08 communication skills

Communication skills Oral communication is the ability to explain and present your ideas in clear English, to diverse audiences This includes the ability to tailor your delivery to a given audience, using appropriate styles and approaches, and an understanding of the importance of non-verbal cues in oral communication Oral communication requires the background skills of presenting, audience awareness, critical listening and body language Written communication is the ability to write effectively in a range of contexts and for a variety of different audiences and purposes, with a command of the English language This includes the ability to tailor your writing to a given audience, using appropriate styles and approaches It also encompasses electronic communication such as SMS, email, discussion boards, chat rooms and instant messaging Written communication requires background skills such as academic writing, revision and editing, critical reading and presentation of data Non-verbal communication is the ability to enhance the expression of ideas and concepts without the use of coherent labels, through the use of body language, gestures, facial expression and tone of voice, and also the use of pictures, icons and symbols Non-verbal communication requires background skills such as audience awareness, personal presentation and body language Background Skills Revision and editing is applying techniques to improve writing or presentation Proofreading for spelling, grammar and style Presentation skills is using appropriate technologies and techniques to present information to an audience (for example, in a tutorial, seminar, lecture or meeting) Academic writing skills is: - Writing in order to analyse a topic closely, develop a point of view in relation to that topic through research and thought, and persuade your reader that the point of view you have developed is well supported by the ideas and information you present (for example, an essay, poster, paper or thesis) - Writing a clearly structured document that presents an account of what has happened in a practical session or as part of an experiment (for example, an experimental report or journal) Audience awareness is: - Understanding the needs, experience and level of understanding of an audience (for example, the public, students, employers, stakeholders) - Displaying sensitivity to your audience in organising and presenting ideas, and responding to feedback (for example, favouring plain language over jargon when communicating with the general public) - Understanding the particular perspective of professionals in your field and communicating appropriately with colleagues (for example, presenting data at a seminar in a standard style for that field) Critical listening/reading is: - An awareness of both the content of the message and the style and method of communication, and an understanding of how the content and method combine to create the meaning of the message (for example, results published in a scientific paper may be given more credibility than results presented at a departmental seminar) - Actively listening, reading or viewing information to gain a complete and accurate understanding of the communicated message (for example, noting the steps in a presented argument, or extracting specific detail from an academic paper) Personal presentation and body language is an understanding of and ability to use gestures, expressions and non-verbal cues to help communicate a message (for example, using changing the tone and volume of your voice to convey emotion and feeling, or controlling posture and nervous gestures to present confidence) Presentation of technical or scientific data is an understanding of the use of images, graphs and other methods to present data simply and concisely (for example, using appropriate graphing techniques in a scientific report, or well-chosen graphics to convey a concept) Example Below is a set of activities, identified by one student, that illustrates the development of communication skills Identify the communication skills that match the highlighted words in the following passage Zarina is a member of the Science Society and has been designated as the society representative at the faculty welcome for new students at the beginning of the year She has to meet with the faculty publicity manager to talk about what she is expected to present, and for how long She then has to contact the other speakers to find out what they will be doing so that there is no overlap Once she has planned her speech, and written an outline on slides, she practises with friends in the lecture theatre to make sure she has the right timing and that she knows how to use microphones and projectors On the day of the presentation she watches earlier speakers carefully to gauge the interests of the audience With this in mind she can then ad lib an introduction to ‘click’ with the students and better get across the message Answers meet with the faculty publicity manager to discuss what to present, and for how long = presentation planned her speech, and written an outline on slides, she practises with friends in the lecture theatre = Revision and editing how to use microphones and projectors = presentation gauge the interests of the audience = Audience awareness ad lib an introduction to ‘click’ with the students and better get across the message = Audience awareness, presentation Example Below is a set of activities, identified by one student, that illustrates the development of communication skills Identify the communication skills that match the highlighted words in the following passage Ethan is carrying out an individual project on coastal management as part of a senior geography unit During the planning, field work and presentation of his findings he has to prepare a number of different written reviews Before beginning field work he has to read the relevant literature and make a summary of what is known and where there may be contentious issues He then writes a brief one page proposal of his project giving background information, a timeline of data collection in the field, and the equipment needed While working in the field he has to keep careful records of all information collected and transcribe these to a data base on a regular basis At the end of the project he is asked to prepare a short talk for the class on his aims and findings and writes these as short statements on overheads Finally he prepares a 10 page report, to be read by a local council environment committee, on the results, and outcomes of the research This requires a more detailed review of related work, a description of the methods he used, and a presentation of analysis of his results The discussion requires a critical review of his findings as compared to other studies, proposals for implementation by the council, and a section describing possible extensions to the project Answers carrying out an individual project = critical reading a summary of what is known = revision and editing brief one page proposal = academic writing prepare a short talk for the class = presentation writes these as short statements on overheads = Editing, presentation prepares a 10 page report, to be read by a local council environment committee = audience awareness, academic writing critical review of his findings and proposals for implementation by the council = critical editing Example Below is a set of activities, identified by one student, that illustrates the development of communication skills Identify the communication skills that match the highlighted words in the following passage Isabella has been listed as coordinator of a tutorial discussion group reviewing microbiology research papers It is her job in the first week to assign readings to some members of the tutorial group and make sure that they are prepared to present a summary of their paper in the next tutorial She gives a brief introduction to the topic at the beginning of the tutorial and then introduces each speaker At the end of the presentation she has to oversee a general discussion among the tutorial group She needs to be careful that she doesn’t all the talking, allows everyone to give their views, encourages quieter group members to participate and appreciates the overall views of the group to present a final conclusion Answers coordinator of a tutorial discussion group to assign readings = critical reading present a summary of their paper = academic writing brief introduction to the topic and presentation introduces each speaker = revision and editing, all the talking, allows everyone to give their views = audience awareness quieter group members to participate and appreciates the overall views of the group to present a final conclusion = presentation ... activities, identified by one student, that illustrates the development of communication skills Identify the communication skills that match the highlighted words in the following passage Zarina is a member... activities, identified by one student, that illustrates the development of communication skills Identify the communication skills that match the highlighted words in the following passage Ethan is carrying... activities, identified by one student, that illustrates the development of communication skills Identify the communication skills that match the highlighted words in the following passage Isabella has been