Communication is an important aspect in personal and professional development. Certain occupations may require a higher degree of communicative competency than others. Nevertheless, there can be no doubt as to the significance of effective communication. Aptitude in communication may be prudent in getting that coveted promotion and it could prevent unnecessary misunderstandings. Professional communication entails proficiency in both the written and oral forms of communication, both of which I expect to enhance during the span of this module.
Personally, I feel that writing is much easier than oral presentations. Like many of my peers, I have been practicing writing for many years. There are many templates and guidelines (eg; formal / informal letters, memorandums etc) that can be followed when constructing a piece of writing. The fact that there are such templates allows the construction of a piece of writing to be relative easy when compared to oral presentations.
Oral presentations are a different proposition altogether. Even though there are templates or guidelines that can be followed, there is an element of personal, usually face-to-face, interaction when speaking to an audience. Together with a concrete competence in the content of the presentation, the speaker needs confidence and if possible, some charisma. Most of us would have followed the US presidential elections between Barrack Obama and John McCain. It is quite evident, from interviews and the various debates, that Obama was the better communicator. I feel that two essential aspects to his success were his confidence and charisma. Unfortunately, confidence, especially in public speaking, is not my strong suit and I hope to improve upon that in this course.
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I think you have portrayed a good opinion on how effective communication skills may help you with your oral presentations. Your example of the US presidential elections backed up your reasons why presentations are important.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think effective communication is not only about oral presentation, but also happens in everyday life. I think it would have been more attractive if you highlighted how effective communication would change your everyday inter-relationship with society.
Obama! Who does not love him?Ha! I agree with idris, I believe that the mention of oral presentation would strike fear in almost everyone and it is definitely not easy to gain that confidence needed for public speaking. I have never lost sleep for any exams. The only time I was not able to sleep was the night before the oral presentation for PW.
ReplyDeleteHowever I do not believe writing is much easier. You can refer to many templates and guidelines but I think some people just have the flair. Both are equally challenging.
I am, like you, more versed in the written aspect of communication rather than the oral.As a matter of fact, i practically shun all modules that requires presentation as i fear it and took this module only because i have no other modules left to take.oops.
ReplyDeletehowever,i believe this module can benefit both you and me as what we are learning in this module is going to help us gain a better insight of the basic qualities that employers look out for and also to gain confidence in public speaking. =)
Maybe you could also comment on how you had ineffective communication? How it made you realise the importance of communication not only in the future for work purposes but also on a more personal level? This could probably enhance the fact that communication is, indeed very important to you, and how it can change you.
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. In my opinion, communication makes a person. How well we communicate often translates into how well we do in our career and in our relationships with others. Good communication skills could possibly be the difference between a miserable life and a happy life.
Obama is definitely a good example as well. He is definitely a person who can communicate better than a lot of us could. This is evident in his speeches and in how he answers potentially politically disastrous questions. His communication prowess is the main reason he has landed himself the job as the most powerful man in the world, as well as part of the reason his marriage is enviable. This projects an image of a well rounded man, and I believe is what each of us aims to become.
However, I do not agree that oral presentations are more difficult to do than written communication. I think that they are equally difficult. Presenting something orally is not easy because we have to deliver something without making it sound confusing or stupid. Also, faced by an audience, most of us would be self conscious. On the other hand, communication in writing does not put us directly in front of an audience, but sometimes the meaning behind written words are more difficult to interpret because we cannot include our body language or facial expressions in them. Conflicts often occur due to misunderstanding in the written word.