Week 9, Reflection

A reflection paper or presentation is often used in colleges to identify how well students are able to apply course concepts. For this posting (which should be more in depth and longer than previous postings) tell us the following:
1) Explain what you learned and the insights you had from completing the blog assignments. Be specific.
2) Include what you learned from reading the comments posted by your classmates.
3) Identify which blog assignment you felt contributed the most to your professional communications skills.
This is your final blogging assignment and is worth 20 points.

Week 8: The workplace of the future

Read the article titled, “When Gen X Runs the Show,” at http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1898024_1898023_1898086,00.html What is your reaction? What special skill do you have (or need to develop) that will help you in the workplace described in the article?

Week 7: Communication competence

Describe someone you know (a mentor, family member, boss, co-worker, teacher, friend) who is a good communicator. Explain what you think this person does that makes him or her a good communicator. Be specific. For example, my father was a good communicator. He listened carefully, he thought before he spoke, and he did not digress from the main topic.

Week 6: Interpersonal communications isn’t just in the workplace

Read the following article titled, “Words Don’t Mean What They Mean” by Steve Pinker at http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1659772,00.html Describe your reaction to the article, and how what you’ve learned from it can be applied to the workplace. Be specific.

Week 5: Take the week off from blogging

To give you some extra time to prepare for your presentations, there is no blog assignment this week. Be sure to check back next week.

Week 4, Chapter 5: Presentations

Describe an effective presentation that you attended in person. This can be a meeting, a workshop, a training session, or anything where one person presented information to a group of three or more people in a business setting. In your opinion, was it effective? Why or why not? Did the speaker use visual aids such as slides, handouts, or other objects? If so, were they effective? What would you have done differently?

Week 3, Chapter 3: Communication across cultures

Give an example from your own life, either personal or professional, where you interacted with someone from another culture. Was the interaction effective, i.e. did the message result in appropriate action or response? If no, how could the communication have been improved? If yes, what made the communication work?