STUDY MATERIAL

FOR
NEW JOINEES OF UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES
OF
ALL DOMAINS
OF
AMITY UNIVERSITY UTTAR PRADESH
NOIDA, LUCKNOW AND GREATER NOIDA CAMPUSES

COMMON SUBJECT: ENGLISH COMMUNICATION (UG)

OF
PROFICIENCY TEST 2021
ACADEMIC SESSION 2021-2022

Note: -
1. This Common Subject ENGLISH COMMUNICATION (UG) of Proficiency Test is applicable for all New Joinees of
Undergraduate Programmes of all Domains.
2. Details of Proficiency Test can be seen at Registration and Orientation Information Page, that is available on
your Amizone under “Orientation” tab.
3. The details of text books/study material needed for preparation will be available on Student Amizone Accounts
under link “Student Document -> Document Downloads -> Pre-Reads”.
 English Communication

“How well we communicate is determined not by how well we say things, but how well we are understood.”
-Andrew Grove.

What is communication?

Communication is a process of sharing information, which is both dynamic and interactive, and results in
an exchange of meaning and understanding.

Importance of Communication

• Getting jobs you want

• Relating positively to others

• Being productive on the job

• Gaining promotions

• Providing leadership

• Assuring the success of your organization

Types of Communication:

 Verbal/Non-verbal: Verbal pertaining to the usage of words

 Internal/External
 Vertical/Horizontal/Diagonal
 Formal/informal
 Interpersonal/Intrapersonal

 Verbal/Non-verbal: Verbal communication pertains to the usage of words, whether written or

spoken whereas non-verbal communication happens without the use of words, for example
gestures, posture, facial expressions, tone, eye contact, etc.
  Internal/External: Internal communication takes place within the organization whereas external
communication takes place between two or more different organisations or entities.

 Vertical/Horizontal/Diagonal: Vertical communication flows from seniors to juniors and vice-

versa, Horizontal communication is among colleagues or people in the same hierarchical position,
diagonal communication flows in all the directions.
 Formal/informal: Formal communication is planned. Work-related, and important for effective
operation of the business whereas informal communication is both work related and personal,
unplanned, flows in all the directions, maintains positive human relationships, for example,
Grapevine (rumours), gossip, chat etc.
 Interpersonal/Intrapersonal: Interpersonal communication is with other people whereas
intrapersonal communication is with yourself.

Process of Communication

Ideation- The first step in communication process and the basis of the message to be communicated.

Encoding: To put the idea into words or symbols.

Transmission: The transmission of message with an appropriate channel and media.

Decoding: Translation of symbols encoded by the sender into ideas for understanding.
Feedback: The key element which completes the communication process.

Barriers to effective Communication:

• Physical Barrier: Like noise, time, distance etc

• Socio-psychological Barrier: status, attitudes, perception, distortion, past experience, bad listening
etc.

• Cultural Barrier: stereotyping, ethnocentrism, xenophobia

• Language Barrier: Poor grammar, poor vocabulary, lack of common language, spelling mistakes,
multiplicity of meanings etc

• Organisational Barrier: Hierarchy, Communication load, workforce specialisation, wrong choice

of medium

Listening or Hearing

Hearing is an accidental and automatic brain response to sound that requires no effort. We are surrounded by
sounds most of the time. For example, we are accustomed to the sounds of airplanes, lawn mowers, furnace
blowers, the rattling of pots and pans, and so on. We hear those incidental sounds and, unless we have a reason
to do otherwise, we train ourselves to ignore them. We learn to filter out sounds that mean little to us, just as we
choose to hear our ringing cell phones and other sounds that are more important to us.

Listening, on the other hand, is purposeful and focused rather than accidental. As a result, it requires
motivation and effort. Listening, at its best, is active, focused, concentrated attention for the purpose of
understanding the meanings expressed by a speaker. We do not always listen at our best, however, and later
in this chapter we will examine some of the reasons why and some strategies for becoming more active
critical listeners.

The listening process

The listening process involves four stages: receiving, understanding, evaluating, and responding.
Basically, an effective listener must hear and identify the speech sounds directed toward them, understand
the message of those sounds, critically evaluate or assess that message, remember what’s been said, and
respond (either verbally or nonverbally) to information they’ve received.
Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication, also called manual language, is the process of sending and
receiving messages without using words, either spoken or written. Similar to the way that
italicizing emphasizes written language, nonverbal behavior may emphasize parts of a
verbal message.

The term nonverbal communication was introduced in 1956 by psychiatrist Jurgen Ruesch
and author Weldon Kees in the book "Nonverbal Communication: Notes on the Visual
Perception of Human Relations."

Nonverbal messages have been recognized for centuries as a critical aspect

of communication. For instance, in "The Advancement of Learning" (1605), Francis
Bacon observed that "the lineaments of the body do disclose the disposition and inclination
of the mind in general, but the motions of the countenance and parts do not only so, but do
further disclose the present humour and state of the mind and will."

Types of Nonverbal Communication

"Judee Burgoon (1994) has identified seven different nonverbal dimensions:"

1. Kinesics or body movements including facial expressions and eye contact;

2. Vocalics or paralanguage that includes volume, rate, pitch, and timbre;
3. Personal appearance;
4. Our physical environment and the artifacts or objects that compose it;
5. Proxemics or personal space;
6. Haptics or touch;
7. Chronemics or time.
"Signs or emblems include all of those gestures that supplant words, numbers, and
punctuation marks. They may vary from the monosyllabic gesture of a hitchhiker's
prominent thumb to such complex systems as the American Sign Language for the deaf
where nonverbal signals have a direct verbal translation. However, it should be emphasized
that signs and emblems are culture-specific. The thumb and forefinger gesture used to
represent 'A-Okay' in the United States assumes a derogatory and offensive interpretation
in some Latin American countries."

How Nonverbal Signals Affect Verbal Discourse

"Psychologists Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen (1969), in discussing the interdependence
that exists between nonverbal and verbal messages, identified six important ways that
nonverbal communication directly affects our verbal discourse."

"First, we can use nonverbal signals to emphasize our words. All good speakers know how
to do this with forceful gestures, changes in vocal volume or speech rate, deliberate pauses,
and so forth. ..."

"Second, our nonverbal behavior can repeat what we say. We can say yes to someone while
nodding our head ... ."

"Third, nonverbal signals can substitute for words. Often, there isn't much need to put
things in words. A simple gesture can suffice (e.g., shaking your head to say no, using the
thumbs-up sign to say 'Nice job,' etc.). ..."

"Fourth, we can use nonverbal signals to regulate speech. Called turn-taking signals, these
gestures and vocalizations make it possible for us to alternate the conversational roles of
speaking and listening ... ."
"Fifth, nonverbal messages sometimes contradict what we say. A friend tells us she had a
great time at the beach, but we're not sure because her voice is flat and her face lacks
emotion. ..."

"Finally, we can use nonverbal signals to complement the verbal content of our message...
Being upset could mean we feel angry, depressed, disappointed, or just a bit on edge.
Nonverbal signals can help to clarify the words we use and reveal the true nature of our
feelings." (Martin S. Remland, Nonverbal Communication in Everyday Life, 2nd ed.
Houghton Mifflin, 2004)

"Traditionally, experts tend to agree that nonverbal communication itself carries the impact
of a message. 'The figure most cited to support this claim is the estimate that 93 percent of
all meaning in a social situation comes from nonverbal information, while only 7 percent
comes from verbal information.' The figure is deceiving, however. It is based on two 1976
studies that compared vocal cues with facial cues. While other studies have not supported
the 93 percent, it is agreed that both children and adults rely more on nonverbal cues than
on verbal cues in interpreting the messages of others." (Roy M. Berko et
al., Communicating: A Social and Career Focus, 10th ed. Houghton Mifflin, 2007)

Nonverbal Miscommunication

"Like the rest of us, airport security screeners like to think they can read body language.
The Transportation Security Administration has spent some $1 billion training thousands
of 'behavior detection officers' to look for facial expressions and other nonverbal clues that
would identify terrorists."

"But critics say there’s no evidence that these efforts have stopped a single terrorist or
accomplished much beyond inconveniencing tens of thousands of passengers a year. The
T.S.A. seems to have fallen for a classic form of self-deception: the belief that you can read
liars’ minds by watching their bodies."
"Most people think liars give themselves away by averting their eyes or making nervous
gestures, and many law-enforcement officers have been trained to look for specific tics,
like gazing upward in a certain manner. But in scientific experiments, people do a lousy
job of spotting liars. Law-enforcement officers and other presumed experts are not
consistently better at it than ordinary people even though they’re more confident in their
abilities." (John Tierney, "At Airports, a Misplaced Faith in Body Language." The New
York Times, March 23, 2014)

Small Talk

Is the conversation about things that are not important, often between people who do not know each other
well. In spite of seeming to have little useful purpose, small talk is a bonding ritual and a strategy for
managing interpersonal distance. It serves many functions in helping to define the relationships between
friends, colleagues, and new acquaintances. In particular, it helps new acquaintances to explore and
categorize each other's social position.

Small talk is closely related to the need for people to maintain a positive face and feel approved of by those
who are listening to them. It lubricates social interactions in a very flexible way, but the desired function is
often dependent on the point in the conversation at which the small talk occurs:[8]

Conversation opener: when the speakers do not know each other, it allows them to show that they have
friendly intentions and desire some sort of positive interaction. In a business meeting, it enables people to
establish each other's reputation and level of expertise. If there is already a relationship between the two
talkers, their small talk serves as a gentle introduction before engaging in more functional topics of
conversation. It allows them to signal their own mood and to sense the mood of the other person.

At the end of a conversation: suddenly ending an exchange may risk appearing to reject the other person.
Small talk can be used to mitigate that rejection, affirm the relationship between the two people, and soften
the parting.

Space filler to avoid silence: in many cultures, silences between two people are usually considered
uncomfortable and/or awkward. Tension can be reduced by starting phatic talk until a more substantial
subject arises. Generally, humans find prolonged silence uncomfortable, and sometimes unbearable. That
can be due to human evolutionary history as a social species, as in many other social animals, silence is a
communicative sign of potential danger.
Leadership

No matter which sort of leadership is practiced, it's leadership at the inspiration of each organization that
drives the corporate. The strategic implications that organizational behaviors wear leadership, codify the
importance of leadership to business. The implications that leadership, leadership styles, and leadership
processes wear a corporation directly relate to the organizational behaviors within a corporation and the
way they assemble to determine sound leadership.

Most of the issues and solutions in every organizational moment evolved around leadership. Whether it had
been an absence of leadership or a directional change in leadership, leadership was at the core of each
situation presented within the readings. Leadership is a behavior. The way a corporation employs
leadership, controls a spread of influences that guides the company’s direction.

These leadership styles greatly impact a corporation and directly contribute to the directions and futures of
a business. Leadership styles explain the persona leaders exude in managing their people. Leadership
theorists incorporated processes into leadership to elucidate how leadership styles impact the performance
of workers within a corporation.

Leadership may be a term with a spread of definitions counting on the context that it’s been defined. One
common definition of leadership is “the behavior of a private directing the activities of a gaggle toward a
shared goal.” the subsequent paragraphs would elaborate on one major approach of studying leadership, its
strengths and weakness, and an example during which it had been utilized in a corporation. (Yukl, 2010)
Participative Leadership style Participative Leadership is that the commonest leadership style in business
settings like hospitality.

Sample questions:

Qs.1 To complete the function of the written word we require

a) Two persons are required for the communication process

b) Three persons are required for the process of communication
c) One person is required for the process of communication
d) Four person are required for the process of communication

Qs.2. In business, the purpose of writing is mainly to

a) To entertain people
b) To ensure that the people are informed and persuaded
c) To only persuade people
d) To only inform people
Qs .3. Define Elements of communication?

a) The elements of communication have Message, Sender, Encoding, Channel, Receiver, Decoding,
Acting and feedback.
b) The elements of communication could be defined in terms of formal and informal
communication
c) The elements of communication could be linear model of communication, Shannon Weaver
model of communication, The Aristotle model of communication.
d) The elements of communication also mean to inform and persuade.

Qs.4. What is “you- attitude” in business writing?

a) “You- attitude” is reader’s point of view. In business writing the authors should write according
to the reader. He should be able to see and present the situation as the reader would see it.
b) “You- attitude” is an informal tone for social and personal communication and for informal
communications. The informal tones may include slangs, colloquialisms
c) “You Attitude” is accuracy of facts and figures,follow the rules of grammar, Paying attention to
punctuation marks and check word for spelling and usage.
d) “You Attitude” is brevity which means saying only what needs to be said and leaving out
unnecessary words or details.It does not mean saying less that what occasion demands.

Qs .5. What are the essentials of good business letters?

a) The business letter includes simplicity, clarity, conciseness, standard and neutral language, you
attitude ,sincerity and tone ,Emphasis.
b) The business letter should always consider the reader,the purpose of writing and the
situation(context)
c) The business letter should include either the full block style,the semi block style and the
simplified style.
d) The business letter is always within in the organisation just like memo with emphasis on straight
forward language

Qs.6. What is a presentation.

a) A presentation is a live mode of sharing information with a select audience .It is a form of oral
communication in which person shares factual information with a particular audience.
b) A presentation is an informal communication between the speaker and audience to highlight the
personal issues in the organisation.
c) A presentation and a written report are one of the same thing in the organisation.
d) A presentation does not contains any visual aid to compare the statement of facts and figures.

Ques.7. What are the essentials required for participating in a group discussion?

a) The essentials required for participating in a group discussion includes leadership, Gd protocol,
discussion techniques and effective listening skills.
b) The essentials required for participating in a group discussion includes argumentative skill,
commanding language, autocratic leadership and dominance.
 c) The essentials required for participating in a group discussion includes mentioning your salary
expectation, your strengths, and present package.
d) The essentials required for participating in a group discussion includes debating skill where either
you oppose or support the topic.

Qs.8. What is a resume

a) A resume is a self- introduction that highlights an applicant’s strengths and experiences. It

summarizes the applicant’s education, abilities, experience, accomplishments and personal
details for the employer’s consideration.
b) A resume is an informal mode of expressing one self.
c) A resume is inclusion of your weakness.
d) A resume also tells the candidate ability to argue with others, control others and lead others.

Qs.9. Listening is a process which requires

a) It is a process which requires a speaker, a listener and a message.

b) It is a process of perception of what is being communicated.
c) It is a process of mental, semantic and physical distraction.
d) It is a process of creating a self-centeredness and forgiving delivery errors.

Qs.10. Fill in the appropriate article. My grandmother gave me …….. doll on my birthday.

a) a
b) an
c) the
d) no article