CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION

OBJECTIVES

To understand:-

- The meaning of communication

- The communication process

To appreciate:-

- The importance of communication in an organization

-The barriers to communication

1.1. Definition of communication.

Communication is an act of any natural or artificial means of conveying information or

giving instruction.

It’s the process of passing information and understanding from one person to the other.

According to Newman and summer

Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or more

persons.

According to Peter Little

Communication is process by which information is transmitted between

individuals/organization so that understanding response results.

Its giving, receiving or exchange of information, opinions, or ideas by writing speech or

visual means or any combination of the three so that the material communicated is

completely understood by everyone concerned.

Administrative communication –

Administrative communication is a process involving the transmission and accurate

replication of ideas ensured by feedback for purpose of eliciting actions which will

accomplish organizational goals.

Analysis

This definition has emphasized the following points;-

 It involves the communication of ideas.

ideas as were transmitted.

 Transmitter is assured of accurate replication of ideas by feedback.

 Purpose of communication is to elicit action.

This definition can be expanded to include emotions.

The purpose of communication is not always to elicit action it may also include

communication to seek information or to persuade other person to a certain point of view.

Main aspect of communication

 Communication must have a source (sender)

 Communication must have content(message)

 Communication must have a media

 Communication must have a destination: i.e. recipient

 Communication must have a feedback.

Importance of communication

Communication can be described as the life blood of the business

No business can develop in the absence of effective external and internal communication.

Communication is a vital tool of management.

One of the major functions of an office is communication. This involves receiving,

recording, processing of information and communicating the information two various

functions of the organizations.

Importance of communication can be discussed under two points of view.

I. Internal communication

II. External communication.

A) Importance of internal communication

Internal communication refers to exchange of information or message between persons of

same organization, e.g. between employer and employee.

i) Better understanding between employer and employees.

- If complaints of employees are forwarded to employer on time and in

Ii Greater efficiency.

The sound communication system enables the management to instruct the supervisions

and subordinates on changes of policy - this results to the increase in efficiency ofworkers.

iii) Effective co-ordination:

Effective communication leads to effective co-ordination of employees e.g if demand

increase the marketing department will inform the production department to increase its

production.

iv) Proper communication avoids losses:

If there is a machine breakdown or shortage the management can be informed quickly to

take timely action to avoid any possible losses.

B) External communication.

This refers to exchange of information between an organization and other organizations

or persons outside the organization.

The following facts indicate the importance of external communication.

10 Good reputation

Effective communication with customers and either business enables company establish

good reputation this increases prestige of that company.

ii) Improvement in public relations:

When a company communicates with general public to keep them informed of its

activities more people become interested to deal with that company.

iii) Better business prospects –

Due to good communication the company can abstract more customers.

iv) Choice of customers –

A company can get information about the liking and disliking of customers. This

information will help company produce goods according to the choice of customers.

v) Government department –

The business will deal with licensing authorities, foreign trade offices, customauthorities,
banks and other financial institutions. All these institutions require good communication

when negotiating.

vi) Job requirements –

Most jobs require communication skills such as personnel public relations,

marketing, editing, research, advocates, etc.

Executives are expected to make speeches they are expected to give interviews to media.

All these require communication skill.

1.2. OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION

i) To inform –

One of most important objectives of communication is passing and receiving information

about of particular fact of circumstance.

An organization can inform consumers about its products, availability of credit,

availability of raw materials, or about government rules and regulations.

It can also communicate to inform staff about the latest development in the field of

science and technology.

Within the organization you can inform employees about job assignments, or inform

them of general information on policies and activities of organization.

ii) To advice

Information Is factual and objective, advice on the other hand in volve personal

opinions.It is subjective and neutral.

When advice is given to person he /she may use it or decide not to use it. An advice is

aimed at influencing the opinion or behaviour of another person.

Advice flows downwards or horizontally, e.g. from a doctor to patient and not vice versa.

iii) To order

An order is an authoritative communication; it is a directive to somebody (subordinate)

to do something to modify or not to do something.

Orders flow from top to bottom.

iv) To suggested (make suggestion)

superiors to subordinates but, a Suggestion may flow from subordinate to superior.A

suggestion is mild or subtle and it moves in all directions.

v) To persuade

This is communication aimed at influencing the attitudes, feelings or beliefs of others.

vi) To Educate

Education is a conscious process of communication. It involves teaching and learning, its

main purpose is to widen knowledge and improve skills.

vii) To warn someone

If employees don’t abide by the rules of the organization they will be warned.

viii) Raise the morale.

Morale-stands for mental health.

It’s a powerful factor representing the sum of many qualities such as courage, fortitude,

resolution and confidence.

ix) TO motivate

Motivation is very close to rising of miracle. It means to energize and activate a person and

challenge his or her behaviour towards the attainment of desired goals.

1.3. ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION

i) Motivation

This is the basic urge beneath the communication. It is the wider reason why

communication takes place. e.g. in a company the urge to communication is to ensure that

this year’s profits are higher than last years.

ii The aim

This is the more particular reason why communication has been under taken. The aim of

communication can be: to inform to warn or to initiate a particular action

iii) Information:

is the material from which communication would be constructed. The actual content to

put across to the listener or reader. An information doesn’t need to be factual it can be an
opinion, an idea or combination of ideas and opinions

iv) The sender

This is the person responsible for sending the communication it can be an individual or a

group such as a company, a department, a government ministry etc.

V) The message: after defining the information to be conveyed, the sender puts this into

the best form in a process called encoding. When information has been encoded it is

referred to as a message. A message takes the form of a letter, a memo, telephone call, or

a shrug of shoulders.

vi) The media

This is a larger group of ways of communication within which particular ways of

communication can be classified. There are three main media.

 Written communication e.g. letters, memo, books, posters

 Oral communication: this is communication using word of mouth e.g meetings,

lectures, telephones or discussions.

 Visual communication: it takes the form of photographs, blackboards etc.

In addition to these three media we also have non-verbal communication that is

combination of gestures, expressions, tone of voice, position, posture, etc.

vii) The channel:

This the physical means by which message is conveyed for written communication

channel may be notice board, postal office.

For oral communication. It may be personal interview, committee meeting, or public

telephone call.

For visual communication the channel may be computer printer, fax system or printing

press.

viii) The receiver:

Is the person or body which receives the message.

It can be an individual or an organization.

ix) The noise:

Noise is used to refer to any factors which prevent proper exchange of information apart
from that from the sender or receiver. Noise can be physical e.g. typewriters or the

telephone bells which interrupt meetings, or it can be some other form of interference

such as bad telephone connections, poor handwriting in letter, conflicting messages, e.g.

in oral communication the visual expression conveys a difference message from that being

given orally.

x) Distortion:

Takes place at the encoding or decoding stage. During encoding the sender may encode

the message in such away that it conveys a different meaning from that he or she intended

to give. During decoding the receiver may interpret the message in a different way from

that intended by the sender. This may lead to distortion of the message.

xi) Feedback:

This is the name given to the message which the sender receives from the receiver toshow

the acceptance or disapproval of message, such a smile.

1.4. COMMUNICATION CYCLE

Stage 1: information definition

Sender defines information to be sent by thinking about the aim of the communication

and the content to be conveyed.

Stage 2:

Encoding stage the information is put into a form which is most suitable for the receiver

and the aim of the communication. This involves putting the information into worlds,

ideas into picture, gesture/facial expression.

Stage 3:

The actual transfer of the message or sending stage. This is done using the message,

medium and channel.

Stage 4 –

(Receiving stage) the receiver takes the message by reading a letter,

Listening to a speech, looking at an educational television program

etc.
Stage 5 –

(Decoding stage) the receive interprets the message he has been

given in order to obtain his idea of information it conveys. Its possibly for

distortion to occur at this stage due to poor handwriting, medium used by

sender or even the receivers attitude towards the sender.

Stage 6 –

(Feed back) this is the reaction of receiver to the senders message.

The feedback informs the sender that the message has been received.

Feedback may take the form of nodding, smiling or even listening.

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Stage 7 –

It is a complete repetition of the cycle

Please draw the cycle

1.5. QUALITIES OF COMMUNICATION

THE SIX C’s OF COMMUNICATION

1. CLARITY

This is divided into

(a) Clarity of thought

(b) Clarity of expression

(a) Clarity of thought.

- This is important when the idea is being generated in the mind of the

sender

-At this stage, three points should be checked upon

i) what is the objective of the communication?

Example:- to warn, educate, congratulate

ii) What is to be communicated?

Example:- A song, play, poem etc

iii) Which medium is appropriate for the purpose of communication?

Example:- Letters, photographic, interviews. Etc.

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(b) Clarity of Expression

The following tips should be considered

i. Avoid jargon

Jargon is a special language of trade, certain profession or field of study e.g. medicine,

business and only understood and used by people from such fields. It therefore creates a

scenario of difficult understanding to those who are not from that field.

Example: in law, the phrase “Jurisdiction of the court of appeal”. This could only be

understood by those in the field of law a doctor may not understand such a term.

ii.Avoid ambiguity

An ambiguous message is one that contains words that have more than one meanings.

This may encourage misinterpretation of the words.

Example:- The word dispense could mean both (i) To prepare medicine

(ii) To dismiss someone

iii.Use short sentences

Short sentences are easier to comprehend for they are not complex and do not demand

greater concentration as is the case for long ones.

iv.Use of simple words

Simple words tend to be more effective for they are easily understood and are interpreted

correctly.

Example: Use of the word before instead of, prior to

v.Use of concrete expression

Concrete expressions create visual images that are easy to register and remember.

This can be achieved by avoiding being too general or vague in your expressions.

Example: you Can Say, ‘that dress is expensive for it costs shs.150, 000/ ‘instead of plainly

saying ‘that dress is expensive’.

2. CONCISENESS

- It is important for your message to be straight to the point by not loading

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- Be as brief as possible but not at the expense of clarity, correctness or

courtesy.

- If a reader feels that he/she is wasting his/her time on your message e.g.

letter, he may opt to disregard it.

How to achieve conciseness

i) Avoid repetition

Example: Me, i am thanking you.....................”

ii. Include only relevant facts and details

iii.Organize your message well i.e. the introduction, the body of the message

and the conclusion.

iv. The message should be coherent, i.e. it should hold together.

v. Avoid wordy expressions, figures of speech and ambiguous words.

3. CONSIDERATION

In your message, you should always show consideration for the reader or listener. This

Can be done in the following ways.

(a) Impact integrity to your message

- Ethical principles of sincerity and fair treatment should be observed.

(b)Emphasize positive and pleasant statement

- In case where one has to send a message of regret, use positive and

pleasant words.

Example of negative expression – “We are sorry to inform you that you have not

been admitted to this school”

Positive expression – “Thank you for your application for a course in

Micro- finance; you are however advised that

the commencement date is July next year….

(c)Adopt the “You” attitude

- Avoid ‘I’ and ‘we’ in you message. The “you” attitude is highly recommend
for it shows greater respect and consideration for the recipient.

Example of ‘I’ attitude: “I am happy that you considered my application”

Example of ‘You’ attitude: “Thank you for your quick response to my letter”

4. COURTESY

This calls for a considerate and friendly attitude towards the other the receiver. The

following points may assist in promoting courtesy:

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(a) Answer the letters promptly or respond to the message promptly

(b) Omit negative expressions such as “we regret” instead use friendly statements

such as “we shall see to it that…”

(c) Apologize sincerely for an omission and thank generously for any favour

done.Example of an apology: – We sincerely apologize for not dispatching your

goods on time”.

5. COMPLETENESS

- Complete presentation of facts and details is necessary in any business communication

- Incomplete communication leads to ineffectiveness of the action to be taken,

irrelevancy, misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the message. This is

because it leaves a number of questions unanswered.

- Example: When replying to an enquiry from a customer wishing to buy a

car, one must include all relevant facts about the car such as the model,

colour, price mode of payment and other specifications.

- The message should be well organized in such a way that the

reader/listener is not in doubt about the details contained in it.

- Tips for communication completeness

(a)While answering a letter, include all relevant details and answer all

questions if any.

(b) Check on the “5w’s questions to why? What? Where? Who?

When?

6. CORRECTINESS
This simply means:

a) Giving correct facts/statements/arguments etc.

b) Sending the message at the correct time

c) Send the message in the correct style/medium/channel.

1. 6. BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

Communication will be effective if it flows speedily and smoothly in an uninterrupted

flow.

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Some common barriers are:

1. wrong choice of medium:

Unsuitable media may act as a barrier to effective communication example an apology

will be effective if communicated face to face rather than in writing.

2. Physical barriers

These may due to inadequate staff, faulty procedures, in accuracy in processing and

delivery of communication.

Physical barriers include:

i) Noise

Example passing traffic may disrupt a session; poor handwriting may affect the

understanding of a letter.

ii) time and distance

People in different shifts may not communicate because of time. Distance may affect face

to face communication when a lecturer is addressing a large group of students.

3. Semantic barrier

Semantic refers to the meaning of language. The same word may be interpreted

differently by different people because of mental attitude and understanding.

Semantic barriers include:

i) Interpretation of words.

The receiver of the message may not assign the same meaning to that purported by the

sender. This may be a barrier to communication example;” what is he value of this ring?”
This can be interpreted as the monetary value, the importance or the implication.

ii) Bypassed instructions

This will happen if the sender and receiver of the message attribute different meanings to

the same word use different words for the same meaning.

Example a manager said to anew office assistant” go and burn this. The manager simply

wanted another copy of the letter, the office assistant went on to burn the letter, to the

dismay of the manager.

iii).Denotation and connotation

Words have connotative and denotative meaning.

Denotative meaning is the literal meaning of the word such as book, chair etc.

Connotative meanings arouse qualitative judgments and personal reactions.

Words like honesty, noble, competent and sincere.

Some words may have favourable connotation and unfavourable connotation such as the

word cheap it may mean low in price or low in quality.

To avoid problems of bypassed instructions the following points should be kept in mind.

a) Use words which are familiar to the receiver.

b) Clarify new words or words used in a different context.

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c) Choose words that have a positive connotation rather than those with negative

connotation.

4. Different comprehension of reality.

These barriers include;

i) Abstracting

This is the process of focusing attention on some details and omitting others. This

is a barrier because a detail that may appear important to one person may be taken

as being trivial by the reader.

ii) Slanting

It means giving a particular bias or slant to a reality. Slanting is similar to allness,

in allness we only know a part and are ignorant of the rest but we think that we
the whole.

iii) Inferring

Inferences are drawn from observations and assumptions. If we drop a letter at

the post office we assume that will be delivered on time.

Inferences are not facts

Wrong inference is a barrier to communication.

5. Socio-psychological barriers

This may be due to some social or psychological problems.

Such as:

i) Attitudes and opinions

If information agrees with our opinions and attitudes we tend to receive it

favourably if we disagree with it we to tend react unfavourably to it.

ii) Emotions

Emotional state of mind plays an important role in the act of communication. If the

sender is perplexed or worried, excited afraid nervous his thinking will be blurred

and he will not be able to organize the message properly. His state of mind will be

reflected in the message.

CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTION

1. Define Communication.

2. With the help of a diagram describe the process of communication.

3. Identify barriers to communication and how to overcome them.

4. Give purpose/objectives of effective communication.

5. How do you achieve clarity of expression?

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CHAPTER TWO

ORAL COMMUNICATION

OBJECTIVES

To be able to:

- Give a good speech

- Conduct interviews effectively and succeed in interviews

- Participate in group discussions

2.1 SPEECHES

Speech or spoken word is very powerful, it can stir people to mutinies and

rebellions it can turn a hostile crowd to a friendly gathering.

The key to the success of many politicians, industrialists, managers, and salesmen

lies in their ability to speak.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD SPEECH

1. It is clear.

Your speech should convey to the audience the ideas, emotions,

facts or arguments you want to express.

2. It is like an informal talk

When you speak there should be a perfect rapport between you

and your audience.

3. It is vivid and concrete

Use concrete facts that are easy to comprehend and visualize. Instead of saying the

population of India is growing very fast, a speaker said see how fast our population

grows one Australia is added the population of India every year and Australia’s area is

two and half times that of India.

4. It is brief

An audience can last up to twenty minutes. Your speech should be

tailored to that length. To achieve brevity, include only a few points

and elaborate at length

5. It is interesting

Quotations, anecdotes and humorous touches often make a speech interesting.

Quotations should be from acceptable authorities. They should be familiar but not

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worn out. Anecdotes should be new brief and in good taste. Humor should be topical,
original spontaneous and gentle.

6. It is audience oriented

A good speech should be tailored to the wavelength of the audience. Consider the

following points:

i) Is the audience general or specializes one? This will help you

determine the depth of the subject

ii) How large is the audience? For a small audience the speech will

be more like a chat in a large gathering you will have to be

rhetorical.

iii) What is the age group of the listeners? Your reference and

illustrations should conform to the tastes of that particular group.

iv) What is the social religious political and economic views and

prejudice of the listeners? What is the expected audience

response?

PROFILE OF A GOOD SPEAKER

1. “A good speaker is lively, interested enthusiastic and vital.”

He treats his audience as a group of living people. He is keenly interested in the

subject he is speaking about and takes pain to make the audience equally interested

in it.

2. “A good speaker is earnest”

3. He does not speak just for the sake of speaking – in order to show off, to impress the

audience with his erudition or his authority.

4. “A good speaker has a sense of responsibility to others on the program”

He does not take more time than what is allotted to him.

5. “A good speaker has a sense of responsibility to his subject”

He does not bite more than he can chew. He does not spread it thin.

6. “ A good speaker has a sense of leadership; he stands up tall, he talks eye to eye , he

speaks responsibly and with authority as a leader should’

He is not get carried off by his over- enthusiasm or over-confidence.

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8. “ A good speaker tries to be balanced and sane”

9. “ A good speaker keeps his sense of humour”

PREPARATION FOR A SPEECH

1. Research your topic thoroughly. Identify the points for discussion and decide what

you have to say about them.

2. Plan your speech in three parts;

i) The beginning should arouse the interest of the

audience.

ii) The middle should be devoted to discussion

Iii) The conclusion should summarize the main

points, and if some action is to be taken it

clearly tells the audience what they are required.

3. Time your speech to make sure it is neither too long nor too short.

4. Look for some suitable quotations or anecdotes if possible.

5. Arrange your points in such a way that strong points are kept at the beginning.

6. Tailor your speech to the intellectual level and general taste of the audience.

7. Make sure that your delivery is going to be good, rehearse the speech use a tape

recorder or video recorder to fine tune your tone and mannerism.

2.2. MEETINGS

Meetings are held to discuss particular issues or matters. For the meetings to be

successful the following should be done.

i) Define the purpose of the meeting clearly

ii) Distribute the agenda among all members.

iii)Provide all the facts e.g. you may distribute a copy of previous year results

and some comments to the members.

(iv) Restrict the number of invitees

If you are the chairman of a meeting

To be successful as a chairman observe the following:-

1. Punctuality

2. Clearly define the purpose of the meeting

3. Begin with a positive approach and don’t start on negatives.

4. Your opening remarks should be brief. Short openings suggest the urgency of

problem.

5. Sight out the initial silence. After the opening remarks there’s silence because

of members general reluctance to speak. Some people may be thinking about

the probability and others not want to speak. The chairman should assist

members to open up.

6. Remain impartial sometimes conflicts and personality save ups may arise. The

chairman should be able to control the situation. He should not take sides.

7. Control emotional build ups sometimes during the discussion emotions and

tensions may build up. The chairman should use humour to control tempers.

8. Draw contributions from all members.

9. Control the meeting

10. Creatively control opposing points of view.

11. Clarify contributions

12. Make frequent summarize of progress of the meeting to all parent.

13. Point out the decisions reached.

14. Point out differences.

15. Point out the course of action.

16. Close the meeting in time.

IF YOU ARE TO ATTEND A MEETING

1. Go to the meeting well prepared.

2. (a) Study the agenda carefully, try to find out the items of your interest and

the items in which you are capable to make contributions.

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(c) If you want to use any written or visual aids to make your contributions

effective prepare them in advance.

If you are not an experienced speaker its advisable to write down points.

3. Study other memberswho are attending the meeting. Their characteristics,

like and dislikes, story and weak points, the way they speak and how they

react to different ideas and note their areas of specialization.

4. Speak at the end most appropriate time if you have good ideas. Ideas that

you have keen to get accepted, present them early enough so that other

members can start thinking along the lines of those ideas.

5. If the discussion is moving along desirable lines, you can wait and present

your ideas towards the end of the meeting. This will happen if you are giving

an air of finality to the discussion and other members may agree with you and

the meeting is closed.

2.3. DISCUSSION

Discussion – it’s a co-operative, critical exchange of opinions, information and ideas

about one general subject. Its guided by a leader for the purpose of seeking appropriate,

acceptable answers to a question.

- Can be conducted before a audience or it can be held in a closed session.

- An ideal one involves a force exchange and evaluation of information by open

minded participants.

PURPOSES OF GROUP DISCUSSION

1. The most important purpose is to solve complex problems. When one or two

people are incapable of solving a problem, they often call experts from a variety of

areas collective wisdom assists in solving complex problems.

2. To publish existing problems

3. To give individuals experience in becoming leaders and discussants by

participating in group deliberations.

Geographical, occupational or social-economic sections of society.

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FACTORS INFLUENCING DISCUSSION

1. Amount of research

The amount of research done by participants before the discussion may affect both the

quality of discussions and the quality of the results.

2. Underlying motives or secret interests

May also affect discussion quality and results e.g people who are not honest and open

because they stand to lose something (friends, positions, status etc) may sway a

discussion to protect their secret interests.

3. Nonverbal, vocal & verbal messages

Disgusted expressions, stressed words, or technical terms may suggest attitudes and

emotions of the people involved.

4. Sensitivity of the participants to each other and to themselves.

If participants are unaware that others are tense, shy, frustrated or bored they’ll probably

not be able to draw them into the discussion and benefit from their judgments and

opinions.

Other factors may be:

 Time of day i.e. when the discussion is conducted

 Place where the discussion occurs

 Size of the group discussing

 Time limit for completing a task

Types of Discussion Questions

There are 3 general types of questions.

1. Question of fact

To answer this is the discussants try to find which aspects of a particular problem are

true, probable or false. These kind of discussions are called “Fact – finding” sessions.

2. Questions of value:
These questions evaluate different ideas to see which one is best. Discussants compare

and contrast the worth or value of one thing with another to make judgments.

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3. Questions of policy

These attempts to discover if something should or should not be done.

 Discussion questions should deal with subjects that are:

 Significant, important and worth discussion

ESTABLISHING A FRAMEWORK FOR AN ORDERLY DISCUSSION.

It should follow a logical, sequential pattern; the following is the modified plan for

discussion.

1. Locate and define the problem

They need to state the problem clearly so that everyone understand and it may require

some terms to be explained from the very beginning, to eliminate confusion once the

discussion gets under way.

2. Establish criteria for a workplace solution

After recognition, what the question involves the group must decide on the:

 Standards of criteria that must be met if a solution is to be accepted by the entire

group.

3. Analyze the problem

It’s a step of exploring the problem, looking for its causes, current status, historical

background, probable future and the reason a solution or answer is necessary.

4. Suggest and evaluate possible solutions

The fourth step is to place as many solutions or answers to the problem before the group

as possible. Discussants need to be sure each solution meets the standards agreed upon in

the second step.

5. Evaluate all solutions and select the best one

In this, they compare and contrast all the alternatives, solutions or answers. The

advantages and disadvantages of each one should be weighed in an attempt to discover

the one that would best solve the problem.

This step may not be included if the discussion purpose is only to solve problem.

However it becomes the last step if the group discusses ways and means of carrying out a

solution.

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METHODS OF EVALUATION

There are two methods of evaluation, namely:

i. interaction and participation diagrams

ii. discussion critique

Types of Discussion

The type of discussion held depends on such factors as number of participants the subject

to be discussed and the time allowed for the discussion.

1. Panel Discussion – Involves four – eight members.

There are no prepared speeches , instead discussions are expected to follow specific lines

to find an answer to question. No set pattern for participation.

2. Symposium

This requires individual discussants either to deal with one assigned area of a discussion

question or to present their unique viewpoints on the subject.

3. Round table discussion

This doesn’t include audience participation although observers may

be present. It usually begins with a statement of the problem. This is followed by a series

of brief reports or observations by several specialists then discussants spontaneously

interact.

4. Lecture Discussion

It includes periods of formal, structured presentations or lectures by the discussion

leader. Members of discussion group may be given advance assignments to prepare for

the lectures. The leader normally designates specific individuals to respond to certain

questions, information or statements. The discussants are allowed to interrupt the leader

with questions.
5. Progressive Discussion

It involves several small groups which discuss various, assigned aspects of the same

question at the same time. Before the end of discussion period, each leader reports the

findings and decisions made by his/her group to the entire session.

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2.4. INTERVIEWS

DEFINITION

Interview means view between. It means two people meeting for the purpose of

getting to view each other or knowing each other. The interviewer is interested to

know whether or not the candidate can fit in the open position. On the other hand, the

interviewees will asses the organization to decide whether or not to join it.

INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES

They include;

1. Screening

This refers to the preliminary interview which is done when there are many

applicants for a given post. The aim of screen interview is to eliminate unqualified

applicants and prepare a short list of qualified applicants.

2. Random appearance

This method is used when physical appearance is the essential requirement for a

given post, such as for bouncers, Air hostesses, policemen and others.

3. Tests

Written or oral tests can be used to test the intelligence, proficiency and general

knowledge of the applicants.

4. Under stress interview

In this method the candidate is provoked to test his poise and how he will acquit

himself from difficult situations. The candidate may be asked embarrassing

questions or asked to demonstrate how he can carry out a given task such as

selling items to panelists.

INTERVIEWER’S PREPARATION
You should;

ii) Have a thorough knowledge of the company, its profile, operations and

employment policies.

iii) Know the nature and profile of the job to be filled.

iv) Know the type of personality, character or temperament required for the job.

v) Send all inter view messages on time to candidates.

vi) Make proper seating arrangements for candidates in the waiting room.

vii) Make the interview room conducive for the interview that is with no

interruptions.

viii) Supply each member of the committee with a copy of the candidate’s bio-data.

ix) Decide before hand who is going to initiate the interview.

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HOW TO CONDUCT AN INTERVIEW

1. Welcome the candidate in a friendly way,

Offer warm smile to the candidate, talk to him in a friendly tone of voice, hold a

small talk with him in an area he is familiar.

2. After the candidate has been made comfortable the you should start talking to him

on the subject you want to know about. You will want to know the candidate’s

qualifications (ability to do the job), aspiration(willingness to do the job), social

effectiveness and emotional balance (relationship with others) character

(trustworthiness), physical vigour and energy, spouse ‘s attitude towards

the job, financial stability, willingness to travel and willingness to make permanent

move.

3. Make notes a bout the candidate and discuss the notes with other panelists when

the candidate has left.

4. give the candidate time to ask questions

5. If a decision is to be made immediately let the candidate know shortly after the

discussion.

6. Thank the candidate for his time and tell him by when he should expect a response
from you.

3. PREPARING FOR AN INTERVIEW

a – Make sure you know everything there is to know about yourself, such as

academic qualifications, ambitions, hobbies, work experience.

b – Gather as much information about the company as possible e.g. their

operations, services, personnel remunerations.

c – Carry with you all your certificates to the interview room.

d – Prepare a list of questions you predict the interviewers may ask.

e – Prepare appropriate answers for your predicted questions.

f – Prepare questions that you could like to ask during the interview.

g – Dress appropriately; example for men a black or navy blue suit and a plain light

coloured shirt may be winning colours

h – Arrive for the interview on time, arrival time is ten – fifteen minutes before

the time of the interview.

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HOW TO CONDUCT YOURSELF DURING THE INTERVIEW

1. Walk carefully into the interview room, do not wear a scowl or a stupid smile

when entering the interview room.

2. Greet the interviewers politely avoid shaking hands unless the interviewers stretch

their hands to you.

3. Do not sit down until you have been asked to do so, adopt a natural and upright

composed posture when seated.

4. Pay attention to what is being said and do not interrupt the interviewer.

5. When responding give relevant answers only and be audible enough for all the

panelists to hear you.

6. Do not boast of your capabilities or qualifications.

7. If there is something you don’t know admit it straight a way.

8. If you are being interviewed by someone who does not possess as many degrees as

yourself do not put on airs. Give the interviewers your co-operation and respect.
9. Be calm throughout the interview do not loose your temper or argue with the

panelists these may not work your way.

10. Adopt a positive approach throughout the interview; express your enthusiasm for

the job and the company. If you give an impression that you are not interested you

may realize that the interviewer is also not interested in hiring you.

11. Avoid shifting in your seat, chewing fingers, smoothing your hair, adjusting the

knot of your tie or playing with the pen or paper. All these are signs of nervousness.

Nervousness is your worst enemy in interview.

12. When you are asked about your previous employer, be frank but do not criticize

your former employer. Mention only positive aspects of your former employer.

13. Ask questions where full information has not been provided by the interviewer.

14. When the interview is over do not forget to thank the interviewer. You can ask

tactfully when the results will be made known to you.

CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Briefly outline the qualities of a good speaker.

2. Define listening and techniques of a good listener

3. What is the purpose of meetings?

4. Differentiate between interviewer and meeting.

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