University of Djelfa Level: Master 2

Department of Foreign Languages Lecturer: Dr. A. Ahmed Kadi

Module: Communicational Practices

Lecture 01: Communication

Communication (from Latin "communis", meaning to share) is the activity of conveying information
through the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, visuals, signals, writing, or
behavior. Communication requires a sender, a message, and a recipient, although the receiver needs
not to be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus
communication can occur across vast distances in time and space. Communication requires that the
communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality. The communication process is
complete once the receiver has understood the message of the sender.

Human Communication

Human spoken and pictorial languages can be described as a system of symbols (sometimes known as
lexemes) and the grammars (rules) by which the symbols are manipulated. The word "language" also
refers to common properties of languages. Language learning normally occurs most intensively during
human childhood. Most of the thousands of human languages use patterns of sound or gesture for
symbols which enable communication with others around them. Languages seem to share certain
properties although many of these include exceptions. There is no defined line between a language and
a dialect. Communication is the flow or exchange of information within people or group of people.

A variety of verbal and non-verbal means of communicating exists such as body language, eye contact,
sign language, haptic communication, and media such as pictures, graphics, sound, and writing.

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Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also defines the communication to include the
display of text, Braille, tactile communication, large print, accessible multimedia, as well as written and
plain language, human-reader, augmentative and alternative modes, means and formats of
communication, including accessible information and communication technology.

Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication describes the process of conveying meaning in the form of non-word
messages. Research shows that the majority of our communication is non verbal, also known as body
language. In fact, 63-93% of communication is non-verbal. Some of non verbal communication includes
chronemics, haptics, gesture, body language or posture; facial expression and eye contact, object
communication such as clothing, hairstyles, architecture, symbols infographics, and tone of voice as well
as through an aggregate of the above.

Speech also contains nonverbal elements known as paralanguage. These include voice quality, emotion
and speaking style as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation and stress. Likewise, written
texts include nonverbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words and the use
of emoticons to convey emotional expressions in pictorial form.

Visual Communication

Visual communication is the conveyance of ideas and information through creating visual
representations. Primarily associated with two-dimensional images, it includes: signs, typography,
drawing, graphic design, illustration, colours, and electronic resources, video and TV. Recent research
in the field has focused on web design and graphically oriented usability. Graphic designers use
methods of visual communication in their professional practice.

Oral Communication

Oral communication, while primarily referring to spoken verbal communication, typically relies on
words, visual aids and non-verbal elements to support the conveyance of the meaning. Oral
communication includes discussion, speeches, presentations, interpersonal communication and many
other varieties. In face-to-face communication, the body language and voice tonality play a significant
role and may have a greater impact on the listener than the intended content of the spoken words.
Visual aid can help to facilitate effective communication and is almost always used in presentations for
an audience.

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A widely cited and widely misinterpreted figure used to emphasize the importance of delivery states
that “communication comprises 55% body language, 38% tone of voice, 7% content of words”, the so-
called “7%-38%-55% rule”. When conveying emotion, if body language, tone of voice, and words
disagree, then body language and tone of voice will be believed more than words. For example, a person
saying “I’m delighted to meet you” while mumbling, hunched over, and looking away will be interpreted
as insincere. (Further discussion at Albert Mehrabian: Three elements of communication.)

Written Communication and its Historical Development

Over time the forms of and ideas about communication have evolved through progression of
technology. Advances include communication’s psychology and media psychology; an emerging field
of study. Researchers divide the progression of written communication into three revolutionary stages
called “Information Communication Revolutions”.

During the 1st stage written communication first emerged through the use of pictographs. The
pictograms were made in stone.

During the 2nd stage writing began to appear on paper, papyrus, clay, wax, etc. Common alphabets were
introduced and allowed for the uniformity of language across large distances. A leap in technology
occurred when the Gutenberg printing-press was invented in the 15th century.

The 3rd stage is characterised by the transfer of information through controlled waves and electronic
signals.

Communication is thus a process by which meaning is assigned and conveyed in an attempt to create
shared understanding. This process, which requires a vast repertoire of skills in interpersonal
processing, observing, questioning, analyzing, and evaluating enables collaboration and cooperation.

Nonhuman Communication

Every information exchange between living organisms — i.e. transmission of signals that involve a
living sender and receiver can be considered a form of communication; and even primitive creatures
such as corals are competent to communicate. Nonhuman communication also includes chemical
transmissions between primitive organisms like bacteria and within the plant and fungal kingdoms.

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Animal Communication

The broad field of animal communication encompasses most of the issues in ethology. Animal
communication can be defined as any behavior of one animal that affects the current or future behavior
of another animal. The study of animal communication, called zoosemiotics’ (distinguishable from
anthroposemiotics, the study of human communication).

Plants and Fungi (phapondi)

Communication is observed within the plant organism, i.e. within plant cells and between plant cells,
between plants of the same or related species, and between plants and non-plant organisms, especially
in the root zone. Plant roots communicate in parallel with rhizome bacteria, with fungi and with insects
in the soil.

Communication as an academic discipline, sometimes called “communicology,” relates to all the ways
we communicate, so it embraces a large body of study and knowledge. The communication discipline
includes both verbal and nonverbal messages. A body of scholarship all about communication is
presented and explained in textbooks, electronic publications, and academic journals. In the journals,
researchers report the results of studies that are the basis for an ever-expanding understanding of how
we all communicate.

End of Lecture One!

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 University of Djelfa Level: Master 2
Department of Foreign Languages Lecturer: Dr. A. Ahmed Kadi
Module : Communicational Practices

Lecture 02 : Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

Information and communications technology (ICT) refers to all the technology used to handle
telecommunications, broadcast media, intelligent building management systems, audiovisual
processing and transmission systems, and network-based control and monitoring functions. Although
ICT is often considered an extended synonym for information technology (IT), its scope is broader.

Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to store, retrieve, transmit, and manipulate data,
or information, often in the context of a business or other enterprise. IT system is generally an
information system, a communications system or, more specifically speaking, a computer system –
including all hardware, software and peripheral equipment – operated by a limited group of users. The
term is commonly used as a synonym for computers and computer networks, but it also encompasses
other information distribution technologies such as television and telephones. IT is considered to be a
subset of information and communications technology (ICT).

ICT encompasses both the internet-enabled sphere as well as the mobile one powered by wireless
networks. It also includes antiquated technologies, such as landline telephones, radio and television
broadcast – all of which are still widely used today alongside cutting-edge ICT pieces such as artificial
intelligence and robotics. The list of ICT components is exhaustive, and it continues to grow. Some
components, such as computers and telephones, have existed for decades but smartphones, digital TVs
and robots, are more recent entries.

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Components of ICT
 Cloud computing – The term is generally used to describe data centers available to many users
over the Internet. Large clouds, predominant today, often have functions distributed over
multiple locations from central servers. Clouds may be limited to a single organization
(enterprise clouds), be available to many organizations (public cloud) or a combination of both
(hybrid cloud).
 Software is a set of instructions, data or programs used to operate computers and execute
specific tasks. Opposite of hardware, which describes the physical aspects of a computer,
software is a generic term used to refer to applications, scripts and programs that run on a
device. Software can be thought of as the variable part of a computer and hardware the
invariable part. Software is often divided into application software, or user downloaded
programs that fulfil a want or need, and system software, which includes operating systems and
any program that supports application software.
 Hardware in the context of technology, refers to the physical elements that make up a computer
or electronic system and everything else involved that is physically tangible. This includes the
monitor, hard drive, memory .Hardware works hand-in-hand with firmware and software to
make a computer function. Hardware is only one part of a computer system; there is also
firmware, which is embedded into the hardware and directly controls it.
 Digital Transactions can be broadly defined as online or automated transactions that take place
between people and organizations—without the use of paper. Digital transactions save time and
money, resulting in a better bottom line. Customer experiences are also enhanced (think of the
convenience of eSigning versus having to print a contract, sign it, and then return it by mail or
fax). And digital transactions improve tracking capabilities—which helps reduce errors.
 Digital Data is data that represents other forms of data using specific machine language systems
that can be interpreted by various technologies. The most fundamental of these systems is a
binary system, which simply stores complex audio, video or text information in a series of binary
characters, traditionally ones and zeros, or «on» and «off» values.
 Internet access is the process of connecting to the internet using personal computers, laptops
or mobile devices by users or enterprises. Internet access is subject to data signalling rates and
users could be connected at different internet speeds. Internet access enables individuals or
organizations to avail internet services/web-based services. In a relatively short time, internet
access technologies changed, providing faster and more reliable options. Currently, broadband
technologies such as cable internet and ADSL are the most widely used methods for internet
access. The speed, cost, reliability and availability of internet access depends on the region,

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 internet service provider and type of connection. There are many different ways to obtain
internet access, including Wireless connection, Mobile connection, Hotspots.
However, ICT commonly means more than its list of components, though. It also encompasses the
application of all those various components.

End of Lecture Two!

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 University of Djelfa Level: Master 2
Department of Foreign Languages Lecturer: Dr. A. Ahmed Kadi
Module: Communicational Practices

Lecture 03: ICTs and Communication

The Role of Technology in The Evolution Of Communication

For as long as humans have been on this planet, we’ve invented forms of communication—from smoke
signals and messenger pigeons to the telephone and email—that have constantly evolved how we
interact with each other.

One of the biggest developments in communication came in 1831 when the electric telegraph was
invented. While post existed as a form of communication before this date, it was electrical engineering
in the 19th century which had a revolutionary impact.

Now, digital methods have superseded almost all other forms of communication, especially in business.

The Telephone

In 1849, the telephone was invented and within 50 years it was an essential item for homes and offices,
but tethering impacted the flexibility and privacy of the device. Then, came the mobile phone. Early
smartphones were primarily aimed towards the enterprise market, bridging the gap between
telephones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), but they were bulky and had short battery lives. By
1996, the majority of Android phones were touchscreen-only.

The Internet
Since the mid-1990s, the Internet has had a revolutionary impact on communication, including the rise
of near-instant communication by electronic mail, instant messaging, voice over Internet Protocol
(VoIP) telephone calls, two-way interactive video calls, discussion forums, blogs, and social networking.

The internet has made communication easier and faster, it allows to stay in contact with people
regardless of time and location. It’s accelerated the pace of business and widened the possibilities
within the enterprise space. It’s allowed people to find their voice and express themselves through
social media, YouTube and memes.

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Email

As a byproduct of the World Wide Web, email was introduced to the world in 1991 (although it had
been operating years before) and it has vastly changed our lives. The first users of the messaging
platform were educational systems and the military who used email to exchange information. In 2018,
there were more than 3.8 billion email users—that’s more than half the planet.

Wearable Technology
The first instance of wearable technology was a hands free mobile headset launched in 1999. It gave
businesspeople the ability to answer calls on the go, most importantly, while driving.

Ten years ago, the idea that you could make a video call from an item other than a phone would have
been “a sci-fi dream”. Now, with smart watches, audio sunglasses, and other emerging wearable
technology, these capabilities are a part of our daily lives.

5G
5G, the 5th generation of mobile network, promises much faster data download and upload speeds,
wider coverage, and more stable connections. These benefits will bring about significant improvements
in communication. Instantaneous communication will be possible and those patchy frustrating video
calls will be a thing of the past.

The average 4G transmission speed currently available for our smartphones is around the 21 Mbps
mark. 5G will be 100 to 1000 times faster. The Consumer Technology Association notes that at this
speed, you could download a two-hour movie in just 3.6 seconds, versus 6 minutes on 4G or 26 hours
on 3G. The impact of 5G will go far beyond our smartphones as it will allow millions of devices to be
connected simultaneously.

The Importance of Technology in Communication

Technology has made communication much easier in several ways. Whether you have a video chat with
a family member or attend online conferences for your work, you find that technology has improved
how people communicate in several ways. Not only can you share information quickly and reduce the
impact of language differences and distance, but you can save time and money using technology to
communicate and reach as wide an audience as you need. At the same time, it helps to understand some
potential pitfalls that technology and communication have brought so that you can communicate most
effectively.

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Easier Sharing of Information

The most significant way that technology has helped communication involves how people can now
communicate live no matter where they go. Not only can you call someone on the phone for a regular
voice chat, but you can take advantage of live video chat apps and conferencing software that can handle
meetings with your personal contacts, business colleagues or peers from school. With these tools, you
can also share documents and other media items during your conversation.

Faster and Reliable Communication

Thanks to technology, you no longer have to rely on sending physical letters and then waiting several
days and perhaps having your message lost in the mail. Instead, you have tools for audio and video calls
for immediate communication. When real-time communication isn't necessary or possible, you still
have text messaging and email where you can leave messages any time of the day and get a response
quickly and reliably. Even better, those electronic messages usually don't get lost, and you can quickly
resend them if they do.

Communication to a Wider Audience

When you take advantage of technology, you can communicate with as wide an audience as you need
to without traveling to meet them physically. Rather than giving a presentation to only the colleagues
in your office, you can set up a virtual conference where staff around the world can watch and interact
in real time. You can also communicate your message to a large audience by posting to social media and
blogging websites or set up a website for yourself, your hobby or your business.

Higher Productivity and Lower Costs

Technology and communication bring about benefits when it comes to saving time and money while
sharing information or getting together. Rather than paying for a plane ticket and other travel costs to
visit a faraway contact to talk, you can use voice, text or video communication for little to no cost and
no travel time needed. Businesses have more productive teams when they use technology to
communicate around the office without needing to go around from room to room or desk to desk.

Reduced Language Barriers

Another area where technology and communication have led to improvement includes tools that reduce
language barriers through translation. The popular communication app Skype can now translate text
and voice conversations in real-time in many languages. This provides the opportunity to interact with

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friends, family and business contacts even if you do not both speak English and opens up the potential
for language learning.

Potential Technology and Communication Downsides

While technology and communication together bring benefits, they can also bring about problems such
as:

✓ More distractions: With the rise of people communicating through their phones and computers,
it has become easier to be distracted rather than focusing on the communication happening. This
might mean browsing the web or using apps while having a video or phone conversation or being
distracted by devices when you have in-person communication.

✓ Potential for misunderstanding: Text communication through email, text messaging and chat
apps can lead to arguments and confusion when one person misinterprets another's words. This
can happen due to typos, language barriers and assumptions about the other person's intent. For
example, your friend might take a comment meant as a joke or sarcasm the wrong way unless
you use some visuals like an emoji or state your intended meaning. Translation tools can also
cause the meaning to become confusing due to mistakes with the tool or use of informal language
that the tool cannot translate correctly.

✓ Less personal interaction: While technology has made communication easier, some people still
prefer face-to-face communication because it brings about stronger connections and allows for
interpretation of body language. Video chats can help make communication with technology
more personal and less isolating, but it still does not perfectly match the face-to-face experience.

End of Lecture Three!

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 University of Djelfa Level: Master 2
Department of Foreign Languages Lecturer: Dr. A. Ahmed Kadi
Module: Communicational Practices

Lecture 04: Training for Effective Communication

Communication Training
Communication training provides necessary skills for individuals to be effective in business. Effective
communication is vital for the success of personal interactions and for organizational communication.
Communication skills are particular to various situations. It is thus imperative to undergo
communication training to develop and improve communication skills related to various roles in
organizations. Communications training must balance both theoretical, and practical skills required for
good communication.

Types of Sub-Skills Required for Development

 Listening skills
 Influence Skills
 Responding to conflict
 Customer Servce
 Assertiveness Skill
 Negotiation
 Facilitation
 Report Writing : business and technical writing
 Public Speaking, effective presentation
 Speaking Skills

Benefits

 Business communication training: It is possible for developing the skills needed for business
networking and enhance their communication skills. It helps in communicating the apt message
to the appropriate person at the most right time and to effectively manage and develop assertive
skills. It enables candidates to manage competently, maintain long-term relationships, form new
alliances, meet new people and establish contact with them and develop relationship with them

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  Corporate communication training: It is useful for corporate events and help in dealing with
other corporate participants, besides being helpful for routine dealings.
 Executive communication training: It focuses on how to conduct meetings by helping to
develop facilitation skills and through exceptional executive communication coaching,
candidates learn how to open, manage, as well as end meetings.
 Crisis communication training: It enables candidates to communicate while dealing with the
various difficulties and emergencies that can arise including conflict management and change
management. With training, candidates will be fit to come up with beneficial solutions for solving
the crisis or conflict or make change/transition easier.
 Public speaking training: It is very useful to make presentations, for developing their verbal
communication skills so that it is possible to express their facts publicly with great confidence.
This is useful for even sales and marketing personnel who need to express things in the best
possible way.

After undergoing communication training, candidates can evolve communication strategy that
integrates with business plans and achieve effective workplace communication, enhance productivity,
relate to others more efficiently, improve customer service, deal with difficult customer situations
satisfactorily, make changes effectively and efficiently, unite employees and motivate them to achieve
goals, build successful performance-oriented team and effectively make and communicate performance
assessment of employees.

Effective Training

In order to maximize the benefits of instruction, some key points such as identifying your audience, and
up to date use of technology can be used.

Identifying your audience, in this case, the format of the organization such as family business, small
business, event, charity group, or simply meetings enables you to apply the required techniques get the
most out of your training and preparation sessions.

As technology grows, it is important to keep your preparation up-to-date by using all means necessary.
The Internet, computers as well as E-learning provide new insights to effective training and can be
adapted to fit different needs for different companies.

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It is also very important to get constant feedback from the members as well as having assessment
strategies to ensure that the training that is being provided is useful and productive to not waste time
and resources.

Communication Skills Training CST

Various types and forms of the Group Communication Skills Training are used all over the world for
those who are trying to improve their communication (social, interpersonal, negotiating etc.) skills.
Thousands of books and articles devoted to these topics are published every year. The training scheme
based on the holistic Social Pedagogical Concept developed by the Prussian educational thinker
Friedrich Diesterweg in the middle of the 19th century and on the Technology of Instruction Theory
created by the Russian psychologist Piotr Galperin in the middle of the 20th century and developed by
their followers is widely spread in Europe and used by social workers and psychologists for children
and for adults to improve their communication skills.

Process and structure of CST

The standard sequence of Group CST consists of four phases:

 “Warming-up” the group to the working level and implementing group norms and standards;
 Objectifying and creating conditions in which the person becomes more sensitive to the opinions
and actions of referent group members who facilitate the change to new and more reflexive
behaviors;
 Implementing and learning new social behavioral techniques;

 Participating in role-playing games, group discussions and public presentations that

demonstrate and enforce the positive effects of the change and the training.

Methods, means and techniques of CST

The basic means of Group CST are conducting role-playing games, discussions and exercises in groups
of two and three. Each participant makes his or her own analysis of the group member’s behavior and
provides feedback to the others.

Both verbal reactions and the playback of video or audio records of nonverbal reactions (e.g. motions,
gestures, poses, mimics, and eye contact, voice and speech patterns) are used as the means of feedback.
Such techniques are utilized for the following applications:

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 Establishing personal contact,
 Active listening,
 Reducing emotional tensions with the partner,
 Defending one’s opinion, position, or point of view,
 Discussing organization and administration,
 Public presentations.

End of Lecture Four!