadness

7. Shyness

Do you need 5 Marks ?

Practice above short speeches with any two of the above emotions

and deliver them In the classroom as sought by the instructor.

Please Note:

You should not read from the Paper

You should not look into the paper

Give your speech from your MEMORY


Chapter: 3 – Memory

What do you undersand by the term Memory?

Memory is the process of remembering something. . It is the function of

HUMAN BRAIN / MIND

Using memory, we recall: Past events , Answers to examination questions ,

Phone Numbers etc....

What is the role of memory in effective communication?

Does Memory help Effective Communication?

• Yes or No - Why ?

• Effective speakers like Mr. Omar Mukhtar, Mr. Obama, Mrs. Hillary and Mr. Sarkozy

use their memory to communicate (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1 – Effective Communicators – Mr. Omar Mukhtar, Obama, Sarkozy and Hillary Clinton

It is also to be noted that famous Arab singers such as Mr. Amr Diab, Mr. Kadim Alsaher, Mrs.

Nancy Ajram (Fig. 2) use their excellent memory to remember the songs and enthrall audiences

with their incredible communication skills.

Fig. 2 – Famous Arab singers

Hence , we can confidently say that memory plays a very important role in developing effective

communication skills. We all need to improve our memories in order to become effective

speakers.

Types of Memory

Short Term Memory

It retains information for 10 to 20 seconds without rehearsals / repetition.


It is easy to remember 3 or 4 words or digits in our short term memory. The standard number is

7 ± 2, we can easily hold 5 to 9 numbers in our short term memory. This is the reason our phone

numbers are generally 9 digit to 10 digits in length.

Medium Term Memory

Using our medium term memory we can remember information from few minutes to few hours ,

even up to 48 hours.

Long Term Memory

Long term memory holds information from Few days to few decades..

The secret is to repeat or rehearse the information every day for 21 days to 66 days to facilitate

our long term memory to store it for long time. [[ Is it possible to Improve our memory?

Yes / No ?

How ?

– Training & Practice

– Rehearsals

– Repetition

Common Memory techniques

• Memory Palace : Use different rooms in your home / furniture to store information

• Major System : Converting numbers into pictures , store them and retrieve them

• PAO System – Person, Action, Object (converting numbers to action pictures involving

persons, action and object.

Many techniques are available to improve memory. Each year new techniques are being

invented to win Memory championships held across the world.

Steps in Memory Process

1. Encoding – Receiving information

2. Storing - Storing the received information

3. Retrieving - Get back the stored information into working memory

The Key to Good MEMORY is ..

Rehearsals

Spaced Repetition

Practice

Note : Live Demonstration on remembering 2 digit random numbers.

A live demo will be held in the classroom to convince the students that anybody can

cultivate a good memory with practice. In this demo, a 10 year old school girl would receive

two digit numbers at random from the participants , memorize them and then recall them in

any order sought by the students. Numbers would be recalled in ascending / descending /

row wise / column wise in any order.


Chapter: 4 – Commonly used Communication skills

Question. Which communication skill do we use the most?

According to a research , we spend :

45 % of our time in listening ,

30 % of time in Speaking

16 percent of time in Reading ,

And 9 % of time in Writing.

Listening Skills

Listening is very important communication skill.

As children, we learn our language by listening to our parents

and neighbors.

We listen to our teachers to gain subject knowledge.

We listen to our religious gurus to gain Spiritual Knowledge.

Listening accounts for 45 % of our communicating time.

Unfortunately, its importance is not taught enough in

Schools and Universities.

It is a must for students to focus on Listening.

Effective Listening improves knowledge and

communication skills.

Speaking Skills

Speaking is important as it accounts for 30 % of Communicating time.

Unfortunately, speaking is not considered as a useful skill

in most of the schools and Universities in the world.

Due to this reason more emphasis is given for speaking

in our course – Effective Communication Skills.


Reading Skills

Reading is very important for knowledge

and effective communication.

We need to spend more time in reading books.

We spend only 16 % of our communicating time in reading.

Self learning should be promoted among students.

Additional time should be spent on reading.

Writing Skills

Writing is extremely important

in Communication.

Writing skills are very important

means of communication.

Students and engineering professionals

are required to use these skills to write Essays ,

Reports, Creating PowerPoint Presentations,

Writing Research Papers, Writing blogposts,

writing news articles, Writing stories etc.

But sadly, we spend only 9 % of our communicating time in writing. Hence, more time should be

spent on writing to disseminate the acquired knowledge.

Presentation Skills

Good writing skills should be accompanied by excellent presentation skills in order to gain

maximum advantage. Presentation skills deal with presenting the knowledge or research work of

a student or an individual to a group of audience with an aim of disseminating new information.

Many software packages are available to aid us in presenting information. Most commonly used

one’s are Microsoft PowerPoint and Prezi.


Guidelines for creating effective PowerPoint presentations

• Select suitable Layout for the Presentations.

• Fonts - Use 28 to 32 points for text size, use 36 to 44 points for headings.

• Use 12 to 14 slides for a 15 minutes presentation

• Use 6 to 7 lines for each slide.

• Use a maximum number of 30 words for each line - 18 to 25 words are ideal

• Use Pictures, Graphs, Charts in the presentation , because a picture speaks for

1000 words.

Presentations – Background Color

• Use good combination of Background color and text

• Should have high contrast ( Difference)

– Dark background with light text

– Or Light background with dark text

Ex. White background & Black / Dark Blue text

Fonts to be used:

Tahoma – Can be used for headings

Arial - Use for text

Calibri – Use for Text

Verdana – Use for text

Note: Any other suitable font may be used. The idea here is, the presentation

must be easily readable.

10 / 20 / 30 Rule of PowerPoint

A PowerPoint presentation should have 10 slides, last no more than 20 minutes

and contain no font smaller than 30 points

Note: This is a thumb rule . It gives only a kind of guideline. Students are advised

to follow the instructor’s recommendations.

Writing Skills – Writing an Email

• Email Stands for Electronic Mail

• E-mails are sent through Internet.

• Emails are delivered instantly (Immediately)

• Non-electronic mails take days, weeks, even months.

• Emails can be two types : Formal & Informal

Formal Emails

Formal Email’s are written straight to the point. They are less detailed.

Formal emails should begin with a salutation such as Dear Sir / Madam ,

To Whom it May Concern (if it is a letter)

Formal emails should end with nice words such as “Regards”, or “Thank you” or

“Best Wishes” followed by contact information and the signature.


Do’s & Don'ts in Formal emails

• Colloquial words:

Do not use “wanna” : Use “want to”

Do not use “ Gonna” : Use “Going to”

Do not use “ Y’all “ : Use “You all “

Do not use “ Hey “ : Use “ Hi “

• Contractions:

Do not use Can’t : Use Can not

Do not use Didn’t : Use Did not

Do not use Haven’t : Use Have not

• Clichés:

I will have email you the report in a jiffy – Do not Use it

I will email you the report as soon as possible – Use it

• Abbreviated words:

Do not use ASAP : Use As soon as possible

Do not use lol : Use lots of love

Do not use P.S – Use Post Script

An Example Formal E-mail

21-03-2021

Al-Bayda

To

The Instructor

Effective Communication Skills

Omar Mukhtar University

Subject : Request for special permission

Dear Sir,

My name is Mr. Mohammed. I am writing to you to request for a special permission to come to

the lecture at 12 Noon as I have another lecture scheduled until that time.

Thanking you,

With best regards

Mr. Mohammed

Informal Emails

• An informal email is an informal piece of writing.

• Its style can be similar to speaking.

• It's up to us how we begin and finish it and whether we use paragraphs or not.


An Example Informal E-mail :

Hi

Good mrg. Whats up ? This is Mohammed, your student. Can you help me ? I have a problem

with my timings. I will come late to your class today, 11th nov’2020.

Thanks

Mohammed

Face to Face Communication

We often use Face to Face Communication when we meet with people in our daily life.

Face to Face Communication includes..

7% WORDS

Words are only labels and the listeners put their

own interpretation on speakers words

38% PARALINGUISTIC

The way in which something is said - the accent,

tone and voice modulation is important to the listener.

55% BODY LANGUAGE

What a speaker looks like while delivering a

message affects the listener’s understanding most.


Face to Face communication

is divided into Verbal and

Non-Verbal Communication

Verbal Communication –

Words (Arabic, English, French, Hindi.

Non-Verbal communication –

Tone of Voice, Body Movements,

Gestures, Facial Expressions.

Verbal communication:

In this type of communication

we use words to communicate.

Non verbal communication:

In this type of communication, we do not use words

Instead we use body language, facial expressions and

Gestures to communicate.

Question: Is it sufficient if we use only Verbal

Communication (i.e. only words)?

Do we need to combine verbal skills

with non-verbal skills ?

Which skill is better? Verbal / nonverbal / both

Let us find out!

Verbal communication Exercise:

One student takes a paper from the instructor and try to dictate its contents verbally.

The contents may contain pictures or shapes.

The student has to use only words either English or Arabic.

Non-verbal communication should not be used.

Verbal & Non-Verbal Communication

(interms of percentage % )


Non - Verbal communication Game

In this game students are asked to use only Non-verbal communication (Body language,

Gestures and facial expressions )

Each time , one student is presented with a picture. Then he/she uses non verbal

communication to make other students understand the contents of the picture.

Other students try to identify the person / things / contents

in the pictures by reading the non verbal gestures.

Success Factor of Communication Skills Communication Skills contribute to 70 % of our success.

Only Knowledge helps to reap only 30 % Success.

What did you learn so far..

• Effective Communication skills are key to Success.

• Good Memory improves Communication Skills.

• Memory can be improved with repetition and practice.

• For Effective Communication, both Verbal and

Non Verbal Communication skills are necessary.

• Knowledge alone is not sufficient to become

successful as it accounts for only 30 % of success.

• Effective Communication skills accounts for 70 % of Success.

Please remember..

No Pain, No Gain …

With proper planning and good training you can become massively successful in your

life..

Effects of Poor Communication - Frustration and Chaos

Watch the video on Good / Bad Communication (Visit webpage of the instructor)


Chapter 5 – Non Verbal Communication

Nonverbal communication is extremely important in our daily lives. It accounts for 93 %

effectiveness in our daily communication out of which 55 % is contributed by body language

and 38 % is achieved by tone and voice modulation.

This means, using non-verbal means of communication (i.e without speaking a word) , we can

communicate with 93 percent effectiveness. Verbal communication is effective in only 7 % of

time.

Non Verbal communication includes Body language, Tone &Voice modulation. Body language

constitutes facial expressions and gestures.

Body Language

• Body language refers to any kind of bodily movement

or posture, including facial expression,

which transmits a message to the observer.

Watch the Body language of Hitler (1933) – Video clip from PowerPoint presentation

Observe his Posture , You don’t know the language ! Do you get his message ?

From fig -1, What did you notice? Can you identify the intention of the persons in the picture by

looking at their body language? Fig-2 displays the avoidable bad habits during presentation.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O128-posture.html

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O128-facialexpression.html


Figure -1 figure -2

Figures 3 and 4 shows closed posture and open posture. The qualities such as hostility,

unfriendliness and anxiety may be observed from closed posture. An open posture shows

friendliness, openness and willingness.

Figure -3 figure - 4

How to use hand gestures in a powerful way while speaking ?

The following figures 5 & 6 show various types of hand gestures used by professional speakers

during their speeches. It is recommended to emulate them. But the gestures shown in figure 7

should be avoided. Putting arms over hip displays dominance attitude, putting arms behind the

back signals a kind of indifferent attitude as they reflect the weaknesses such as fearfulness,

defensiveness and non-professionalism.

Figure -5 figure -6


Figure -7 Figure -8: Formal Handshake

Initial greeting:

When we meet a person first time, we greet them. Three things are important while greeting a

person –Handshake, eye contact and distance.

Handshake:

The most common gesture that is used while greeting is handshake. Now the question is what

kind of handshake should be used to have a positive impact? The formal handshake shown in

above figure 8 is a good gesture that can be used. However, avoid wet fish handshake and

Squeezed handshakes shown in figures 8 and 9. Guess what happens, if you use them!

Figure - 9 : Wet Fish handshake figure-10:Squeezed handshake Figure-11: Eye contact


Watch the video clip of Obama vs Golden brown for shake hand

What did you notice? Who is right , Who is wrong ?

Watch the video clip of Trump ignoring Pelosi’s handshake:

Observe the body language of Trump and Pelosi.

It displays hatred and disrespect for the president of a country.

This kind of body language is not acceptable.

Eye Contact

It is important to maintain eye contact while greeting a person and also while conversing. Look

at figure 11. But one cannot look into the other person’s eyes for an extended period of time.

Once the initial greeting is over, it is essential to focus on social zone or friendly zone as

displayed in figure 12. However, it is uncomfortable and intimidating to stare into one’s eyes and

forehead (dominant zone shown in figure-13) for extended period of time.

Figure 12 : Social or Friendly Zone

Figure -13:Dominant Zone (Forehead)

Obama%20vs%20Golden%20brown%20for%20shake%20hand%20-%20YouTube.wmv


Distance:

Lastly it is important to maintain sufficient distance to the person with whom we interact. The

amount of distance varies from culture to culture. As mentioned in the figure 14, it is required to

know how close you stand while conversing.

In figure 15, three zones are mentioned – zone 1, zone 2 and zone 3. In zone 1 , people usually

stand far away because they are just getting introduced .

In zone 2, this distance is reduced as they become familiar and trust is established.The distance is

reduced further when they become friends as displayed in zone 3.

Fig -14 fig-15

Gestures & Facial expressions :

Gestures and facial expressions are integral part of Non-verbal communication. Coupled with

body language they can make or break a deal. Hence it is very essential to use them cleverly

during our day-to-day conversation.

Figure 16 shows a silly gesture taken from a movie.The ok hand gesture in figure 17 is used

differently in different countries – it means money in Japan, zero in France and is considered as

an insult in Brazil. Similarly the other gestures are viewed differently in different countries.

Figure-16: Silly gesture Figure-17. :Hand Gestures


The following figures 18, 19 , 20 and 21 show various kinds of feelings with hands, facial

expressions & emotions .

Figure-18 Figure-19 Figure-20

Figure-21 Figure-22

Some emotions that can be hand-drawn easily

are shown in figure 22.

Figure 23 explains that it takes only 17 muscles to smile

where as it needs 42 muscles to frown.

So, it is better to smile than frown.

Figure-23


Chapter 6 : Cross-Cultural Communication

In cross cultural communication, the interaction takes

place between two people from different cultural

backgrounds

Example: An Asian interacts with an European (figure 26)

Lot of misunderstanding takes place if we do not know

other cultures.

Hence we must study other cultures to properly

communicate with them.

From the figure 27, it can be understood that

North Americans consider direct eye contact as a gesture

of honesty, But it is viewed as kind of disrespect

for Asians.Figure 28 displays cultural differences

between arabs and Indians . Figure 29 gives similar kind cultural differences.

Figure 27 Figure 28

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATOIN IN THE ARAB WORLD

• In the Arab world, non-verbal communication is given due importance .

• Even in the Arab world, there is slight variation among different Arab Nations in the

way non-verbal communication is used.

Observe the following figures 30 and 31. Can you identify the meaning of those gestures ?


Figure 29 Figure – 30 Figure – 31

Five commonly used gestures in the Arab World

1. Tapping one’s head with the palm of the hand (Ala Raasi)

It Literally means “On my Head”.

Its an expression of Gratitute.

2. Lifting one’s chin up and making a click noice with the tongue

It Signifies Disapproval

Used in various contexts

Commonly used by parents Towards their children

3. Placing one’s Right hand on one’s heart

It signifies a Warm greeting

It is used between friends , relatives etc

Mostly used when people see each other from faraway

and they want to greet.

4. Placing one’s palm out and face down and gesturing inward

This gesture signifies come here, if done repeatedly

If the same gesture is repeated when the palm is up it is

Considered impolite. For some people it is offensive.

5. Thumb and index finger making ‘O’ shape

In America, it symbols o-kay.

Some people consider it as a threat or evil eye.

Not accepted by all people in the world – Not universal.

Showing the soles / Shoes of one’s feet

• It is Disrespectful. It signifies rudeness

• This gesture should not be used at workplace.

• May be used if one is casually resting at home

• One has to be mindful of the environment

where the gesture is being used.


Chapter 7 : Advanced Communication Techniques

Advancements in technology are bringing new techniques into our lives. Artificial Intelligence

(A.I) is becoming part of our lives and is going to impact our future lives. In order to become an

effective communicator, it is imperative for us to get accustomed with this new technology.

Many AI based advanced communication techniques are being used currently undergoing rapid

development. Some of these techniques include Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed

Reality.

It is highly recommended that students learn these new techniques in order to be prepared for

the future challenges in communication.

Virtual Reality (V.R)

• Virtual reality (VR) refers to a computer-generated simulation

• In VR a person can interact within an artificial three-dimensional

environment. VR makes use of electronic devices, such as special

goggles with a screen or gloves fitted with sensors

Augmented Reality (A.R)

• Augmented Reality is a kind of improved version of VR ( see following figure-34)

• It can add virtual objects in our real world and gives us a feel that they are real.

• Using AR, we can even add the 3-D images of our dead relatives into our real world to

get a real feel that they are with us. AR and VR are differentiated in figure-35 below.

Mixed Reality (M.R): This is an advanced version of VR & AR where the user can interact with

the virtual images. Watch the video about application of Mixed Reality at Indian Institute of

Technology,Madras during their virtual convocation ( see figure 36 below).

Figure- 34 Figure -35 Figure-36


Chapter 8 : Group Discussions and Interviews

Group Discussions (G.D)

• Here a group of people ( 5 to 7) are gathered to discuss

an issue and are expected to take a decision acceptable

to all members.

• Usually candidates with excellent leadership qualities

are identified from these discussions

• The selected candidate will usually be given

good position with handsome salary.

Some important Qualities to succeed in Group Discussions

• Subject Knowledge

• Effective Communication Skills

• Strong Leadership Skills

• Honesty

• Patience

Interviews

Interviews are usually conducted to select a suitable person for a job.

In a job interview, a group of experts test the suitability of candidate

for a position.

subject knowledge , leadership qualities and communication skills are tested

by various means

Finally, Successful candidates are offered the job with good salary

Interview Skills (How to behave during an interview?)

It is essential to conduct oneself confidently during a job interview. Observe the body language

of the candidate in figure 24 where the candidates body language ( Head dropped, body tucked-

in and legs under chair) reveals negative feelings such as intimidation, nervousness.

However, it is possible to regain rapport with the interviews by changing the body language as

shown in the figure 25 .


Figure-24 Figure-25

Skills required to succeed in an Interview

• Subject Knowledge

• Strong Leadership Skills

• Self Confidence

• Transparency

• Honesty

• Impartiality

• Unselfishness

• Effective Communication Skills

• Punctuality

• Time Management

• Good Writing skills – for C.V preparation & E-mail communication.

• C.V stands for Curriculum Vitae . It can also be called as Resume


Chapter 9: Importance of Goal Setting and Time Management in effective communication

As it was discussed, effective communication skills are very important for developing an

individual to tap his full potential. In present competitive world, it is highly essential to cultivate

these skills if one has to achieve success in his/ her career.

A clear goal and excellent time management skills will further an individual’s resolve to

compound his/ her communication skills. Time management helps to achieve the goal in the

shortest possible time and a well-defined goal accompanied with incredible communication skills

would take the individual to his career peaks.

“A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline.” - Harvey

Mackay

“When you’re stuck in a dark place and you suddenly see a light, you immediately begin to

follow it. That’s why setting goals is important.” - Rosalyn Mosley

In this chapter, detailed steps required to set a Goal and associated time management skills are

presented.

What Are Goals?

Goals are what we want to attain or have.

Goals may be set to have lot of money, or to have a luxurious car or to have a successful

career.

Why set Goals?

Goals make you better at performance in all areas of life (personal, academic, career, etc.)

Type of Goals

Goals can be classified into…

Long term goals: 1 year to 5 years or longer

Short term goals: 1 – 6 months or a semester

Medium term goals: They fall between long term and short term goals.


How to form a short term goal?

Take the long term goals and break them down into shorter steps.

• Example Goals :

– I want to become an expert Mechanical Engineer in Libya

– I want to make 100 billion dollars by the time I turn 50 years ….

– I want to become an effective communicator and become an international speaker.

Can a goal helps to improve Communication Skills ?

• Yes. Certainly. A clear goal augments a person’s resolve to become successful

• Goals also help to better our performance in all areas of life (personal & Professional)

• Clear and specific Goals to improve Communication skills should be accompanied by

an effective Time Management Model.

Steps in setting a Goal (Goal Setting Process) : Identifying your dream ‘Goal’

I. What are the five achievements until this moment in your life that you are proud

of?

Directions: Write five significant accomplishments that you have achieved in your

life. Ex: a prize in a sport event, class rank etc. Write your genuine accomplishments.

Don’t copy them from others.

1. --------------------------------------------------------------

2. --------------------------------------------------------------

3. --------------------------------------------------------------

4. --------------------------------------------------------------

5. --------------------------------------------------------------

II. What do you want to achieve in the next 5 years?

Directions: Write at least 5 desires (Wants). List them one under the other. Do not list

them side by side.

Wants (Desires or needs) Time Limit (Years)

1. -------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------

2. -------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------

3. -------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------

4. -------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------

5. -------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------

Ex: I want to be an outstanding Mechanical Engineer 5


III. Specify the time for each of the above wants in the previous question, under

Time limit section.

Ex: Give 1 for one year, 3 for three years, 5 for five years and 10 for ten or more

years

IV. Now find your most wanted long term desire from the above list and write it as

your long term goal as follows:

Example:

My most wanted long term desire is to become an outstanding Mechanical Engineer

in 5 years’ time. I write this as a long term goal as follows:

My Long term Goal:

I will become a top Mechanical Engineer in Libya by 1st January ’2026.

V. Convert the above long term goal into a short term goal.

Example:

I will obtain 1st rank in all the examinations, home works, class works, quizzes and

mini projects in all courses that I have registered in present semester

i.e from - -20 to - -20 .

Now write your short term goal below:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VI. Now convert the short term goal into weekly objectives as follows:

1. Fill my weekly schedule with the schedule time of two lectures per week. ( Please

refer to your weekly schedule work sheet for details)

2. Attend the scheduled two lectures on ‘theory of machines’ in the present week,

starting today till the end of the week, i.e. till __________

3. Schedule an appointment with Mr. Makkena Suresh in the present week to get

more clarification on the topics I do not understand and complete the weekly

schedule worksheet accordingly.

4. Allot 2 hours of preparation time in your weekly schedule worksheet for Theory

of machines during the above week and complete the weekly schedule worksheet

accordingly.

5. Prepare the weekly objectives for the remaining courses by following the steps

from 1 to 4.

6. Make a clear plan to reach your goal

7. Use efficient Time Management Model to help you move forward.


Role of Time Management in Effective Communication

• Everybody on the plant has 24 hours a day and 168 hours a week ,

no matter who we are.

• This is true for President of Libya, America or India.

• This time should be effectively utilized.

• With a clear goal and effective time management a person can attain effective

communication skills and reap success.

How long we will be around ?

• Each day has 24 hours

• Each year has (24 * 365 ) 8760 hours (24 * 365 )

• Each Decade (10 years) has 87,600 hours

• Considering an average life of around 75 years, humans ( like us) live 657,000 hours or

650,000 hours approximately.

• By now, a 20 year old had already spent 175,200 hours

• How much time is left for him ? 481,800 hours or 480,000 hours approximately.

What next ?

After identifying your long term goal and converting it into your short term goal and weekly

objectives, it is required to find the time to work towards the realization of your goal.

The 4-Quadrant Time Management Model


Identifying time wasting activities: Complete the following table with all your previous day

activities:

Directions:

Relax. Close your eyes. Relax your eyes, arms, body, legs and feet. Take three deep

breaths. By keeping your eyes closed, try to recollect what you have done yesterday from

the moment you got up and till you go to bed in the night. The activities include sleep, eating, chatting, playing, Chatting , Whatsapp and face book

activities etc. List all activities. Do not leave any of them. Complete all columns.

Table 1: Your daily activities: Which quadrant would they belong to ?

Time Activity Start

Time

Finish

Time

Time in

Min / Hrs

Quadrant

I / II/ III/ IV

6 – 7 A.M

Total Time spent 24 Hrs

Total Time wasted Hrs

Time available for realizing the goal each day

Time available for realizing the goal each week X 6 = Hrs


Now complete the 4-Quadrant Time Management Model with your activities.

How to use the 4 Quadrant Model ?

i. Eliminate all quadrant IV activities from the above model.

ii. Minimize and delegate to others the quadrant III activities.

iii. Shift the time saved from the quadrants III and IV to the quadrant II.

Integrating Your Goals into Time Management Model :

Reorganize your activities by integrating the most important and urgent activities into

quadrant I and the non-urgent but important goal activities into quadrant II. All the non-

important but urgent activities in quadrant III may be delegated to others. Remember to

eliminate the quadrant IV activities completely.

Tips to manage your time :

i. Follow the weekly schedule strictly.

ii. Reward yourself at the end of every week to celebrate your weekly success. For

example : Watch a movie or go to the beach with family etc.

iii. Prepare a new weekly schedule every week in line with your short term and long

term goals.

iv. Keep track of your long term goal and make necessary changes when you feel that

you are going off-track.

v. Slowly widen you goal list and manage your activities to manifest them.

Question: How to find Additional Time?

We do not spend 24 hours a day in communicating.

In fact, most people spend around 6 hours to 7 hours a day on T.V, social media etc.

This wasted time may be spent on improving communication skills.

Note: The Lecture notes and related materials can be downloaded from

www.sureshmakkena.webnode.com/documents/teachingnotes

“Best of luck for a successful career”

http://www.sureshmakkena.webnode.com/documents/teachingnotes


Appendix I : Course Outline

OMAR MUKHTAR UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

COURSE OUTLINE (REVISED)

ACADEMIC YEAR: 2020- 2021 (FALL SEMESTER)

Course Name: Effective Communication Skills (HS 302)

Number of Credits: 1

Instructor: Mr. Makkena Suresh

Contact hours: Every Wednesday: 12 – 2 P.M (2 hours / week)

Course Objective: To teach and train the students to acquire effective communication skills and make them effective in their professional careers.

Course Contents: Introduction to Communication skills, Types of communication – Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing, public speaking, Short speeches by students, Role of memory in effective communication skills, Verbal Communication skills, Non-Verbal Communication skills, Body Language, Facial Expressions, Gestures, Expressing and speaking while displaying various emotions, How to create effective PowerPoint presentations, , Group discussions, Interview skills , Enhancing Communication skills using advanced technology – Virtual reality, Augmented reality and Mixed reality , Importance of Goal Setting and Time management in Effective Communication , 4 Quadrant time management model.

Student Performance Evaluation Criteria:

SN Activities Scheduled Time Marks Allotted

1 Short Speeches Lecture Time 5

2 Class Works and Discussions Lecture Time 5

3 Powerpoint / Prezi Presentations 4th week of March’2021 10

4 Mid Examination 17-03-2021, 12 – 2 P.M 20

5 Final Examination April / May’ 2021 60

Total percentage of Marks 100

Guidelines for the Presentation:

1. All Presentations should be made using Microsoft PowerPoint / Prezi with compatible text & background color ( According to the recommendations of the instructor)

2. Number of slides in the presentation may vary from 12 to 15. The slides may include pictures related to the topic of presentation and it is recommended to include few sentences in each slide (Around 3 to 5) and avoid long paragraphs.

3. Time allowed for each presentation is 15 minutes. 4. Topics for the PowerPoint Presentations would be different for each student and given during

classroom discussions. 5. Mid and Final Examination contain Multiple choice, Short and Long answer questions.

INSTRUCTOR


Appendix II : Guidelines to be followed for giving a PowerPoint presentation

1. Two Students can share one presentation 2. All Presentations should be made using Microsoft PowerPoint or Prezi with compatible text &

background color ( According to the recommendations of the instructor) 3. Number of slides in the presentation may vary from 12 to 14 4. The slides should include pictures related to the topic of presentation and it is recommended to

include few sentences in each slide (Around 5 to 6) 5. Each line may include around 20 to 25 words ( A maximum of 30 words) 6. Time allowed for each presentation is 15 minutes.

Evaluation Criteria for presentations:

SN Skill Marks Alloted

1 Neatness and Clarity of PowerPoint slides 2

2 Clarity of Speech , Body Language 2

3 Content 2

4 Subject Knowledge , Q&A 2

5 Time Management 2

Total percentage of Marks 10


Appendix III: Topics for the PowerPoint presentation

1. Speaking – Its importance in Effective Communication

2. Writing - Its importance in Effective Communication

3. Reading - Its importance in Effective Communication

4. Listening - Its importance in Effective Communication

5. Importance of Facial Expressions in Communications

6. Importance of Body Language in Communication Skills

7. Importance of Memory in Effective Communication Skills

8. Importance of Verbal Communication.

9. Importance of Non Verbal Communication

10 . Communication of Deaf People : Sign Language

11. Non-Verbal Communication in Arab World

12. How to improve your speaking skills ?

13. Importance of Time Management in Effective Communication.

14. Importance of Goal setting in effective communication.

15. 4 Quadrant Time management model.

16. Effective Communicators in the world

17. Effective Communicators in the Arab-World

18. Role of students in building a prosperous Libya.


Appendix IV : Sample Questions for the examination

Note:

i. Answer the questions on the question paper itself and return it to the instructor after finishing the

examination.

ii. The marks assigned to each question are given in the brackets against each question.

1. Multiple Choice Questions. Answer all questions. Each question weighs ½ Mark. (5 / 15 Marks)

1.1. Effective Communication Skills include the following : [ d ]

a. Reading Skills b. Listening Skills c. Writing Skills d. All (a,b &c)

1.2. The heading of a PowerPoint slide may be in the range of : [ b ]

a. 10 to 14 Points b. 36 to 44 Points c. 70 to 80 Points d. All (a,b &c)

The remaining questions will be given in the same pattern.

2. Short Answer Questions - Answer all questions. Each question weighs 1 mark. (10 /30 Marks)

2.1. What does the term Communication mean? What is its importance?

Answer: Communication means to transmit information, thought, or feeling.

Communication is important because it gives all the ways a person use to send information and

receive information to get his/her task accomplished. 2.2. What is Body Language? Is it an important communication skill?

Answer:

Body language is a kind of bodily movement or posture used to communicate with others.

It is an important communication skill because around 55 % communication is expressed through body

language.

3. Long Answer Questions – Marks of each question are given in the bracket. ( 5 / 15 Marks)

3.1. Explain the importance of Reading Skills with a sketch. (3 Marks)

Answer:

Reading skills are very important for knowledge and effective

communication. Because we gain knowledge by reading.

But, unfortunately, We spend only 16 % of our Communicating time

in reading. Please refer to figure 1.

As reading is more important additional time

should be spent on reading and self learning.

3.2. . Explain the importance of Writing Skills with a sketch. (2 Marks)

All the remaining questions will follow same pattern.

Best of Luck

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