Communication Skills – Class 9 Notes | Methods, Verbal & Non-Verbal Communication, Writing, Pronunciation & Questioning

Unit 1: Communication Skills

Session 1: Introduction to Communication

Communication is the sharing of information between two or more people to reach a common understanding. The word communication comes from the Latin word commūnicāre, which means “to share”.

Importance of Communication

Communication helps us in many ways:

Purpose	Meaning	Example
Inform	Giving facts or telling someone about something.	Telling a friend about the examination timetable.
Influence	Getting someone to do what you want.	Negotiating a price with a shopkeeper.
Express Feelings	Sharing emotions such as happiness, excitement or sadness.	Sharing your feelings with parents or friends.

The Communication Process

Communication is a two-way exchange. The sender sends a message through a channel to the receiver, who understands the message and provides feedback.

Element	Meaning
Sender	The person who encodes and sends the message.
Message	The information that the sender wants to communicate.
Channel	The path or medium through which the message is sent.
Receiver	The person who receives and decodes the message.
Feedback	The response given by the receiver after understanding the message.

Perspectives and Barriers in Communication

Several factors can affect the way we communicate and understand messages. These factors may become barriers to effective communication.

Barrier / Perspective	How It Affects Communication	Example
Language	Words may not be understood by the other person.	Speaking Hindi to someone who understands only Tamil.
Past Experience	Previous experiences may affect present communication.	Being afraid to ask questions because of low marks in a previous examination.
Prejudice	Fixed or preconceived ideas can affect understanding.	Thinking, “No one in my class likes me.”
Feelings	Emotions or health conditions may affect communication.	Not wanting to talk because you are feeling unwell.
Environment	Physical distractions can make communication difficult.	Trying to study while someone is watching television nearby.

The 7 Cs of Effective Communication

A message should follow the 7 Cs of Effective Communication to make communication effective.

7 Cs	Meaning
Clear	The message should be easy to understand.
Concise	The message should be brief and to the point.
Concrete	The message should contain specific and definite information.
Correct	The information and language should be accurate.
Coherent	The ideas should be logically connected.
Complete	The message should contain all necessary information.
Courteous	The message should be polite and respectful.

Session 2: Verbal Communication

Verbal communication means sharing information using words. It is one of the most common methods of communication.

Forms of Verbal Communication

Form	Description	Examples
Oral / Spoken	Communication through spoken words.	Face-to-face conversation, phone calls, speeches.
Written	Communication through written words.	Letters, emails, SMS, reports.

Public Speaking

Many people feel nervous while speaking before a group. Public speaking confidence can be developed by following the 3Ps method.

3Ps	What to Do
Prepare	Write down the topic and think about your audience.
Practice	Practise speaking alone or in front of a mirror.
Perform	Take deep breaths and speak clearly and confidently.

Session 3: Non-Verbal Communication

Non-verbal communication means sending messages without using words. It uses facial expressions, gestures and body postures.

Types of Non-Verbal Communication

Type	Description	Example
Facial Expressions	Using the face to communicate emotions or responses.	Smiling to show happiness or nodding to show agreement.
Posture	The way a person holds or positions the body.	An upright posture can convey confidence.
Gestures	Using movements of the hands or body to communicate.	Waving or using hand movements while explaining something.

Visual Communication

Visual communication means sharing information through images, symbols or signs. Such signs can communicate messages across different places and languages.

Visual Sign	Message
Traffic Light – Red	Stop
No Smoking Sign	Smoking is prohibited.
Flammable Sign	Indicates the presence of a flammable material or hazard.
Slippery Surface Sign	Warns people about a slippery surface.

Session 4: Writing Skills – Parts of Speech

Sentence and Phrase

A sentence is a group of words that communicates a complete thought.

Example: “Raju goes to school.”

A phrase is a group of words that does not make complete sense on its own.

Example: “Raju goes”

Capitalisation – MINTS Rule

The MINTS Rule helps us remember important situations in which capital letters should be used.

Letter	Rule	Example
M – Months	Capitalise the names of months.	January, March, August
I	The letter “I” is always capitalised when referring to oneself.	I am a student.
N – Names	Capitalise names of people, places and days.	Ravi, Jaipur, Monday
T – Titles	Capitalise titles used before names.	Dr Shah, Mr Patel
S – Starting Letter	Every sentence begins with a capital letter.	My school is in Jaipur.

Punctuation

Punctuation marks help communicate the meaning of a sentence clearly.

Punctuation Mark	Name	Use
.	Full Stop	Used at the end of a statement.
,	Comma	Used to separate parts of a sentence.
?	Question Mark	Used at the end of a question.
!	Exclamation Mark	Used to express strong emotion or surprise.
'	Apostrophe	Used in certain contractions and possessive forms.

Basic Parts of Speech

Part of Speech	Meaning	Example
Noun	A naming word.	School, Riya, book
Pronoun	A word used in place of a noun.	He, She, They
Verb	An action word.	Run, eat, write
Adjective	A word that describes a noun or pronoun.	Beautiful, large, red
Adverb	A word that adds meaning to a verb or adjective.	Quickly, slowly

Supporting Parts of Speech

Part of Speech	Function	Examples
Articles	Used before nouns.	a, an, the
Prepositions	Show relationships between words.	in, on, at
Conjunctions	Join words or parts of sentences.	and, but
Interjections	Express strong emotions.	Wow!, Oh!, Help!

Session 5: Writing Skills – Sentences

Parts of a Sentence

Most sentences contain a Subject, a Verb and often an Object.

Part	Meaning	Example: “Divya reads a book.”
Subject	The doer or performer of the action.	Divya
Verb	The action performed.	reads
Object	The receiver of the action.	a book

Types of Objects

Object	Meaning	Question Answered	Example
Direct Object	Directly receives the action.	What?	She bought vegetables.
Indirect Object	Indicates the person for whom or to whom something is done.	To whom? / For whom?	Abdul gave a gift to his mother.

Active and Passive Voice

Voice	Meaning	Example
Active Voice	The subject performs the action.	Sanjay broke the glass.
Passive Voice	The subject receives the action.	The glass was broken by Sanjay.

Types of Sentences According to Purpose

Type	Purpose
Declarative	States a fact or provides information.
Interrogative	Asks a question.
Exclamatory	Expresses strong emotion or surprise.
Imperative	Gives an order or makes a request.

Session 6: Pronunciation Basics

Pronunciation is the way a word is spoken. Correct pronunciation helps others understand us clearly.

Phonetics

Phonetics is the study of the sounds we make while speaking.

Types of Sounds

Sound Type	Description	Examples
Vowels	Vowel sounds may be long or short.	Long “ee” in Sleep; short “i” in Slip.
Diphthongs	Combination vowel sounds.	“ea” in Near; “oa” in Boat.
Consonants	Basic speech sounds other than vowel sounds.	“p” in Pen, “t” in Train, “k” in Book.

Session 7: Greetings and Introduction

Greetings

Greetings are used before starting a conversation.

Type	Used With	Examples
Formal	Seniors, teachers or people we do not know.	Good morning.
Informal	Friends and family.	Hi, Hey

Introduction

An introduction is used to tell someone about yourself or to introduce another person.

Example: “This is my friend Sonu. She is a good singer.”

Session 8: Talking About Self

Self-Introduction

A self-introduction involves sharing basic information about yourself, such as your name, what you do and your likes or dislikes.

Filling a Form

Form filling means typing or printing required information neatly into the given blank spaces.

Common Field	Information Required
First Name	Given or personal name.
Last Name	Family or surname.
Date of Birth	Usually written in DD-MM-YYYY format.
Address	Details of the place where a person lives.
PIN Code	Postal identification code of the area.
Signature	A person's name or initials written by hand in a unique manner.

Session 9: Asking Questions I

Asking questions means requesting information. It helps us gain knowledge, verify information and start conversations.

The 5W+1H Method

Question Word	Used To Find	Example
Who	People	Who is your class teacher?
Where	Place	Where is the school?
When	Time	When is the examination?
What	Thing, idea or action	What are you studying?
Why	Reason	Why are you late?
How	Method or manner	How did you solve the problem?

Session 10: Asking Questions II

Close-ended Questions

Close-ended questions are questions that can generally be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No”. The answer options are limited.

Open-ended Questions

Open-ended questions require a detailed response and cannot normally be answered with only “Yes” or “No”.

They commonly use question words such as What, Why, Who, How, When and Where.

Feature	Close-ended Question	Open-ended Question
Answer	Usually Yes or No.	Requires a detailed response.
Options	Limited.	More open and varied.
Example	Are you hungry?	What would you like to eat?

Quick Revision

Concept	Key Point to Remember
Communication	Sharing information to reach a common understanding.
Communication Process	Sender → Message → Channel → Receiver → Feedback.
7 Cs	Clear, Concise, Concrete, Correct, Coherent, Complete, Courteous.
Verbal Communication	Communication using words; oral or written.
3Ps	Prepare → Practice → Perform.
Non-Verbal Communication	Communication through expressions, gestures and posture.
MINTS	Months, I, Names, Titles, Starting letter.
Phonetics	Study of speech sounds.
5W+1H	Who, Where, When, What, Why and How.
Close-ended Question	Usually requires a Yes/No response.
Open-ended Question	Requires a detailed response.