CarlosRebelo-Excersice3 (2)
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Sheridan College *
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13729
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Communications
Date
Feb 20, 2024
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docx
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6
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1
What is Communication?
Carlos E. Rebelo
Sheridan College
COMM13729: The Art of Technical Communication
Dr. Vydia Narayan
October 6th, 2023
Contents
Introduction --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3
Why are Presentation/Oral Skills Important? ------------------------------------------------------------ 3
Are My Presentation/Oral Skills Effective? -------------------------------------------------------------- 3
How Can I Improve My Presentation/Oral Skills? ------------------------------------------------------ 4
Conclusion ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
References ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6
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What is Communication?
Communication is an often overlooked skill that is valuable in almost every workplace setting while having proven correlations with workplace success. In today’s world, employers are looking for employees who are not only good in their specific field, but also have good communication skills. Good communication skills such as technical writing, effective speaking/presenting, and effective reading of technical documents are becoming necessary to have a successful career (Lannon et al., 2021). This essay will be focused on presentation and oral communication skills, why I should improve on them, and how I will improve on them, along with sources to back my claims on the importance of presentation and oral communication in the workplace and higher education.
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Why Are Presentation/Oral Skills Important?
Presentation/Oral Communication skills are extremely important in today's ever-growing workforce, as being able to communicate effectively with co-workers or employers can be what makes or breaks your opportunity to work at a place you enjoy. As stated in the journal Active Learning in Higher Education by Art Tsang (2020), “
After graduation, presentation skills are still employed under many circumstances such as in job interviews and assignments in the workplace.” Although it can be easy to think that presentation/oral skills will become mundane after graduation, they are still very important skills that can elevate your career trajectory.
Are My Presentation/Oral Skills Effective?
The way I can assess my oral/presentation skills is by looking at the challenges presented to most technical communicators, which is outlined in Technical Communication (Canadian Edition) by Lannon J. M. et al published in 2021. The common challenges technical communicators face are the challenges of being informative, persuasive, ethical, and inclusive of the global context. By reading these challenges, I can see if I am equipped with the necessary skills to solve them, the challenges being the consideration of people in different situations having different information needs, being persuasive in how you deliver information, keeping truthful even if it means conflicting with certain audiences, and diversifying your information to allow it to reach people around the globe (Lannon et al., 2021). After having this criterion in mind, I can say that my skills in this area are not sufficient enough to tackle all the challenges I will be faced with.
How Can I Improve My Presentation/Oral Skills?
A method I could use to improve my presentation/oral skills would be the use of regular practice regarding technical communication skills and oral/presentation skills. Regularly
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practicing any task can improve the efficiency at which you perform that task, and this was proven in a study conducted by the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), in 1987. For the study, they initiated a technical communication (TC) program that focused mainly on juniors and seniors (Sageev & Romanowski, 2001). One of the results of the study found a correlation between practicing TC skills and the effectiveness at which the skills are used by stating, “Second, through their numerical responses and extensive comments, these graduates provided strong evidence of the impacts TC instruction and practice has had on their ability to function successfully as engineers.”(Sageev & Romanowski, 2001). This point is further proven by a study conducted by the journal Active Learning in Higher Education
, in which participants from the workforce were tested on the importance of oral/presentation skills. One of the results stated, “Most of them shared that a major area of improvement was their higher degree of familiarity of speaking in front of an audience, hence becoming less nervous and having greater confidence.” (Tsang, 2020). This statement further proves that practice improves comfortability while speaking, which makes communication more effective.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the importance of oral/presentation skills in technical communication is highlighted by many studies and tests, which prove its correlation with career trajectory. An effective communicator must be able to tackle challenges that are regularly faced when communicating, and I’ve concluded that my skills are not effective enough to handle these challenges. The way I shall improve these skills is through practice, which has been proven to enhance the effectiveness of this particular skill.
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References
Sageev, P., & Romanowski, C. J. (2001). A Message from Recent Engineering Graduates in the Workplace: Results of a Survey on Technical Communication Skills. Journal of Engineering Education
(Washington, D.C.), 90(4), 685–693. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2001.tb00660.x
Lannon, J. M., Gurak, L. J., Klepp, D., & Kelly, S. (2021). Technical Communication (Canadian
Edition)
(8th ed.). Pearson Canada. https://www.pearson.com/en-ca/subject-catalog/p/technical-communication-canadian-
edition/P200000002522/9780137596270
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Tsang, A. (2020). Enhancing learners’ awareness of oral presentation (delivery) skills in the context of self-regulated learning. Active Learning in Higher Education
, 21(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787417731214
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