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Tamil Nadu HSE First Year Employability Skills study materials
Tamil Nadu HSE First Year Employability Skills study resources

Tamil Nadu HSE First Year Employability Skills: Communication Skills

Tamil Nadu HSE First Year Employability Skills · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Communication Skills

Communication Skills

This domain of the Tamil Nadu HSE First Year Employability Skills exam tests communication as a two-way workplace process, not just speaking or writing. Expect questions on the communication cycle, verbal and non-verbal cues, listening, barriers and formal channels such as email and notices.

Core rules and concepts

  • The basic cycle is sender → message → encoding → channel → receiver → decoding → feedback. Noise can interrupt any stage.
  • The 7 Cs of communication are clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete and courteous. They are practical tests for written messages.
  • Active listening means paying attention, not interrupting, paraphrasing and asking clarifying questions. Hearing is physical; listening is purposeful.
  • Non-verbal communication includes body language, eye contact, posture, gestures, tone and personal space. It can reinforce or contradict words.
  • Barriers are physical (noise, distance), semantic (jargon, ambiguity), psychological (fear, prejudice) and cultural (different norms).
  • Formal communication follows the chain of command; informal communication, or the grapevine, is faster but less reliable.

Worked example

A supervisor writes to a new worker: Shift changed. Come tomorrow. The worker arrives at the usual time, but the supervisor meant the afternoon shift. The message is incomplete and ambiguous. The remedy is to state the date, time and place, then ask for confirmation. Feedback such as Please confirm you can attend at 2 p.m. closes the loop and shows that decoding was correct.

Traps that cost marks

Do not treat feedback as optional; without it the sender cannot know whether the message was understood. Do not equate listening with silence. Do not assume non-verbal cues have one universal meaning. Avoid saying communication is only verbal when the question asks for both verbal and non-verbal elements. When identifying a barrier, name the type and give the specific cause.

Key points

  • Communication is a two-way cycle ending in feedback; noise can break any stage.
  • Use the 7 Cs to test clarity and completeness of workplace messages.
  • Active listening involves attention, paraphrase and clarification, not just silence.
  • Name barriers by type: physical, semantic, psychological or cultural.
  • Non-verbal cues can contradict words; check tone and body language.