Communication Studies: April - May Progress

This document outlines progress made in a communication studies course during the period of April to May. It details various learning activities undertaken, such as participating in group discussions with colleagues, utilizing recommended materials provided by the lecturer, and analyzing video samples incorporated into class presentations.

UNIVERSITY NAME
Student’s name
Student’s ID
Effective business communication

INTRODUCTION
Good communication is a key aspect in all walks of life. The ability to communicate well with
others such as colleagues ,managers and others at the place of work is very vital irrespective of
the kind of industry that one is working in.Effective communication is more than just exchanging
information.It goes deeper to the ability for one tounderstand intentions and the emotions
attached to the message that is being communicated.In connection to good communication
therefore,it is required that individuals should periodically carry out diagnosis and reflection on
their communication skills.Communication diagnosis in this case refers to subjecting an
individuals’ different communication tools to some tests to find out the extent to which one is
good in communicating. (Burgoon, Hunsaker & Dawson, 2011)Communication reflection is all
about tracing back different communications that one has been involved in and assessing
them.Therefore,to carry out communication diagnosis on various areas such as non –verbal
communication,active listening and many others,diagnostic tools i.e. writing ,monitoring
progress tools ,reading and viewing tools ,speaking and listening tools and finally early literacy
tools will be used in the exercise.Under literature review ,both theoretical approaches and
different models will be used to address the aspects arising from diagnosis and reflection .An
action plan meant for the next six months intended to improve communication skills in areas that
were found to be wanting will be created. (Friedman & Miyake, 2011)
Diagnosis and reflection
Each diagnostic tool will be subjected in various communication areas as follows:
Early literacy diagnostic tool
This refers to the ability of an individual to comprehend a text, listen and recall, be able to use
oral language, read and write. This tool intends to investigate communication ability of an
individual on the basis of the early literacy fundamental skills. Verbal communication is simply
the use of sound words to communicate. It is the most common type of oral communication that
is used. My use of verbal communication can be said to be perfect or excellent since it is a
technique that I have been exposed to and I have had many avenues to use. I have used verbal

communication in both class and business presentation and the audience have always been
satisfied with the communication.Listening refers to the ability to rightly interpret information in
a communication.Whenever I am listening ,it’s always easy for me tounderstand the message be
it a question or a comment from my audience.Under tis tool also,the ability to comprehend and
recall is also tested.Analyzing my communication,it is true that I have a challenge in recalling
an information from the previous communication.I find challenging. (Sitlington, 2008)
Speaking and listening diagnostic tool
It is the second diagnostic tool in communication.These tools are meant for comprehensive
understanding of the uttered word;oral language retell, comprehension and oral language retell
conversation. Listening and speaking to me has never posed any challenge .This is rated from the
response of my audience .They are always positive to me whenever we communicate and a high
level of satisfaction is demonstrated
Reading and viewing diagnostic tool
This is all about reading texts and linking information, understanding the main questions and
relevant points in a context. Under this assessment I don’t have any problem because I am
always able to understand texts written in different contexts .The only challenge that I am yet to
overcome is the viewing of texts. I either skip some information or fix words that are not
included in the text.
Writing diagnostic tool
This tool is used in assessing the non-verbal type of communication it focuses on determining
one’s ability to produce sensible complete writings of various contexts including editing and
spelling. I have no problem with this since my writings are always clear and easily understood by
my audience. There has never be any complain concerning the clarity and relevance of my texts
concerning the use of words, punctuation and word construction in general. (Gudykunst & Mody,
2011).

Oral language diagnostic tool
This purely refers to the word of mouth as communication tool .In some way; it refers to the use
of sound words to communicate. This assessment tool is aimed at examining the choice of words
when communicating in different contexts. This is because communication is not just the passing
of words but these words must have a meaning that are relevant to different context for example
communication in business ,legal matters ,ceremonies and classwork presentations differ because
of the choice of words. This tool also aims at testing on how someone is clearly audible to his
or her audience.
Two key communication issues that need development
From the above diagnosis and analysis on my communication skills, the two issues that still
require me to improve on them are my recall or comprehension skills and viewing skills. This is
because whenever communicating with my audience, they demonstrate dissatisfaction on my
communication skills on these two areas
Recent professional interactions that demonstrate need for development in my poor areas
of communication
The first avenue was the presentation of a business idea that I had as a consultant to a
company.The audience was calm and attentive when I was presenting the ideas off-head(not
reading from anywhere) but the atmosphere changed when I started reading the presentation
from my note book. This is because of the skipping of some information and therefore my
audience could clearly understand what I was presenting. This showed that my viewing of
written content needs some development. The second avenue was a continuation of the same
presentation from the previous time .Many questions from the audience arose .This is because
the information that I was presenting was a bit contradicting with the previous one despite of
the fact that the presentations were of the same business idea and the questions that I had
previously answered.I had forgotten what i had prioritized during the last presentation .This
made me realize that I have a problem with recalling the past information .I still have to work
and develop on my memory.Therefore, from these two avenues, it was clear that some
development on communication concerning recalling and viewing were still needed. This is

because they are among the most crucial communication skills that one has to perfect since they
are inevitable in day to day communication. (McAlenney & Coyne, 2011)
Conclusion
In conclusion therefore, communication diagnosis and reflection is a good exercise for good
communication.It is through this exercise that I have been able to subject my various skills to
assessment and came up with faults that need to be corrected.It is not only useful to individual
but also to professionals that are mostly involved in social communication .Diagnosis and
reflection of communication will help these professionals develop and build upon their
communication skills .This is also vital since any relationship –formal or non-formal is
determined by the kind of communication that is used and how good and relevant is it to
different context
LITERATURE REVIEW
Good communication is the key to good relationship among people particularly in a work place
(Vorderer, 2015).Communication does not only refer to the exchange of information between
people or groups .It also refers to the level to which the recipient is able to understand the
message that the communication intended to deliver. This paper will therefore discuss the two
issues that need development that I was able to identify through communication diagnosis and
reflection. The literature review will also discuss theories relating to the issues and how to
develop them .Lastly, the focus will be on my personal efforts to improve on those
communication areas
Discussion on the two issues
A. Memory or comprehension.
This is the most vital element of communication because without it, communication becomes
valueless or meaningless. An individual is considered to be good in communication if he or she
has the ability to comprehend readings and memorize any conversation that has taken place in
different contexts. Memory is a linkage to flow of information from time to time .From the above

diagnosis on my communication skills, comprehension and memory came out as one of the areas
that I need to improve on. Basing on theories related to this and my personal practices, is a
discussion on how memory can be developed. (Perry & Ziegler, 2013)
Spaced repetition theory, ( Hermann Ebbinghaus1885)
Hermann came up with a theory that tries to examine how memories work and how they can be
enhanced .To illustrate this; he usedwhat he called the “forgetting curve”. This is a form of curve
that tries how our memories in relation to time. According to this theory, as time goes by, the
strength of a memory decays. He said that when one learns about something, he or she is able to
remember for a couple of days .In most cases after a week, thememory will get distorted and
information will be lost but if repetition is done within the first few days before the information
is lost, the information will be retained .Too early repetition of information will not significantly
add to the memory. On the other hand, when repetition is done too late, a few traces of the
previous information learnt will be re-learnt rather than learning anything new. This process is
called recalling. In his theory therefore, Hermann emphasizes on the repetition of the
information while it is still fresh in the memory. This will ensure that there is optimal
remembrance of the information. (Perry & Ziegler, 2013)
Relevance of the theory to my situation
After carrying out diagnosis ,memory was one of the challenges that I face in my day to day
communication.Therefore,according to the above theory,the only way to enhance my memory
by repeatedly going through my previous presentations so that I can recall on what I had
previously said to avoid contradicting myself and the audience as well. This can be done by
ensuring that I go through my previous presentation before I start presenting the one. (de Vries,
Bakker-Pieper, Konings & Schouten, 2011)
Behavioral (Personal skills) to improve my comprehension and memory
According to research, the foundation of a good memory is to have a healthy body and mind.
The brain cannot function well if some behavioral practices are harmful to the body and the
mind. The following issues are the ones that need to be addressed in order to have a good
memory. The first one is eating well. Eating well means that one has to take vital vitamins like

folic acid, vitamin B12 and antioxidants. These elements help improve the sharpness of the mind
.It also to supplement these vitamins .The second behavioral development is water intake. Failure
to drink the required amount of water weakens both the body and the mind .Water is able to
make the red blood cells very active hence more energy. The third aspect is about
sleep.Adequate sleep is the key to a good memory .This is because when one sleeps, the brain is
able to recharge itself .According to medical research ,the brain needs sleep for it to convert new
memories into long-term memories. The last behavioral determinant of a good memory is
effective stress management. It is the most common memory destroyer. Stress should be
managed so that it does not cause body harm that may affect the memory. Stress can be relieved
in many ways such as sports and counseling. (Strickland & Morrow, 2014)
B) Viewing (in reading)
Reader response theory
This theory was developed by Fish, 1980.According to the theory, readers tend to derive
meaning of text from their interaction with the content. Therefore, a reader gives meaning to a
text using their prior knowledge about the text .That is why when reading ,people may see
different words on the same text and also perceive the same text differently depending on the
knowledge they have about the text they are reading. (de Vries, Bakker-Pieper, Konings & Schouten,
2011)
Relevance of the theory
It may mean that when reading texts, I might be unknowingly skipping some texts assuming that
they are not relevant depending on the perception and the knowledge that I have about the
content from my previous experience.
Behavioral (Personal skills) to improve
The first step is to learn to take the literalmeaning of the text and stop assigning meaning to it
according to my knowledge.This technique will help me develop good reading skills so as to
fluently and systematically be able to read what is written. The second step is to set time apart
where I can practice without necessarily having an audience. I can read as many texts as possible
so as to improve on my reading skills.Another technique that I can employ to improve on my

reading skills is by requesting a group of friends to act as my audience as I practice on my
reading skills. This will give them a room to listen to me critically and correct me where
necessary. (Strickland & Morrow, 2014)
Conclusion
Application of the theoretical concepts and determination to commit myself on the above
personal skills will definitely help to improve on my weak areas on communication
Action plan
The intention of my action plan is to enhance my communication skills especially on my weak
areas. This is intended to be done within a period of six months.The whole period is divided into
segments of one month so that in each month I can be able to get involved in different activities
that will help to generally improve on my reading skills and also find better ways to boost my
memory. (Bhatt, 2011)
Action step Time Materials /resources Person responsible
1.Undertaking an
advance course on
communication
particularly reading
and memory
development
10th October to
10thNovember
-Communication
lecturer
-books in the school
library
-acquire books from a
national and public
libraries
-internet materials
such as information
on you tube articles
and journals published
Me

by different people
2. Attending a
communication class
on oral
communication
11th November to 11th
December
-Taking class notes
-forming group
discussions with my
colleagues
-using the materials
recommended by the
lecturer
-video samples used
in class presentations
Me
Other students
3.Taking part in
public business
discussion events
January 2018 to
February
-business magazines
-articles and journals
on business
-self prepared notes
for business
presentations
Me
4.Participating in
reading competitions
February to march -provided materials
for the competition
-other participants
writings used in the
competition
-articles and journals
Me
5.Personally
scheduled practice
March to April -books in the school
library
-acquire books from a
Me

national and public
libraries
-internet materials
such as information
on you tube articles
and journals published
by different people
Friends who act as my
audience
6.Continuing with my
studies on
communication
April to May Taking class notes
-forming group
discussions with my
colleagues
-using the materials
recommended by the
lecturer
-video samples used
in class presentations
Me

References
Bhatt, R. (2011). Tips for Effective Communication Skills. Indian Journal Of Applied
Research, 3(1), 83-84. http://dx.doi.org/10.15373/2249555x/jan2013/33
Burgoon, M., Hunsaker, F., & Dawson, E. (2011). Human communication. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage.
de Vries, R., Bakker-Pieper, A., Konings, F., & Schouten, B. (2011). The
Communication Styles Inventory (CSI). Communication Research, 40(4), 506-
532. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0093650211413571
Friedman, N., & Miyake, A. (2011). The reading span test and its predictive power for
reading comprehension ability. Journal Of Memory And Language, 51(1), 136-
158. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2004.03.008
Gopal, N. (2009). Business communication. New Delhi: New Age International.
Gudykunst, W., & Mody, B. (2011). Handbook of international and intercultural
communication. Thousand Oaks [u.a.]: Sage.
Hampton, S., & Resnick, L. (2009). Reading and writing with understanding.
[Newark, Del.]: New Standards/International Reading Association.
Kommers, J., & Venbrux, E. (2009). Cultural styles of knowledge transmission.
Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.
McAlenney, A., & Coyne, M. (2011). Identifying At-Risk Students for Early Reading
Intervention: Challenges and Possible Solutions. Reading & Writing
Quarterly, 27(4), 306-323. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2011.596100
Perry, C., & Ziegler, J. (2013). Linguistic difficulties in language and reading
development constrain skilled adult reading. Memory & Cognition, 28(5), 739-
745. http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/bf03198408
Sitlington, P. (2008). Students with Reading and Writing Challenges: Using Informal
Assessment to Assist in Planning for the Transition to Adult Life. Reading &
Writing Quarterly, 24(1), 77-100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10573560701753153
Strickland, D., & Morrow, L. (2014). Beginning reading and writing (1st ed.). New
York [etc.]: Teachers College Press.