Chapter 3

Basics of Technical Communication

Objectives of the Lesson

• The purpose/objectives and characteristics of Technical Communication. (TC)

• The Constituents/components of TC. • Levels of TC• Flow of Communication in an organization• Communication Network modules and their

functions/role• Use of audio- visual aids in Communication

General Vs Technical

• General TechnicalGeneral message Technical Message

Informal in style Formal Style

No set pattern A set formal pattern

Mostly Oral Mostly written

No specific audience For a specific audience

No technical words Jargons used

Process of Communication

The transmission and interchange of ideas, facts,

feelings or courses of action is known as the process

of communication.

All the activities an organization undertake have

communication at their centre.

An employee should have good communication skills

along with the subject knowledge

Objectives of the TC

• To provide organized information that aids in

quick decision- making.

• To make the working smooth.

• To invite corporate joint ventures.

• To share knowledge in oral & written forms.

Characteristics of TC

• Technical communication has to be correct, accurate, clear, appropriate and to the point. • Correct information is objective

information.

Communication Environment (CE)

Communication Environment includes: 1.Sender2.Receiver 3)Message4) Barriers5) In short a well defined Set -up

Communication Cycle

1. Formulation: wherein the sender forms the content

of the message to be sent. ( the content once

formed, is called the message.)

2. Encoding: Sender encodes the message.

3. Transmission: After proper encoding message is

delivered through appropriate channel /s

Communication Cycle cont…

. Decoding: Receiver decodes the message and act on it.

5. Noise : Breakdown or interference in the message is called

Noise. It affects the decoding part of the communication.

6. Feedback: The receiver's response to the sender is called

feedback.

The communication cycle is complete and effective only when

there is a desired responses from the receiver

Effective communication

• Effective communication takes place in a well-defined set-up.

This is called communication environment . The essentials of

effective communication are:

• A well-defined communication environment

• Cooperation between sender and the receiver

• Selection of an appropriate channel

• Correct encoding and decoding of the message

• Feedback

Levels of Communication

• Extra-personal: Communication between

human beings and non-human entities is

extra personal, where only the human side

transmits the msg. Human to animals.

• Intrapersonal: within an individual

analysing, weighing, planning etc.

Levels of Communication cont…

• Interpersonal: Between and among humans – face to face

so there’s an immediate feedback.

• Organizational:

- Internal-operational: Takes place in the process/ functions of

organization.

- External-operational: Work-related communication with

people outside the organization

Levels of Communication cont…

• Mass-communication: Meant for large audiences/masses.

No particular audience. Transmitted through mass media

such as news papers, TV, Radio etc. Ma

- Large reach: reach audience scattered over a wide

geographical area., without the constraints of time.

- Impersonality: Largely impersonal, the sender and receiver

are not know to each other a great challenge to be effective • - Gate Keeper – A watch keeper for mass communication.

Communication Flow• Formal : - hierarchy -Vertical ( up, down)- Horizontal -Diagonal• Informal : Grapevine• - Single strand• - Gossip• - Probability• - Cluster

Vertical Communication Downward & Upward

• Vertical: follows each hierarchical levels of

command. Bureaucratic

• Downward Communication: From superiors to

subordinates - Instructions, new policies,

procedures, clarifications, feedback)

• Upward Communication: Subordinates to superiors

( submission of information, reports, input.

Flow of Communication cont…

• Horizontal Communication: sharing info with the

peers bypassing the vertical chain, informal, verbal

• Diagonal Communication (DC): flows in all

directions and cuts across the various levels in an

organization. Ex: A marketing guy directly

communicating the marketing need to a reporter not

an editor. Increased use of E-mails promotes DC

Hierarchical V/s other types Formal InformalMails, Memos, OralCentraized DecentralizedFull proof Gaps likelky Time taking QuickHeld up, delayed Immediate Information in one information sharedhand

Communication Networks

• A variety of patterns emerge when vertical, horizontal

and diagonal channels combine

• . These patterns are termed as communication networks.

• Formal Network Models:

In formal communication five common communication

networks exists – chain, Y, wheel, circle and all-channel.

Communication network cont…

• Chain Network: A vertical hierarchy in which communication can

flow only in upward or downward.

• Y Network : A multi-level hierarchy and a combination of

horizontal and vertical flow of communication.

• Wheel Network: Several subordinates reporting to a superior.

This is a combination of horizontal and diagonal flow of

communication.

• Circle Network: Employees interact with adjacent members but

no further.

Communication Network cont…

• All Channel Network: Least structured, enables each

employee to communicate freely with all the others.

For effective use of communication networks, we need to

remember the following :

No single network is suitable for all occasions.

The wheel and all-channel networks are preferred if speed of

communication is a priority.

The chain, Y, and wheel networks serve best when accuracy is

crucial.

Informal Network Models

Grapevine : This type of communication is very active in

almost every organization.

Patterns :

Single Stand: The message is passed from one person to

another along a single stand.

Gossip: One person passes information to all others.

Probability: Each person tells others at random.

Cluster: Some people tells something to a select few.

Grapevine cont…

• Effective use of grapevine • Not ignore information received through the grapevine.• Use this channel to supplement the formal channel.• Identify but not threaten the main sources of

information.• Try to understand the human relationships involved in

grapevine. • MBWA – Management by walking around adopted by

Walt Disney’s Chairman Michael Eisner for improving the performance.

Merits and Demerits of Grapevine communication

• Merits Demerits• Quick, interesting, Damaging at

times• Resolution without Not authentic• conflict Not reliable• Self – motivating Irresponsible • A gateway to Thrives on opinion• Anxieties, anger not facts• Mirror of reality Colours the facts

Visual Aids In Technical Communication

• Visual aids complement verbal communication.

• Concepts: Depicts conceptual things using boxes and circles

connected with lines.

• Objects: Photographs, drawings, diagrams, and schematics are the

types of graphics that show objects.

• Numbers: Used for presenting data and statistics in the form of bar

charts, pie charts, or line graphs.

• Words: Graphics are also used to depict words like when, why and

how.

Types of Visual aids• Tables: Systematic arrangement of numbers, words, or

phrases in row an columns, used to depict original

numerical data as well as deserved statistics.

• Graphs:

Axis Labels: in bar graphs and line graphs indicate the

categories and values, respectively, represented by the x

and y axis.

Legend: Bar graphs, and pie graphs often use special

colour, shading or line style.

Types of Visual Aids cont…. Graph title: a numbered title.

Cross-reference: Brief explanation of what is going on in

the graphic, how to interpret it, what its basic trends are

and so on.

Documentation: Source of any information that is

borrowed in order to create a graphic must be cited along

with the graphic. The standard format should be used to

indicate the source.

Graph title: a numbered title.

Cross-reference: Brief explanation of what is going

on in the graphic, how to interpret it, what its

basic trends are and so on.

Documentation: Source of any information that is

borrowed in order to create a graphic must be

cited along with the graphic.

Pictograms/pictorial graphs: similar to bar

graphs, with figures or small pictures plotted

instead of bars.

Area graphs: show how something changes over

time. The x axis represents the time period and

the y axis represents the variable being measured.

Charts

• Organizational charts: used to illustrate the

various positions or functions of an organization. It

is also used to depict instructions given to

subordinates or for different decisions.

• Flow Charts: present sequence of activities from

start to finish. Used to illustrate processes,

procedures and relationships.

Drawings and Diagrams

Used to depict the objects, processes, circuits etc that

are being described & to show the normal,

sectional, or cut-away view of an object.

Photographs: used in feasibility, recommendation

and evaluation reports.

Maps: represent spatial relationships on plsnr

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