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.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
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?
Sunday, May 17, 2009
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.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
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.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
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.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
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?
Sunday, April 19, 2009
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?
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Week 2, Chapter 2: Developing Team, Listening and Etiquette Skills
A team is defined as a group of three or more people who interact over time to achieve a goal or a purpose (Guffey). You probably have participated in a number of teams throughout your life. Examples include Boy and Girl Scout troops, sports teams, school clubs, theater groups, music groups, and dozens of others, including workplace committees.
Select one of the teams you have participated in and describe it to us. Be sure to tell us how many were in the team, what the team’s goal was, and whether the goal was accomplished. Be specific.
Select one of the teams you have participated in and describe it to us. Be sure to tell us how many were in the team, what the team’s goal was, and whether the goal was accomplished. Be specific.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Week 1: Introduction to blogging
We will be studying how communication is an important part of your success not only in getting the job, but in succeeding at it. Each week, there will be an assignment related to the textbook reading and lecture. Read the postings by your classmates as well as posting your own response.
Between now and 5 p.m. Friday, April 10, enter a comment on this post. Your comment can be as simple as "hello everyone" or as detailed as you wish. See the instructions on the right side of the screen if you are new to blogging. For this week only, you will receive five points for participation. The goal is to be sure you are registered and able to participate on this blog before the formal blogging assignments begin in Week 2 (April 13 through April 17). Once the formal assignments begin, you will be able to earn up to 10 points depending on the quality of your response. Feel free to scroll down and click on "archives" to see what other students in previous classes have written.
Between now and 5 p.m. Friday, April 10, enter a comment on this post. Your comment can be as simple as "hello everyone" or as detailed as you wish. See the instructions on the right side of the screen if you are new to blogging. For this week only, you will receive five points for participation. The goal is to be sure you are registered and able to participate on this blog before the formal blogging assignments begin in Week 2 (April 13 through April 17). Once the formal assignments begin, you will be able to earn up to 10 points depending on the quality of your response. Feel free to scroll down and click on "archives" to see what other students in previous classes have written.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Week 6, Presentations (final blog assignment)
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?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Week 5, Chapter 5: Communicating in person, in meetings, by telephone and digitally
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.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Week 4, Chapter 4: Routine Email Messages and Memos
Should companies have the right to monitor employees’ email and instant messages? Explain why or why not. Also, are there some factors you think would change your opinion, such as if the company had a clearly written policy that all employees had to sign? Any other factors that might affect the issue?
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Week 3, Chapter 3: Communicating 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?
Note that this week’s assignment as well as those to follow will be worth a maximum of ten points: up to five points for appropriate and respectful responses that fully address the issue and up to five for grammatical and error-free writing.
Note that this week’s assignment as well as those to follow will be worth a maximum of ten points: up to five points for appropriate and respectful responses that fully address the issue and up to five for grammatical and error-free writing.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Week 2, Introduction to blogging
We will be studying how communication is an important part of your success not only in getting the job, but in succeeding at it. Each week, there will be an assignment related to the textbook reading and lecture. Read the postings by your classmates as well as posting your own response.
Between now and 5 p.m. Friday, January 16, enter a comment on this post. Your comment can be as simple as "hello everyone" or as detailed as you wish. See the instructions on the right side of the screen if you are new to blogging. For this week only, you will receive five points for participation. The goal is to be sure you are registered and able to participate on this blog before the formal blogging assignments begin in Week 3 (January 19 through January 23). Once the formal assignments begin, you will be able to earn up to 10 points depending on the quality of your response. Feel free to scroll down and click on "archives" to see what other students in previous classes have written.
Between now and 5 p.m. Friday, January 16, enter a comment on this post. Your comment can be as simple as "hello everyone" or as detailed as you wish. See the instructions on the right side of the screen if you are new to blogging. For this week only, you will receive five points for participation. The goal is to be sure you are registered and able to participate on this blog before the formal blogging assignments begin in Week 3 (January 19 through January 23). Once the formal assignments begin, you will be able to earn up to 10 points depending on the quality of your response. Feel free to scroll down and click on "archives" to see what other students in previous classes have written.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Posting by jenny
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/19/peer-to-peer-telephone-service
I found this article on nytimes.com. It is about a telephone service over the internet using computers. The difference with this service and others is that Ooma carrys the calls over the internet and then completes the call using regular telephone service. But people only have to pay for local charges, [and] this service will eliminate long distance charges. It's kinda interesting to see how technology has changed in the last few years. Personally I wish that technology would stop changing. People keep coming up with things that are newer and better than the last. I think that is people keep doing this that we are eventually gonna be able to communicate without actually communicating. Almost like a science fiction movie or book. The cars are gonna change and the phone service and the television, soon it will be a completly different world. I thought this article was interesting because I was aware of the new service of calling on the internet to replace the telephone butI was not aware of this. It is also interesting that is how expensive it sounds to me. I would almost rather not have a way to talk on the phone than pay $399.00. I hope you find this article as interesting as I did.
by Jenny
I found this article on nytimes.com. It is about a telephone service over the internet using computers. The difference with this service and others is that Ooma carrys the calls over the internet and then completes the call using regular telephone service. But people only have to pay for local charges, [and] this service will eliminate long distance charges. It's kinda interesting to see how technology has changed in the last few years. Personally I wish that technology would stop changing. People keep coming up with things that are newer and better than the last. I think that is people keep doing this that we are eventually gonna be able to communicate without actually communicating. Almost like a science fiction movie or book. The cars are gonna change and the phone service and the television, soon it will be a completly different world. I thought this article was interesting because I was aware of the new service of calling on the internet to replace the telephone butI was not aware of this. It is also interesting that is how expensive it sounds to me. I would almost rather not have a way to talk on the phone than pay $399.00. I hope you find this article as interesting as I did.
by Jenny
Friday, November 23, 2007
Posting by kj
www.literalminded.wordpress.com "Condiment Coordination" Posted October 21, 2007 by Neal Whitman
Although I admire the mind power this type of word coordination and this topic uses, it makes my head spin! It is like an algebra equation for writing/speaking. LOL. I am sure with practice this word coordination would be easily recognized, but until today, I had no idea it even existed. Of course, now that I have been exposed to it, I unwillingly will start recognizing all the word coordination mix-ups that my children will offer me on a daily basis.
by kj
Although I admire the mind power this type of word coordination and this topic uses, it makes my head spin! It is like an algebra equation for writing/speaking. LOL. I am sure with practice this word coordination would be easily recognized, but until today, I had no idea it even existed. Of course, now that I have been exposed to it, I unwillingly will start recognizing all the word coordination mix-ups that my children will offer me on a daily basis.
by kj
Posting by becky h.
Article: "New Language Features Introduced on DNR Phone Service" By Patty MurrayMonday, November 5, 2007.
"The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is going bilingual. The agency is launching one of the country’s first multi-language customer help lines aimed at hunters and sportsmen. Callers to the DNR’s customer help center will her that the agency not only has longer hours, but that languages other than English are nowavailable. The line is staffed to answer people whose primary languagesare Hmong or Spanish.The DNR is using existing staff to answer questions, and it hired people who speak Spanish or Hmong to fill vacancies. Secretary Matt Frank says it hasn’t cost his agency any more money to offer the bilingual service, and he says it will better serve everyone who has a question about licensing or regulations. He says he can’t say how many people with limited English proficiency who maybe speak Hmong or Spanish have tried to call in the past. He says it may be that people just assumed they wouldn’t be able to get an answer. He says they want it possible for everyone to call. One doesn’t even have to use a phone to get customer service. Frank says customer service representatives will be able to answer questions via online chats through the DNR’s website.The expanded customer services quietly went into effect in June. More than 16,000 calls were taken last month and Frank expects that number to rise as more people become aware, and as more questions arise as the gun-deer season approaches later this month.The toll-free information number is 1-888-WDNR-INF."
Becky's comments on the above article: I found this article to be very interesting because it shows that even though we think we are doing a good job communicating there are ways that we can improve. If someone does not understand the language, the rules and laws mean nothing. With the rapid changes in technology we sometimes forget the basics. Understanding what is being communicated, whether it is written or communicated verbally has to be interpreted by the receiver to be effective. If a language barrier exists, effective communication can not happen. According to this article, adding abilingual staff, will not only help with the phone calls but also with any questions online. Language is a great communication tool if everyone can understand what is being said.
by becky h.
"The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is going bilingual. The agency is launching one of the country’s first multi-language customer help lines aimed at hunters and sportsmen. Callers to the DNR’s customer help center will her that the agency not only has longer hours, but that languages other than English are nowavailable. The line is staffed to answer people whose primary languagesare Hmong or Spanish.The DNR is using existing staff to answer questions, and it hired people who speak Spanish or Hmong to fill vacancies. Secretary Matt Frank says it hasn’t cost his agency any more money to offer the bilingual service, and he says it will better serve everyone who has a question about licensing or regulations. He says he can’t say how many people with limited English proficiency who maybe speak Hmong or Spanish have tried to call in the past. He says it may be that people just assumed they wouldn’t be able to get an answer. He says they want it possible for everyone to call. One doesn’t even have to use a phone to get customer service. Frank says customer service representatives will be able to answer questions via online chats through the DNR’s website.The expanded customer services quietly went into effect in June. More than 16,000 calls were taken last month and Frank expects that number to rise as more people become aware, and as more questions arise as the gun-deer season approaches later this month.The toll-free information number is 1-888-WDNR-INF."
Becky's comments on the above article: I found this article to be very interesting because it shows that even though we think we are doing a good job communicating there are ways that we can improve. If someone does not understand the language, the rules and laws mean nothing. With the rapid changes in technology we sometimes forget the basics. Understanding what is being communicated, whether it is written or communicated verbally has to be interpreted by the receiver to be effective. If a language barrier exists, effective communication can not happen. According to this article, adding abilingual staff, will not only help with the phone calls but also with any questions online. Language is a great communication tool if everyone can understand what is being said.
by becky h.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Posting by j.p.derrick
http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=177#comments
Yes, without all the hidden humor in our beloved English language, it would be most dull. I have taken 6+ years of Spanish (which the reply post to the blog deemed the language of love?) and there are not nearly as many ways to have fun with words. I didn't learn how to effectively communicate in Spanish until I got out of high school and into a job where Spanish was the only language we spoke! Then it was sink or swim.
by j.p.derrick
Yes, without all the hidden humor in our beloved English language, it would be most dull. I have taken 6+ years of Spanish (which the reply post to the blog deemed the language of love?) and there are not nearly as many ways to have fun with words. I didn't learn how to effectively communicate in Spanish until I got out of high school and into a job where Spanish was the only language we spoke! Then it was sink or swim.
by j.p.derrick
Posting by nicole steele
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/arts/televison/14watc.html?_r=18&oref=slogin (note--you will need to log in to see the nytimes articles. It's free)
This article is about how on television there has been more racial and diversity remarks. People have been questioning this because who knows who will watch it. It could be very young children [who] can have bad responses toward diversity. People are saying racial remarks are too sensitive to be on television. [There] even has been talk about gays being on television as well. People have over time been more used to hearing jokes and remarks toward diversity. But there have been a lot of racial remarks that have become very defensive toward a group of people. The N.A.A.C.P. and also Congress are asking African-American artists to watch their language. It was only known that only non-white comedians can use racial remarks, but even that has become a problem. People still watch and listen to all these different media. I think it is in result that not everyone can be happy about what is shown on television regarding language. I think if people don't like it, they do not have to watch or listen to what is going on. The racial remarks will be on television because people think it is funny. I don't think racial and gay remarks will ever change. People will always hear it and will not like it. I think if people do not want to listen and hear about the racial remarks, they do not have to listen to it. People think it is funny and that is why it has become so popular on television. I believe it is your own choice to watch and listen to something that you think is wrong or right. On television they don't do it to harm and offend others. It is on television so people can joke about the fact how everyone is so serious about everything. People need to realize that not everything is meant to make others upset, and take it so personally.
by nicole steele
This article is about how on television there has been more racial and diversity remarks. People have been questioning this because who knows who will watch it. It could be very young children [who] can have bad responses toward diversity. People are saying racial remarks are too sensitive to be on television. [There] even has been talk about gays being on television as well. People have over time been more used to hearing jokes and remarks toward diversity. But there have been a lot of racial remarks that have become very defensive toward a group of people. The N.A.A.C.P. and also Congress are asking African-American artists to watch their language. It was only known that only non-white comedians can use racial remarks, but even that has become a problem. People still watch and listen to all these different media. I think it is in result that not everyone can be happy about what is shown on television regarding language. I think if people don't like it, they do not have to watch or listen to what is going on. The racial remarks will be on television because people think it is funny. I don't think racial and gay remarks will ever change. People will always hear it and will not like it. I think if people do not want to listen and hear about the racial remarks, they do not have to listen to it. People think it is funny and that is why it has become so popular on television. I believe it is your own choice to watch and listen to something that you think is wrong or right. On television they don't do it to harm and offend others. It is on television so people can joke about the fact how everyone is so serious about everything. People need to realize that not everything is meant to make others upset, and take it so personally.
by nicole steele
Posting by tspence
http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=170
I thought this article was very interesting. It was great to hear how some of the words we perceive to be right, actually come from something else. It reminds me of being around toddlers that can not speak very well.
by tspence
I thought this article was very interesting. It was great to hear how some of the words we perceive to be right, actually come from something else. It reminds me of being around toddlers that can not speak very well.
by tspence
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