Communication Skills

1. Lecturers: Mr. I. Choto
School of Business Sciences
School of Hospitality and Tourism
Mrs. Y. Chigwedere
School of Agricultural Sciences
School of Engineering Sciences
Institute of Life Long Learning
Mr. W. Chirambaguwa
Mr. T. Mungwari

2. COURSE OUTLINE
Objectives:
By the end of the course students should be able to:
 Communicate effectively both verbally and non-verbally
 Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals and
complexities of the communication process
 Relate to the interpersonal and corporate dynamics that affect
effective communication in organizations
 Establish the effectiveness of and identify challenges
associated with computer mediated communication

3. Course Duration: 48 hours
Course Design
 Section A of the course will de done by all students.
 Section B will be done by students from the School of
Agricultural Sciences and Technology, the School of
Engineering Science and Technology and the Institute of
Lifelong Learning.
 Section C will accommodate students from the following:
School of Hospitality and Tourism and School of Business
Sciences and Management.

4. Content
Section A
1. Introduction to Communication
 The communication process
 Levels of communication
 Models of communication
 Communication barriers

5. 2. Communication in Organizations
 Corporate communication systems and
networks
 Informal communication
 Group Dynamics
 Conflict resolution vs conflict transformation

6. 3. Non-verbal Communication
 Relationship between verbal communication
and non-verbal communication
 Categories of non-verbal communication
 Non-verbal communication barriers
 Non-verbal communication and impression
management

7. 4. Conflict Management and Resolution
Strategies
 Conflict
 Approaches to conflict
 Conflict resolution
 Conflict transformation

8. 5. Computer-mediated Communication
 The internet, intranets, videoconferencing,
skype, groupware, instant messaging, e-mail
 Computer-mediated communication and
internal corporate communication benefits
and challenges

9. 6. Written Communication
 Language use, plain English
 Memos, circulars, business letters, reports,
proposals

10. 7. Oral Presentation Skills
 Approaches
 Strategies

11. Section B
 Development communication
 Technical Communication
 Visuals and graphics in technical
communication
 Language issues, technical reports and
proposals

12. Section C
 Persuasive communication and advertising
 Internal and external corporate strategies
 Visuals and graphics in business
communication
 Communication and leadership

13. ASSESSMENT
 COURSEWORK 30%
ASSIGNMENTS
PRESENTATIONS
 EXAM 70%

14. References
 Abidi, S. A. H. (1991) Communication, Information and Development. Kenya:
Masaki Publishers
 Bovee, C. H. and Thill J. V. (1977) Business Communication Today, 5th edition,
New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
 DiSouza, J. R. and Nancy, J. (2000) Business and Professional Communication.
Allyn and Bacon.
 Fielding, M. (1977) Effective Communication in Organisations. 2nd edition.
Kenywny: Juta and Co.
 Lesikar, R. V., Pettit, J. D., and Flatley, M. E. (1993) Basic Business
Communication, 6th edition, Irwin Burn Ridge.
 Little, P. (1992) Communication in Business. 3rd edition. Cincinnati: South
Western Publishers
 Mitchel, J.H. (1968) Writing for Professional and Technical Journal, John Wiley
and Sons Inc.
 McQuail, A. and Windhal, S. (1993) Communication Models for the Study of
Communication. London: Longman.
 Zimmerman, D. E. Clark, D.G. (1987) Guide to Technical and Scientific
Communication. Random House Inc.

15. What is communication?

16. Communication has to do with the search for
understanding, the search for common
meanings.
e.g. “love” if one person understands it to mean
“fight” and another “tree”, then there would
be no communication.

17. Communication is based on common meanings
of words and signs. Therefore communication
is a search for shared meanings between
individuals and groups.

18. Let us look at the word itself.
Communication seems to have derived from
words like
 “community”
 “commune”
 “common”
All the words imply some sort of
sharing, togetherness, and closeness.

19. Definitions
 McQuail (1984, p2) states that: “In normal use, the verb ‘to
communicate’ refers to an act of ‘sending’ a ‘message’ about
something to someone who is a ‘receiver.”
 Fiske (1992, p2) believes communication is: “social
interaction through messages.”
 Dimbley (1992, pxii) states: “All communication involves
the creation and exchange of meaning.”
 Carey (1992, p23) says: “Communication is a symbolic
process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired and
transformed.

20. ACTIVITY
 Select one of the definitions above and write
down what you think are its weaknesses and
strengths in creating an understanding of
communication.
 Discuss with your neighbour, never mind if
you disagree because remember that
communication is all about searching for
common grounds or shared meaning.

21.  You can see from the definitions that there is
no total agreement on what communication is
among scholars of the subject. As a student,
you should be able to come up with a working
definition of communication.

22.  Communication may be defined as the giving,
receiving, or exchanging of information, opinions or
ideas through verbal and non-verbal means, so that
the material communicated is completely understood
by everyone concerned.
 It is a two way activity between two or more people.
 More important than what we communicate is how
we communicate that is important for effective
communication to take place.

23. Why are communication skills important?

24.  For effective communication to take place.
 Good communication skills results in people being
able to communicate their thoughts and ideas
effectively, whether orally or through written format.
 The purpose of communication is to get your
message across to others. A message is only
successful when both the sender and the receiver
perceive it the same way.
 Failure of both/all to perceive it in the same way
results in a communication breakdown, creating
roadblocks that stand in your way both
professionally and personally.

25. References
 Mcquail, D. (1984) Communication. Longman: New
York.
 Fiske, J. (1992) Introduction to
Communication.Studies. London: Routeledge.
 Dimbley, R. et al. (1992) More than Words: An
introduction to Communication. London:
Routeledge.
 Carey, J. W. (1992) Communication as Culture:
Essays on Media and Society. Boston: Unwin.