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Business Communication Skills

Bindu M.N.

Sr. Lecturer.,

E & C Department

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Business Communication SkillsObjectives:

By the end of this module you will be able to:•Gain functional understanding of basic English grammar

•Practice language skills to eliminate errors in pronunciation and sentence construction

•Understand and enhance interpersonal communication process

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Subject verb agreementACTIVITY:

1. The dog growls when he is angry. The dogs growl when they are angry.

2. Don't get confused by the words that come between the subject and verb; they do not affect agreement.

Example: The dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is usually very good.

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3. Prepositional phrases between the subject and verb usually do not affect agreement.

Example:The colors of the rainbow are beautiful.

4. When sentences start with "there" or "here," the subject will always be placed after the verb, so care needs to be taken to identify it correctly.

Example: There is a problem with the balance sheet. Here are the papers you requested.

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5. Subjects don't always come before verbs in questions. Make sure you accurately identify the subject before deciding on the proper verb form to use.

Example: Does Lefty usually eat grass? Where are the pieces of this puzzle?.

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6. If two subjects are joined by and, they typically require a plural verb form.

Example: The cow and the pig are jumping over the moon.

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7. The verb is singular if the two subjects separated by and refer to the same person or thing.

Example: Red beans and rice is my mom's favorite dish.

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8. If the words each, every, or no come before the subject, the verb is singular.

Example: No smoking and drinking is allowed. Every man and woman is required to check in.

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9. If the subjects are both singular and are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also the verb is singular.

Example: Jessica or Christian is to blame for the accident.

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10. The only time when the object of the preposition factors into the decision of plural or singular verb forms is when noun and pronoun subjects like some, half, none, more, all, etc. are followed by a prepositional phrase. In these sentences, the object of the preposition determines the form of the verb.

Example: All of the chicken is gone. All of the

chickens are gone.

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11. The singular verb form is usually used for units of measurement.

Example: Four quarts of oil was required to get the car running.

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12. If the subjects are both plural and are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, the verb is plural.

Example: Dogs and cats are both available at the pound.

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13. If one subject is singular and one plural and the words are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, you use the verb form of the subject that is nearest the verb.

Example: Do your sisters or your girlfriend want any pizza?

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14. Indefinite pronouns typically take singular verbs.

Example: Everybody wants to be loved.

15. * Except for the pronouns (few, many, several, both) that always take the plural form.

Example: Few were left alive after the flood.

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16. If two infinitives are separated by and they take the plural form of the verb.

Example: To walk and to chew gum require great skill.

17. When gerunds are used as the subject of a sentence they take the singular verb form of the verb, but when they are linked by and they take the plural form.

Example: Standing in the water was a bad idea. Swimming in the ocean and playing drums are my hobbies.

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18. Collective nouns like herd, senate, class, crowd, etc. usually take a singular verb form.

Example: The herd is stampeding.

19. Titles of books, movies, novels, etc. are treated as singular and take a singular verb.

Example: The Burbs is a movie starring Tom Hanks.

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20. Final Rule - Remember, only the subject affects the verb!

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Activity:Select the correct option:1. Everybody has/have done his homework.

2. Somebody has/have left her purse.

3. The mayor as well as his brothers is/are going to prison.

4. Either my father or my brothers is/are going to sell the house.

5. Neither my colleagues nor my boss was/were present for the meeting.

6. The news from the front is/are bad.

7. My scissors is/are missing.

8. Your brown trousers is/are missing.

9. The average worker’s earnings has/have gone up dramatically.

10. The jury has/have come to the consensus.

11. One of my friends is/are getting married tomorrow.

12. The majority of the population is/are against the mid-term elections.

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/sv_agr.htm

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TensesSimple Present • You speak English • Do you speak English?

• Cats like milk.• Birds do not like milk

• The train leaves today at 9 pm.• The party starts at 8 o’clock.

• I am here now.

• He has his passport in his hand.

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Present perfect.• Man has walked on the moon• You have grown since the last time I saw you

• Have you been to Mexico in the last year?• They have had three tests in the last week

• I have had cold since the last week• Mary has loved chocolates since she was a little girl

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Present Progressive• You are watching TV.• They are reading their books.

Longer actions in progress:• I am studying to become an engineer.• I am not reading any books right now.

• I am going to meet some friends this evening.• I am not going to the party tonight.

• She is always coming to class late.• He is always complaining.

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Present perfect progressive:

• You have been waiting here for two hours• What have you been doing for the last thirty

minutes?

• She has been watching too much television lately.

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Past simple:• You called Debbie.• You did not call Debbie.

• I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.

• He arrived at the airport at 8 am , checked into the hotel at 9 am and met the others at 10 am

• I lived in Brazil for two years• We talked on the phone for 30 minutes.

• She worked at the movie theatre after school.• I studied French when I was a child.

• She was shy as a child but now she is outgoing.• He didn’t like tomatoes before.

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Past Perfect:

• She only understood the movie because she had read the book.

• We had had that car for 10 years before it broke down.

• She had visited her Japanese relatives in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

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Past Progressive:• I was watching TV when she called. • Last night at 6 pm I was eating dinner

• I was studying while he was cooking.• I wasn’t paying attention while I was writing the letter ,

so I made several mistakes.

• I didn’t like them because they were always complaining.

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Past perfect Continuous:

• They had been talking for over an hour when Tony called.

• Jason was tired because he was jogging.

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Activity:

• When Gita (call)_____ last night, I (watch)_____ my favorite show on television.

• I (work)_____ for this company for more than thirty years, and I intend to stay here until I retire.

• Shyam (love)____ to travel. He (go)____ on a vacation every summer. Next year he plans to go to Kashmir.

• Thomas is an author. He (write)____ mystery novels and travel memoirs. He (write)____ since he was twenty-eight. Altogether, he (write)_____ seven novels, three collections of short stories and a book of poetry.

• Everyday I (wake) ______up at 6 o’clock, (eat)_____ breakfast at 7 o’clock and (leave)_____ for work at 8 o’clock. However, this morning I (get)_____ up at 6:30, (skip)____ breakfast and (leave)_____ for work late because I (forget)_____ to set my alarm.

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Phrasal verbs:

• Look up- consult a reference book (look a word up in a dictionary)

• Look for- seek (look for a missing file)

• Look forward- anticipate with pleasure (look forward to meeting someone)

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Phrasal verbs: Activity

• Call off- cancel

• Showdown- confrontation

• Breakdown- disruption, analysis

• Break up- discontinuance of a relationship, disintegration

• Get across- communication, move from one place to other

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Synonyms, Antonyms and Homonyms:

• Synonyms- words same meaning. Ex: chair and seat, go and leave, quickly and rapidly.

• Antonyms- words with opposite meanings. short and tall (height0, short and long (length)

• Homonyms- same pronunciation and spelling as another word but a different meaning. Mean (average) and mean (nasty).

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Activity:• The ____ in Bangalore is pleasant throughout the year. (weather/whether)

• ___ are many possible answers to this question. (their/they/there)

• ___ going to help me repair my bike? (who’s/whose)

• It is difficult to___ failure and rejection. (accept/except/expect)

• ___ is acute puppy. What’s ___ name? (Its/it’s)

• I like cold winter rather ___ hot summer months. (than/then)

• The class rooms in the college are never ___(quiet/quite)

• I kept a daily ____ during those years when I worked at the ___farm (dairy/diary).

• In the ___ heat, the team of scientists did an ___study on the ___crop damage. (extensive/intensive/intense)

• The school ___expressed that today’s youth lacked moral ___ (principle/principal).

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Make sentences to bring out the meaning:

• Affect/ Effect

• Alternate/ alternative

• Adapt/ Adopt

• Beside/besides

• Considerate/ Considerable

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Correct the errors:

1. That is a suggestion we fully agree.

2. He came and asked the project file.

3. Finally they arrived a decision.

4. You’ll have to bear his temper.

5. Riots have broken again.

6. Sam was really nervous to propose to sarah.

7. Many customers were discussing about the problem.

8. The value of dollar is falling down.

9. She married with her former boss.

10. The ambulance reached to the site of the accident.

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Combining sentences:

• Tiger Woods is the name of a young American golfer

• He set a record in the 1997 master’s tournament.

• He surprised all the veterans.• He was 22 at the time.______________________________________• Shashi Tharoor is the award winning author of

nine books.• Riot is a classic novel written by him.• Shashi Tharoor is a peace-keeper, refugee

worker, human rights activist.

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• John F. Kennedy was inaugurated into office in January of 1961.

• He was assassinated in November of 1963.

• He spent only 1000 days in office.

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Matching game.

• As cool as a cucumber nervous

• Rain cats and dogs believe in something very strongly

• One’s cup of tea calm or relaxed

• An arm and a leg rain heavily

• The world is your oyster thing or activity that you like

• Have butterflies in your stomach Very expensive

• Hold firm life is full of opportunity

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Some more idioms……

• Bitter pill to swallow• Climb the corporate ladder• Crunch time• Generate lots of buzz• Jump through hoops

http://www.eslmania.com/students/idioms/Business_idioms.htm

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Indianisms in English:

• I am liking it very much. I like it very much. • She performs many charities. She gives

away a lot in charity. • Let us discuss about this. Let us discuss

this. • They did it, no? They did it, didn’t they? • He is here, isn’t it? He is here, isn’t he? • She closed the door, did she? She closed

the door, didn’t she?

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Some more fun……

• What is your good name? What is your name?

• My father is in the teaching line. My father is in the teaching profession.

• I am liking it very much. I like it very much.• Let us discuss about this. Let us discuss

this.• I only told her to do that. I told her to do that.• He is doing the work slowly slowly. He is

doing the work very slowly.

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Frequently mispronounced words

• HR

• Available

• Necessary/necessity

• Competition/competitor

• Economy/economic/economical

• Make a list of 20 words that are mispronounced.

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Training Activities• Book review-250 words

• Movie review- Brief summary, 3 specific learnings from the movie, identify your favorite character and explain why, favorite quote or dialogue from the movie, 5 new expressions / words you learnt from the movie.

• The pursuit of happiness, The devil wears Prada, Erin Brockovich, Jerry Maguire, Facing the Giants, Men of Honor, Coach Carter, Miracle, Remember the Titans, Appolo 13

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Describe your favorite person mentioning 3 specific qualities you admire about him/her and how he/she has influenced your life. (in Word Document)

Roleplays: Call Pizza house, call friend and his brother to dinner. Describe restaurant you will be taking them to for dinner.

Skits: Restaurant, Shopping, Movie theatre, Medical

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The Art of Communication

Our ability to communicate has a direct bearing on our relationships- personal and professional. It affects the level of respect or support we receive from others and dictates our ability to have our ideas and feelings accepted. How well we share our ideas and information in turn determines how well we solve problems, make decisions and resolve conflicts.

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Self-Assessment:

1. When I meet someone I introduce myself with a smile and offer a handshake.

2. I make an effort to remember and use peoples’ names.

3. I frequently use courtesy words like “Please, “Thank-you”, I’m sorry” etc.

4. I make eye contact to give the impression that I am interested and engaged in the conversation.

5. When I’m listening to someone, I often lean slightly forward and face my body towards the speaker.

6. When someone talks about an unfortunate event I show sensitivity.

7. I express a negative opinion or comment in a tactful way.

8. When I disagree with someone, I do not quickly point out he/she is wrong.

9. When I receive unfavorable feedback, I do not get angry and defensive.

10. To end a conversation, I wrap up with a closing statement.

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The Communication Process:

Message

Response

FiltersBarriers

Sender Receiver

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Barriers- Physical, Perceptual, Emotional,

Cultural and Psychological.

Environmental, the way people think, feel and behave. Most important barrier- lack of attention on receivers part.

Verbal, nonverbal, Para verbal.

Verbal-message

Nonverbal-body language

Para verbal- tone, pacing, volume.

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Discussion

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We have such a tendency to rush in to fix things up with good advice but we often fail to take the time to diagnose, to really, deeply understand the problem first.

If I were to summarize in one sentence the single principle I have learned in the field of interpersonal relation, it would be this: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. This principle is the key to effective interpersonal communication.

- Stephen Covey

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Empathy involves being able to see a situation from the other person’s point of view. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to agree with it – in fact, you might totally disagree and still be able to empathize.

Empathy brings us closer to people; it helps us to communicate in a way that will decrease resistance or defensiveness and help others listen more readily to what we have to say.

- Kris Cole.

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Communication goof up

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Communication goof up

Tomorrow morning there will be a total eclipse of the sun at nine 0;clock. This is something we cannot see everyday. So let all employees line up outside, in their best clothes to watch it. To mark the occasion of this rare occurrence, I will personally explain the phenomenon to them. If it is raining we will not be able to see it very well and in that case the employees should assemble in the canteen.

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Effective listeningListening is 50% of business hours.

Listen differences between HEARING and LISTENING.

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“Listening is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well.”

John Marshall.

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Some keys to listening well1. Give 100% attention.

2. Put the other person at ease.

3. Show the other person that you want to hear them.

4. Empathize.

5. Be patient.

6. Watch your own emotions.

7. Be very slow to disagree.

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Activity:

SPEAKERS-LISTENERS

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Non Verbal Communication

1. Eye Contact: Conveys interest, concern, warmth and credibility.

2. Facial Expressions: Smile. Conveys friendliness, warmth, and being approachable

3. Gestures: Lively and interesting .Don’t be boring and stiff.

4. Posture and Body Orientation: Leaning forward and standing erect communicates interest. Back turned or looking at floor or ceiling communicates disinterest.

5. Proximity: Don’t intrude into other persons space.6. Vocal: Tone , pitch, rhythm, loudness, and inflection.

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How to handle people• The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.

• Show respect for the other person’s opinion. Never say you’re wrong.

• If you are wrong admit it quickly and emphatically.

• Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.

• Be sympathetic with other person’s ideas and desires.

• Don’t criticize condemn or complain.

• Give honest and sincere appreciation.

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Activity

• Project, through body language, lack of interest, lack of confidence, lack of enthusiasm, stage fear, disgust, anger, etc.

• Audience will have to identify these emotions.

• DISCUSSIONS.