CISSE Foundation Level
Communication Skills and Ethics in Information Systems cheat sheet
Every chapter's key points, formulas and definitions on one page, for the last week before the exam. Each heading links to the chapter that explains it.
Introduction to communication
- Communication is the process of sharing meaning between a sender and a receiver through a mutually understood system of symbols.
- Its core elements are the sender (encoder), the message, the channel, the receiver (decoder), feedback and noise, the vocabulary every later chapter is explained in.
- Internal communication flows within the organisation and external communication with outside parties; formal communication follows official channels, while informal communication such as the grapevine is fast but unverified.
- Communication ranges in scale from intrapersonal (with oneself) and interpersonal, through small group, to public communication by one speaker to a larger audience.
- Globalisation, technology, organisational complexity and remote or hybrid working have all made deliberate communication skill more important, not less.
Key terms
- Communication
- The process of sharing meaning between a sender and a receiver through a mutually understood system of symbols.
- Sender / Encoder
- The party originating the message and converting an idea into words, symbols or gestures.
- Message
- The idea, information or feeling being communicated.
- Channel / Medium
- The route the message travels, speech, writing, a phone call, an email.
- Receiver / Decoder
- The party interpreting the message.
- Feedback
- The receiver's response, confirming (or failing to confirm) that the message was understood as intended.
- Noise
- Anything that distorts or interferes with the message between sender and receiver (see the barriers in the chapter on the communication process).
- Formal communication
- Follows the organisation's official channels and structure, e.g. a report through the chain of command; documented and attributable.
- Informal communication
- Flows outside official channels, casual conversation, the office “grapevine”; fast but unverified and easily distorted.
- Intrapersonal communication
- Communication with oneself, internal thought, self-talk, personal reflection before a decision or a difficult conversation.
- Interpersonal communication
- Communication between two or more people, the everyday exchange this whole paper is mostly concerned with.
- Small group communication
- Exchange among a limited number of participants working toward a shared goal, e.g. a project team meeting (see the chapter on meetings).
- Public communication
- One speaker addressing a larger audience with limited opportunity for immediate two-way exchange, e.g. a public speech (see the chapter on presentation skills).
The rest of the sheet covers
- The communication process
- Written and visual communication
- Verbal and oral communication
- Non-verbal communication
- Presentation skills
- Planning and conducting interviews
- Planning and conducting meetings
- Report writing
- Technology and communication
- Ethics and integrity in communication
- Ethical issues in ICT
- Exam technique and revision
- Glossary