chuka,
Good point....Communication tells and shows people what you know and can do.
Shelly Crider
Emeka,
This is a must! As our society grows more and more global, communication is key!
Shelly Crider
encouraging effective listening skills is a very important part of developing verbal and non-verbal communication.
ALWAYS LET THE STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS THEY ARE ABLE TO CONVEY TO OTHER PEOPLE THAT THEY ARE. INTERNALIZING KNOWLEDGE IS NOT INTELLIGENCE IF IT CANNOT BE ACTIVELY AND EFFECTIVELY EXPRESSED
The point you emphasized is vert critical to appreciating the role of effective communication as a skill. We should ensure that aur student s understand the need to communicate with people irrespective of differences in language and cultures.
Lloyd,
Communication, being listening, speaking, or email, is so important to today's professional.
Shelly Crider
In today’s fast paced world communications is the key for a good career. With any career, people are asked for more productivity with fewer resources than some to prove their worth. Effective communication skills will help students succeed, and will be more effective for those who work at it. On a daily basis remind students the effective communication is an essential component for future success, no matter what level it refers to like inter, intra, group or mass levels.
Four key areas for improving effective communication are: Writing skills, Reading skills, Speaking skills, and Listening skills.
Writing skills help to convey ideas and thoughts more clearly when you are trying to express them to others; helps to filter the information making it more precise and to the point.
Reading skills help with self-aspirations giving a person more self-confidence and motivation. Reading helps with improving the way a person express themselves, as well as books are temples of knowledge for personal enhancement.
Speaking skills are very important and will give them self-confidence, knowledge and a good delivery. Good speaking skills will show that a person knows the information and message, know when to give importance to certain things, and they know the facts to be able to respond to questions they may arise.
Listening skills can be paramount of all skills needed for effective communication. A good listener will take time to listen, show interest, not interrupt, and summarize to clarify what has been said. By being a good listener one will be able to illustrate to others effective traits that welcome in a variety of views, thoughts and ideas from others.
Ranee,
I can certainly see this to be true.
Shelly Crider
In the Cosmetology profession commuication is very important, verbal and non-verbal as well as having good listening skills, the students are taught how to watch for non-verbal communication from their clients, because sometime the client will not tell you that they don't like what you are doing, but their body language will let you know that something is not right allowing you the oppertunity to fix things before completing the whole service.
charles,
I like how make sure students can speak with people they know and do not know. Sometimes we get comfortable which may not be professional.
Shelly Crider
By trying to have them understand the need to be able to communicate openly in public and with others that they dont know.
Rita,
nice post and you are right on track. So many people simply do not think the soft skills are needed or that they have them as they are yelling at you.
Shelly Crider
It seems to me that the simple truth is that most jobs are gotten and lost through excelling in or lacking in soft skills, a great part which is communicating effectively with others. I teach writing and communication, and the course content here is correct--students are very skeptical of soft skills; they think getting a job and excelling at a career is all about hard skills or technical skills. My classes are all about soft skills, but I often discuss this issue with my students. Sometimes they do basic research about it and are surprised to learn that good effective communication skills is key to success.
melissa,
I love the open ended questions! It is too easy to simply say I agree or disagree, but to have to eloborate is a concept that builds better communication.
Shelly Crider
I think value can only be realized experientially. I give examples of situations where different types of communication was used and why. I focus on the importance of open ended questions and we role play how to get the most information from our patients. I also stress the importance of understanding the impact of nonverbal communication by describing a situation and then responding to that situation utilizing different facial expressions and body language. Although it usually gets a laugh, the students get it and I see them correcting one another when they roll their eyes, make certain faces, or have closed body language.
Giving the students a "part" to play without their caregiver knowing about it really lets us see the level of communication they are at. I direct the "patient" to be a certain way and then we see how the other student deals with it. Its fun and the students get a lot out of it!
I agree that in the medical field it is extremely important to have clear communication. I’ve been in situations, in class room setting with students as patients, were they find themselves in situations were the message is not clear yet are embarrassed or shy to get clarification. I’ve witnessed them do the wrong procedure, on mock clinical, only to find out they did were not clear on the directions yet they proceeded without clarifying because they did not what to appear to be “ignorant.†I use these as learning examples in the class setting to reinforce the importance of clear communications in their future careers.
Keith,
Adding the plusses and pitfalls really puts examples in perspective!
Shelly Crider
john,
Excellent. Most people are visual people, so knowing and having a checklist is vital to effective communication in the medical field.
Shelly Crider
Nadine,
I agree. In the work force, you will find yourself working with a team to do something. It is good to know how teamwork actually does work and how to handle a situation when it is not working!
Shelly Crider
Nadine,
Oh so true....especially with current multimeida!!
Shelly Crider
