COMMUNICATION

SKILLS
CLASS-I

S H U H I TA B H AT TA C H A R J E E
2 Segments: (i) SB [4 Jan-8 Feb, D Slot]
(ii) PM

Final Exam (8 Feb): Google Classrooms

(Google Classroom Code)
Class Slots
Monday (12-1)
Tuesday (9-10)
Friday (11-12)

Revised Schedule

Week 1: 4 Jan, 7 Jan

Week II: 10 Jan (Extended Class), 11 Jan, 14 Jan[Holiday]
Week III: 17 Jan (Extended Class), 18 Jan, 21 Jan (Office Hours)
Week IV: 24 Jan (Extended Class), 25 Jan, 28 Jann(Office Hours)
Week V: 31 Jan (Extended Class), 1 Feb, 4 Feb (Office Hours)
Week VI: 7 Feb (Revision, Office Hours), 8 Feb [Final Submission]
• Writing Training

(Grammar, Style, Content, Approach)

FORMAL COMMUNICATION

• Emails
• Applications
• Cover Letters
 RANK/STRUCTURE

Writing To: Writing As:

Peer Student
Senior Employee
Committee/Team Intern/Contractual Post
Supervisor/Faculty Researcher
Head of the Institution/Organization
• Mode of Address
(Dear Madam/ Dear Sir, Respected Madam/ Respected Sir
Dear Professor Sen
Dear Vineeta)

• Starting the letter/email with a one-line summary of purpose

Formal intimation of intent: polite but clear, not a command
(I am writing to let you know that / to inform you about / to request you to / to urge you
to . . . ;
I am writing on behalf of the students enrolled in the course . . . ;
I am writing with regard to/with reference to/ in connection with the office memo
circulated on . . . )

• Expand on the situation: Explain the context

(The first year undergraduate batch in the Department of _____ has been facing am issue
with library access over the past three months. The library is open between __ a.m. to __
p.m. and our classes are scheduled from . . . )
• Repeat the request/reminder with all the necessary details:
[In view of this circumstance, I would like to request you to . . . (senior)/ In light of
this situation, I would remind you to . . . (junior)]

• Be careful when rushing the recipient (Do NOT write to a senior: “Please do
the needful, please do this urgently, Please look into this as early as possible”
Do not sound curt/rude/authoritative. Do not COMMAND anyone.
“I would request you to look into this at your earliest convenience/ I would be
grateful if you could attend to this at your earliest convenience.”

• Thanking off
In case of a senior, thank them for their time
[Thank you so much for your time. I will look forward to your thoughts on the
matter . . .]

In case of a peer [Thank you very much. I will look forward to your response . . . ]
• Offer help when relevant (Please let me know if I can . . . )

• Signing off—a general guide, not a fixed rule:

Yours faithfully (if the address is to someone you do not know of—Madam or
Sir etc)
Yours sincerely (if the address is to a senior you know)
[You can add ‘Warm Regards’ before signing off]
• Content of the email: Should NOT come from a position of
ignorance/misinformation/half-baked information/negligence/carelessness.
Please INFORM yourself of the whole context and all details before making a
complaint/request/demand.

• Approach of your email:

Be polite, gracious, considerate, supportive (peer/junior)
respectful, understanding, open to suggestion (senior)

• Things to remember: the best way to accomplish your task is to

not presume to know everything about the situation
be supportive/respectful
 QUICK TIPS:
• Use formal language (It would be great if / I would be grateful if you
could)

• No abbreviations (can’t, don’t, shouldn’t / cannot, do not, should not)

• Avoid personal comments

• Give more details of time, place, date, duration, document number etc)

• No exclamation marks
Communication Skills

CLASS 2

Shuhita Bhattacharjee
How to write a proper curriculum vitae /
résumé?
 Tonality and Content

• Be professional, not personal

• Accurate details
• Relevant details
• Customize your CV for the position/advertisement
• Moderate/specified length (two sides of an A4 page)
 Segments
• Top: Name, Contact Details, Website/LinkedIn Profile (updated), Current position, City and Country
• Profile/Bionote
• Publications
• Experience (Teaching Experience, Research Experience)
• Education
• Projects/Social Sector Experience
• Awards and Honours / Skills and Achievements
• Talks / Conferences / Presentations / Exhibitions
• Professional Licenses, Certifications, and Memberships
• Education and Experience written in reverse chronology (the most
recent figuring uppermost on the list)
• Education: Degree, Institution, City (and Country), Year, Mention of
rank/accomplishment if noteworthy
• Experience: Position/Job Title, Employer, Dates, Brief description of
responsibilities/role

• Contact Details : Email Addresses, Personal Website, Phone Number

(optional), Office Number and Campus Address [Professional Address];
No need for DOB or photograph unless specifically mentioned, Home
address may or may not be relevant.

• Profile/Bionote: Brief summary of your professional trajectory,

mentioning your focus areas of expertise/experience/interest. No vague
or grand statement of future dreams. A hint of your plan for professional
thrust areas going forward; Customize; Overview; Brevity
• If it is an academic CV, list the publications first (if you
have a decent handful).

• If you have enough Experience, then this section should

precede Education

• Skills and Achievements: Talk about professional skills

relevant to the job

• No need for Interests

• No need for referees unless requisitioned

• Include a Cover Letter, Explain gaps in work history etc

• Do not exaggerate on your CV

• Keep it updated

• Do not leave gaps

• Use/Create a professional email address

• Appropriate Font and Layout

• Send as a PDF for constancy of formatting and ease of

accessing across devices

• Make it keyword-friendly (Search engines on websites can pick

it from a large pile)

• Use figures for precision and impact (The project increased

sales by 70%)
Commucication Skills
Class 2

Shuhita Bhattacharjee
 Research the Funder/Employer (Website/Current Affairs)

 What is the funder/employer looking for exactly in the

recipient’s project/recipient?
 Who are in decision-making positions (reviewers/panel)?
How to Write an  How does your project compare to the advertised research
Application? position?
(How do your skills compare to the advertised position?)
(a Grant Application?)

Follow the instructions closely.

  Begin by referring to the position to which you are writing
to apply (“I am writing to apply for the post of _______ in the
Department of _________ advertised in the Circular No.
_______ dated ______.

 Briefly introduce yourself, referring only to those

skills/degrees that are relevant to the advertised
position/grant. (I have worked for two years on a project

Writing the that deals with _________).

Application  Demonstrate that you are a good fit through this overlap
(Cover Letter) between the advertised requirements and your
experience/skills.

 Demonstrate how the larger institution/organization is a

good fit for you. (“Being housed in an IIT, this project will
allow me the opportunity to explore the different aspects of
rural waste management particularly in collaboration with
  Explain the context of your project. Assume that your grant
reviewers do not know the details. They are not specialists of
your area.

 Explain the significance of your research: WHY it is important

and the IMPACT it will have on the community(both academic
Critical and social).

Apects of  Involve the stakeholder in the design of the project.

your Grant
Application  Provide a brief outline of the work done in this area on which
you will be building.

 Show that you will be working with collaborators/partners—an

enriched team with the ability to function collaboratively is
welcomed.
  Maintain an overall structure

 Avoid clutter on the slides (Simplify and limit the number

of words on each slide)

 Keep the audience engaged: Logical transition,

Continuity, Fluidity, Relevance
Powerpoint
Presentatio  Narration is important: Do not read from the slides,
Explain the content (Keep a script, rehearse)
n
 One important point per slide, Narrate only that point (Do
not list more than you are covering)
 Your slides are ILLUSTRATIONS of your presentation, NOT
the Presentation (No paragraphs on the slides)
Interviews and Group Discussions:
Class 4

Shuhita Bhattacharjee
 Group Discussions

 Prepare substantive content (Subject Knowledge + Current Affairs), Read

over a period of time

 List your points cogently, distinctly, methodically, logically

 Do not just repeat the views of others

 Do not speak with any ambiguity

 Group Discussions (cotd . . .)

 Assume leadership while speaking (You can start the

discussion by making an impact OR you can join later by
agreeing/disagreeing with others)

 Bea good listener and learn to respond (refer to the speaker

before you to whom you are referring as you build on their
point)
 Group Discussions (cotd . . .)
 Be relevant
 Body language: Consensus-building, Polite but firm, Clear departures, No aggressive
moves
 Communication skills, Be audible, Sound confident
 Make multiple contributions
 Use facts and figures in support of your points
 Do not speak as a crowd
 Group Discussions (cotd . . .)

 Healthy debate
 Directed participation
 Being open-minded
 Skills under Evaluation:

 Ability to rally/motivate the group, lead the group towards

concrete and meaningful resolutions/actions,

 Team player + Team leader

 Language:
Respectful, Language of Consensus and not Confrontation,
Considered language
Workplace Language Discrimination:
Class 5

Shuhita Bhattacharjee
Biases/Prejudices

 Problem

Biases are Personal Traits

Affect workplace functioning

 Solution
Avoid discriminatory language (methodological shift)
Avoid discriminatory ways of thinking (personality shift)
 Discrimination Based On:

 Gender
 Sexuality
 Class (Language)
 Caste
 Race
 Ethnicity
 Religion
 Age
 Examples of Consciously Framed Language that is
gendered/sexist, racialized, casteist, classist,
heteronormative, regionalist abound

 Gendered: “Be a man”, “Don’t be such a little girl”, assumptions about productivity relating to
pregnancy/marital engagements

 Heteronormative: “Don’t be a sissy”

 Racialized: “This looks shabby/dirty, spruce it up” (speaking of darker shades etc), “Her complexion is
not glowing enough” (choosing someone for the front desk)

 Casteist: Having lunchroom policies that allow people to sit separately based on caste preferences,
speaking of your ‘Brahmin’ norms of vegetarianism and purity, speaking of puja rituals that exclude
certain castes
 Regionalist:
 Discriminating based on language accents (hiring people for top posts if they demonstrate certain accents),
 Indicating preferences or personal stereotypes of region-based behaviour (“That’s typical of North
India / of the South/ of Bihar/Bengal/Ngaland” etc, “Don’t be such a Sardar”),
 Speaking by homogenizing regions (the ‘North-East’/’North India’/’South India’)

 Classist (Speaking of Lack of privilege/exposure): “You either have it or you don’t” (referring to elite
behavioural tropes / table manners etc), “The apple never falls far from the tree” / “He doesn’t know
better / hasn’t seen the world” (speaking of unpresentable behaviour etc),

 Religion-based discrimination (assumptions about eating habits, cultural preferences etc)

Some Strategies:

 Avoid gender-specific language, Use gender-neutral/inclusive language

Use gender-inclusive pronouns: they/their instead of he/his or she/her;
Be inclusive in your language: Instead of “Good morning, Ladies and Gentleman” start
with “A very good morning everyone . . .”, “May the best person win” instead of “May the
best man win”
Say “Spouses/partners” instead of “Husbands/wives”, “Parenthood leave” instead of
“Maternity/Paternity leave”
 Avoid ageism (Do not indicate in your Job Advertisements or Office Memos that you are
looking for a “digital native” “recent grad”, “youthful energy”)

 Prepare a clear and detailed workplace policy, Circulate the written document, Have
policies for behaviour and language usage, Cover/Anticipate a broad range of potential
discriminatory acts, Provide training .sensitization programs for employees/students
and for your team leaders (Second-level of administration should model appropriate
behaviour)

 Nothing is “just banter/good fun/in jest/ unintentional”

 Casteist: Having lunchroom policies that allow people to sit separately based on caste
preferences, speaking of your ‘Brahmin’ norms of vegetarianism and purity, speaking
of puja rituals that exclude certain castes
 Regionalist: Discriminating based on language accents (hiring people for top posts if
they demonstrate certain accents), Indicating preferences or personal stereotypes of
region-based behaviour (“That’s typical of North India / of the South/ of
Bihar/Bengal/Ngaland” etc, “Don’t be such a Sardar”), Speaking by homogenizing
regions (the ‘North-East’/’North India’/’South India’)
 Final Exam

 Exam Question Paper will be posted on Google Classroom at the start of class
 You do NOT need to log in to Cisco Webex
 Download and answer the questions
 Upload your responses (In soft copy or pictures of a hard copy) on Google Classrooms only
by end of class
 Plagiarism check will be used
 Pattern of the Question Paper:
 2 out of 3 Questions,
 Each question will require writing a sample
 Answers should be no more than 350 words each

Example of a Question: Write a letter of complaint to the Director of your Institute complaining
about the lack of food options at the Mess.