CSCI 2100 Final Exam

What is the Shannon-Weaver Model?

What is a Sender, Receiver and Noise?

Sender: Speaker/writer
Receiver: Audience
Noise: Anything interfering with the message successfully moving from sender to receiver

What are the 7 Cs of Communication

For effective Business Communication

1. Concise (it must not contain unnecessary information)

2. Complete (it must contain all relevant information)

3. Courteous (it must be polite and professional)

4. Considerate (it must meet the needs of your audience)

5. Clear (it must be understandable by your audience)

6. Correct (it must be free of errors)

7. Concrete (it must be specific and contain valuable details)

What is the Document Development Life Cycle (DDLC)?

Stage 1. Analysis and planning (who/what/why)

Stage 2. Design (how does this need to be presented?)

Stage 3. Content Development (what info do we need to present? what does our audience need?)

Stage 4. Proofreading and Editing (does it accomplish its goals? any errors?)

Stage 5. Publishing (share your communications)

Stage 6. Maintenance* (when will it be reviewed?)

What are some networking tips?

• Preregister

• Volunteer

• Bring a friend

• Know your goal

• Arrive early

• Look at the nametags

• Scan the room

• Be open

• Line up for food

• Focus on others

Resume Writing

• 1-2 pages, well-spaced easy to read

• clear sections/layout

• titles, organization names and dates

• reverse chronological order

• consistent formatting

• bullet points with action verbs

• clear results

What is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?

• automatic application processing, reduces applications

• offer/rejection processes → auto-rejection tools

• strips formatting

Why automation?

• hundreds of applicants

• dozens of positions

• limited time

bypass the ATS with referrals provided by current employees

Cover Letter Writing

• 1 page

• correctly addressed

• clearly stated role and company

• use of examples

• connects experience to job requirements

• formal letter format

• correct information and contact

What are the different Interview Question Types?

about you:

• first question, break the ice, meet candidate, build trust

behavioural:

• expects a clear examples, most common, based on experience

  “tell us about a time when you worked in a team” (STAR/PAR method)

hypothetical:

• often linked to real challenge, shows your thought process

  “a team member is not completing their work on time. how would you deal with that?”

technical:

• knowledge/skill based, chance to show your comprehension

  “please explain how computer allocates memory”

brainteasers/tricks/problem solving:

• rare, generally poor practice

  “how many basketballs would fit in this room?”

How are interviews run?

Structured:

• prepared questions, clear processes, managed interactions

• documentation required, often a rubric/marking scheme

pros:

• more objectivity/less bias

• clear connection between jobs and questions

• legally defensible

cons:

• limited conversation, relies on preparation, limited recruiter discretion

Unstructured:

• general conversation, limited pre-planned questions, evaluated holistically, ranked by overall perception

pros:

• more opportunity to meet the candidate

• less formal, candidate may be more comfortable

• may highlight unexpected skills

cons:

• bias

• inconsistency/lack of connection to the role

• legal risk

What works well when virtual interviewing?

• clear, audible, strong internet, no background noise

• landscape orientation

• eye-level

• some gestures are ok

Explain Google’s team effectiveness research

Impact (least important)

Meaning

Structure and clarity

Dependability

Psychological safety (most important)

Explain Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Self-Actualization

Esteem

Social

Safety

Physiological

Explain McCelland Acquired-Needs Theory

Achievement

Affiliation

Power

Explain Tuckman stages of group development

Forming > Storming > Norming > Performing > Adjourning

Explain Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode

Competing

Avoiding

Compromising

Accommodating

Collaborating

Explain challenges with conflict

Isolating

Hijacking

Hitchhiking

Explain how to evaluate sources

• who wrote this?

• why did they write this?

• what do they have to gain?

• are they presenting facts or opionions?

Factual, verifiable information is better than opinions

What doesn’t need to be cited?

• your own experiences

• your own ideas

• your own images

• “common knowledge” ie information that the average educated reader would accept as reliable without having to look up

• if you’re unsure, cite

How to use IEEE Format

This sentence is an idea from Paper A [1].

“This quote comes from Paper A” [1, p. 23].

Reference list:

• in numerical order

• first reference = first citation in document

• clear indentation between number and reference

• must be the correct reference type

URLs:

• remove tracking links, provide the full URL

Explain how to summarize

Writing the main ideas in your own words

• must be cited

• must accurately represent the source

What is a fact? What is Ad-speak?

Fact:

A piece of information presented as having objective reality.

• VERIFIABLE

Ad-speak:

The sort of language used in advertisements, typified by bold claims and optimistic encouragement.

“This product is unbelievable good”

• vagueness, partial information, hyperbole, emotion

What are the types of misleading information?

Misinformation:

• false information that is not intended to cause harm

Disinformation:

• false information that is intended to manipulate, cause damage, or guide people, organisations, and countries in the wrong direction

Malinformation:

• information that stems from the truth but is often exaggerated in a way that misleads and causes potential harmm.

What is lateral reading?

Lateral reading is the act of evaluating the credibility of a source by comparing it with other sources. SIFT is a way to do lateral reading.

What is the SIFT method?

The SIFT method is a four-step strategy for evaluating the credibility of online information and sources.

Stop

• what did the article make you feel?

• does it make sense?

• who is the author?

Investigate

• who is the publisher?

• who is the author?

• what are their interests?

Find better coverage

• is this reported elsewhere?

• is it listed on fact checking sites?

• are there better sources?

Trace claims, quotes and media

• was it taken out of context?

• is it accurate to the original?

• has it been reframed?

What is the debunking approach?

Exposing and correcting misinformation by presenting factual evidence and clear explanations.

Explain Ethical AI Use/Concerns with AI

Concerns with AI

• environmental cost

• bias in training data

• missing context

• unknown data use

• leaking company data

• harmful outputs

• liabilities regulatory risks

What is Technical English? Jargon?

Goal of “Technical English”

• writing that is simple and universally understood

• ensures message is received correctly and efficiently by the audience

Jargon:

• the technical terminology or characteristic idiom of a special activity or group

• aka, important within a group and meaningless outside of a group

use short, simple words

remove unneccesary words

What is active voice? Passive voice?

Active voice:

Subject → verb → object

I kicked the ball

Susan rebooted the server

Passive voice:

• acceptable if you don’t care about the subject

Object → verb → subject

The server was rebooted by Susan

Formal vs Informal report

HaliHali Halibut report was informal.

Formal reports have:

• letter of transmittal

• title page

• summary

• table of contents

• list of tables/figures

• introduction

• discussion

• conclusions

• reccomendations

• glossary

• references

• appendices

What are the different types or reports?

Documentation:

• creating a permanent record

• often required for compliance

• justify future actions

Progress:

• creating a permanent record

• present facts and status

• identifies future work

Reccomendation:

• creating a permanent record

• present facts about options

• justify a future decision

Explain Report Structure (A3)

General formatting:

• single space text, non-heading font size between 10-12pt

• consistent font, no paragraph indentation

• left aligned, consistency

Executive Summary

• summarizes the rest of the report

• the last section written

• no new information provided

Context (A2)

• what was happening that caused the report to be written?

• who is this report for? what are you comparing? how will they be compared ** (the three criteria: ease of use, security, integration)

Details (A2)

• research

Comparison Table

Conclusion

• comparison of the products against the criteria

• should be objective

Reccomendations

• your informed suggestion of the best product

• can contain opinions

Headings/Lists/Illustrations

Headings

• clear, logical, identifiable

• seperate content

Lists

• we use lists to clarify and emphasize information

• must always start with a lead-in.

  Ex:

The following products will be reviewed: ← lead-in

• Product A

• Product B

• Product C

Numbered lists → only when order is important

Illustrations

Tables

• rows & columns

• usually contains numbers

• captions go on top of tables

Table 1. Number of students and chairs per tutorial in CSCI2100 Winter 2023

Figures

• any visual element except tables

• captions go below figures

• refer to the illustration by number (e.g. see Figure 9)

• use bold for figure/table numbers

What are instructions?

Introduction

• what is the context? who should follow these? what is required?

Step-by-Step Instructions

• step-by-step, action focused, chronological

• use the reader to complete a task

Conclusion Troubleshooting

• if readers could make a common mistake, add troubleshooting

• E.g. is the connection light is yellow, unplug and reattach the ethernet cable

Notes = helpful hints

Caution = prevent damage or instructions failing

Warnings = harm to the user

Danger = likely harm or death

What is CODS?

Basic principles of simplification

C - Comparison (X is similar to Y)

O - Outcome (what do i need you to understand)

D - Demonstration (show me!)

S - Stepping Stones (use what they already know)

How to have a professional tone

Professional tone

• be polite and clear

• ensure you are asking not demanding

• address people appropriately

• if in doubt → be more formal

Professional does not mean wordy

• clear simple sentences, short concise paragraphs, only relevant information

what are the CRAP principles? What makes good/bad slides?

C - Contrast (helps it stand out)

R - Repetition (consistency)

A - Alignment (quicker to read)

P - Proximity (clear relationship, keep like things next to eachother)

Slides should:

• enhance your presentation

• provide visual highlights

• guide your audience

• if using text make it big (32pt +)

• acknowledge sources

Slides should not:

• distract the audience

• be full of text

• cover everything

How might communicators cause harm?

Poor communication can cause real-world harm.

Unethical behaviour hurts everyone

• reduced trust in you/your company/in the profession

Understand your limitations

• be transparent, know what you don’t know, do further research

What are the Ethics in Technical Communication?

Don’t mislead

• don’t cause your reader to believe something false (lying, misrepresentation, plagiarism)

Don’t manipulate

• don’t peruade people to do something that is against their needs (provide alternatives, focus on your audience)

Don’t stereotype

• watch for biases, watch for gender assumptions (singular they, etc)

More info about the HaliHali Halibut report

What did your audience need?

• simple, non-technical information

• focused on their criteria

• comparison of options

• professional and formal tone

report:

• simple, short sentences/paragraphs

• active voice

• clear layout/headings

• easy to skim

presentation:

• cohesive and consistent

• free of errors

• trustworthy presentation, builds trust

does the information match the visual? check facts before communicating.