You're a capable communicator, but you sometimes
experience communication problems. Take the time to think about your
approach to communication, and focus on receiving messages effectively,
as much as sending them. This will help you improve. (Read
below to start.)
(Questions 2, 11)
Your score is 7 out of 10
Before
you start communicating, take a moment to figure out what you want to
say, and why. Don't waste your time conveying information that isn't
necessary â and don't waste the listener or reader's time either. Too
often, people just keep talking or keep writing â because they think
that by saying more, they'll surely cover all the points. Often,
however, all they do is confuse the people they're talking to.
To
plan your communication :
- Understand your objective. Why are you communicating?
- Understand your audience. With whom are you communicating? What do they need to know?
- Plan what you want to say, and how you'll send the message.
- Seek feedback on how well your message was received.
When you do this, you'll be able to craft a message that will be received positively by your audience.
Good communicators use the
KISS
("Keep It Simple and Straightforward") principle. They know that
less is often more, and that good communication should be efficient as
well as effective.
Encoding â Creating a Clear, Well-Crafted Message
(Questions 1, 5, 8, 10, 15)
Your score is 15 out of 25
When
you know what you want to say, decide exactly how you'll say it. You're
responsible for sending a message that's clear and concise. To achieve
this, you need to consider not only what you'll say, but also how you
think the recipient will perceive it.
We often focus on the
message that we want to send, and the way in which we'll send it. But if
our message is delivered without considering the other person's
perspective, it's likely that part of that message will be lost. To
communicate more effectively:
- Understand what you truly need and want to say.
- Anticipate the other person's reaction to your message.
- Choose words and body language that allow the other person to really hear what you're saying.
With
written communication
, make sure that what you write will be perceived the way you
intend. Words on a page generally have no emotion â they don't "smile"
or "frown" at you while you're reading them (unless you're a very
talented writer, of course!)
When writing, take time to do the following:
- Review your style.
- Avoid jargon or slang.
- Check your grammar and punctuation.
- Check
also for tone, attitude, nuance, and other subtleties. If you think the
message may be misunderstood, it probably will. Take the time to
clarify it!
- Familiarize yourself with your company's writing policies.
Another
important consideration is to use pictures, charts, and diagrams
wherever possible. As the saying goes, "a picture speaks a thousand
words." Our article on
charts and graphs has some great tips that help you to use these to communicate clearly.
Also, whether you speak or write your message, consider the
cultural context
. If there's potential for miscommunication or misunderstanding
due to cultural or language barriers, address these issues in advance.
Consult with people who are familiar with these, and do your research so
that you're aware of problems you may face. See our article on
Effective Cross-Culture Communication for more help.
Choosing the Right Channel
(Questions 7, 11, 13)
Your score is 11 out of 15
Along
with encoding the message, you need to choose the best communication
channel to use to send it. You want to be efficient, and yet make the
most of your communication opportunity.
Using email to send simple
directions is practical. However, if you want to delegate a complex
task, an email will probably just lead to more questions, so it may be
best to arrange a time to speak in person. And if your communication has
any negative emotional content, stay well away from email! Make sure
that you communicate face to face or by phone, so that you can judge the
impact of your words and adjust these appropriately.
When you determine the best way to send a message, consider the following:
- The sensitivity and emotional content of the subject.
- How easy it is to communicate detail.
- The receiver's preferences.
- Time constraints.
- The need to ask and answer questions.
Decoding â Receiving and Interpreting a Message
(Questions 3, 6, 12, 14)
Your score is 14 out of 20
It
can be easy to focus on speaking; we want to get our points out there,
because we usually have lots to say. However, to be a great
communicator, you also need to step back, let the other person talk, and
just listen.
This doesn't mean that you should be passive. Listening is hard work, which is why effective listening is called
active listening . To listen actively, give your undivided attention to the speaker:
- Look at the person.
- Pay attention to his or her body language.
- Avoid distractions.
- Nod and smile to acknowledge points.
- Occasionally think back about what the person has said.
- Allow the person to speak, without thinking about what you'll say next.
- Don't interrupt.
Empathic listening
also helps you decode a message accurately. To understand a
message fully, you have to understand the emotions and underlying
feelings the speaker is expressing. This is where an understanding of
body language can be useful.
Feedback
(Questions 4, 9)
Your score is 6 out of 10
You
need feedback, because without it, you can't be sure that people have
understood your message. Sometimes feedback is verbal, and sometimes
it's not. We've looked at the importance of asking questions and
listening carefully. However, feedback through
body language
is perhaps the most important source of clues to the
effectiveness of your communication. By watching the facial expressions,
gestures, and posture of the person you're communicating with, you can
spot:
- Confidence levels.
- Defensiveness.
- Agreement.
- Comprehension (or lack of understanding).
- Level of interest.
- Level of engagement with the message.
- Truthfulness (or lying/dishonesty).
The Source ââ¬â Planning Your Message
(Questions 2, 11)
Your score is 7 out of 10
Before
you start communicating, take a moment to figure out what you want to
say, and why. Don't waste your time conveying information that isn't
necessary â and don't waste the listener or reader's time either. Too
often, people just keep talking or keep writing â because they think
that by saying more, they'll surely cover all the points. Often,
however, all they do is confuse the people they're talking to.
To
plan your communication :
- Understand your objective. Why are you communicating?
- Understand your audience. With whom are you communicating? What do they need to know?
- Plan what you want to say, and how you'll send the message.
- Seek feedback on how well your message was received.
When you do this, you'll be able to craft a message that will be received positively by your audience.
Good communicators use the
KISS
("Keep It Simple and Straightforward") principle. They know that
less is often more, and that good communication should be efficient as
well as effective.
Encoding â Creating a Clear, Well-Crafted Message
(Questions 1, 5, 8, 10, 15)
Your score is 15 out of 25
When
you know what you want to say, decide exactly how you'll say it. You're
responsible for sending a message that's clear and concise. To achieve
this, you need to consider not only what you'll say, but also how you
think the recipient will perceive it.
We often focus on the
message that we want to send, and the way in which we'll send it. But if
our message is delivered without considering the other person's
perspective, it's likely that part of that message will be lost. To
communicate more effectively:
- Understand what you truly need and want to say.
- Anticipate the other person's reaction to your message.
- Choose words and body language that allow the other person to really hear what you're saying.
With
written communication
, make sure that what you write will be perceived the way you
intend. Words on a page generally have no emotion â they don't "smile"
or "frown" at you while you're reading them (unless you're a very
talented writer, of course!)
When writing, take time to do the following:
- Review your style.
- Avoid jargon or slang.
- Check your grammar and punctuation.
- Check
also for tone, attitude, nuance, and other subtleties. If you think the
message may be misunderstood, it probably will. Take the time to
clarify it!
- Familiarize yourself with your company's writing policies.
Another
important consideration is to use pictures, charts, and diagrams
wherever possible. As the saying goes, "a picture speaks a thousand
words." Our article on
charts and graphs has some great tips that help you to use these to communicate clearly.
Also, whether you speak or write your message, consider the
cultural context
. If there's potential for miscommunication or misunderstanding
due to cultural or language barriers, address these issues in advance.
Consult with people who are familiar with these, and do your research so
that you're aware of problems you may face. See our article on
Effective Cross-Culture Communication for more help.
Choosing the Right Channel
(Questions 7, 11, 13)
Your score is 11 out of 15
Along
with encoding the message, you need to choose the best communication
channel to use to send it. You want to be efficient, and yet make the
most of your communication opportunity.
Using email to send simple
directions is practical. However, if you want to delegate a complex
task, an email will probably just lead to more questions, so it may be
best to arrange a time to speak in person. And if your communication has
any negative emotional content, stay well away from email! Make sure
that you communicate face to face or by phone, so that you can judge the
impact of your words and adjust these appropriately.
When you determine the best way to send a message, consider the following:
- The sensitivity and emotional content of the subject.
- How easy it is to communicate detail.
- The receiver's preferences.
- Time constraints.
- The need to ask and answer questions.
Decoding â Receiving and Interpreting a Message
(Questions 3, 6, 12, 14)
Your score is 14 out of 20
It
can be easy to focus on speaking; we want to get our points out there,
because we usually have lots to say. However, to be a great
communicator, you also need to step back, let the other person talk, and
just listen.
This doesn't mean that you should be passive. Listening is hard work, which is why effective listening is called
active listening . To listen actively, give your undivided attention to the speaker:
- Look at the person.
- Pay attention to his or her body language.
- Avoid distractions.
- Nod and smile to acknowledge points.
- Occasionally think back about what the person has said.
- Allow the person to speak, without thinking about what you'll say next.
- Don't interrupt.
Empathic listening
also helps you decode a message accurately. To understand a
message fully, you have to understand the emotions and underlying
feelings the speaker is expressing. This is where an understanding of
body language can be useful.
Feedback
(Questions 4, 9)
Your score is 6 out of 10
You
need feedback, because without it, you can't be sure that people have
understood your message. Sometimes feedback is verbal, and sometimes
it's not. We've looked at the importance of asking questions and
listening carefully. However, feedback through
body language
is perhaps the most important source of clues to the
effectiveness of your communication. By watching the facial expressions,
gestures, and posture of the person you're communicating with, you can
spot:
- Confidence levels.
- Defensiveness.
- Agreement.
- Comprehension (or lack of understanding).
- Level of interest.
- Level of engagement with the message.
- Truthfulness (or lying/dishonesty).
Part 2:
Review the feedback of your quiz results and create a refection
discussing your results. You will write a one to two (1-2) page paper in
which you:
- Summarize the results of your communication quiz by keeping the following questions in mind:
- What kind of communicator did you believe you were prior to taking the quiz?
- After taking the communication quiz, what did the results tell you about how you really communicate?
- Provide
a conclusion that discusses lessons learned after taking the
communication quiz. Next describe three (3) characteristics of an
effective communicator; then, suggest two (2) ways you can improve your
own communication
- Use correct sentence mechanics, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
- Be
typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with 1-inch
margins on all sides. Check with your professor for any additional
instructions.
- Include a cover page containing the title of the
assignment, studentâs name, professorâs name, course, and date. (The
cover page is not included in the required page count.)
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
- Demonstrate understanding of the basic fundamentals of communication.
- Develop
and practice communication skills, including skills in verbal,
nonverbal, listening, writing, interpersonal, perception, and critical
thinking as appropriate for the audience.
- Analyze and assess effective communication.
- Use correct sentence mechanics, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.
- Use technology and information resources to research issues in communications.
- Write clearly and concisely about communications using proper writing mechanics.
