Because we were locked out of our classroom this past Monday, we still need to take care of this business.
So, please begin today’s class first by taking care of the following items:
1. Join our Open Lab Course Site: Ā For those of you who have not joined the site yet, let’s get that taken care of today!
Note: If you need assistance creating an Open Lab account, accessing your CUNY email, or joining our Course Site, please follow this link for detailed instructions.
2. Register for Remind:Ā This app that will allow me to send urgent notifications to you via text message or email, if you prefer. I will only use this in case of emergencies or urgent delays — say, if I am sick or if the trains are slow.
To register for remind, please follow the instructions on the handout I have given you in class.
3. Read the following PDF online: Ā “Communicating Effectively for Dummies”
**(I also have made hard copies for you)
Note: Please don’t take the title to heart!Ā
After reading this article, take a few minutes to write a summary memo.
- For more information on memo formatting, see this document:Ā https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/acwspring2015sece280/files/2015/02/Memo-Format-from-Purdue-OWL.pdf
What points stood out in your mind? Have you experienced some of these strategies yourself either as the communicator or the audience?
To write your summary memo, I would recommend that you write it in Microsoft Word first. Save your work to your flash drive or in the cloud (if you do this, save your file locally and then email a copy to yourself or upload it to your cloud service provider before leaving classāthe computers in this classroom are regularly wiped of student work).
The beginning of your memo should look like this:
TO: ChrisĀ Shannon
FROM: <Your first and last name>
DATE: <Todayās date>
SUBJECT: <Your informative subject line for this summaryāhow about āSummary of xxxā>
<Your summary follows below>
After you type up your summary in Microsoft Word or another text editor on your computer, copy and past your memo into the comment box at the bottom of this page. Post your comment. To confirm that your comment posted, go to the Dashboard > Comments.
TO: Chris Shannon
FROM: Luis Campoverde
DATE: February 3, 2015
SUBJECT: Summary of Communicating Effectively For Dummies
Sometimes itās hard to communicate in effective ways with others regarding various topics. There are some methods that help a person communicate effectively with others and also provide a good feedback. Communicating effectively is important because it helps both sides of the discussion to have a good understanding of what each other is talking about. I will be listing some methods for listening and communicating effectively.
1. Listen to what the speaker has to say.
2. Maintain eye contact with speaker to show youāre paying attention.
3. Stay patient when someone talks with you.
4. Make your messages as concise as possible.
5. Provide consistent eye contact for listeners to pay attention.
6. Pause to gather your thoughts and avoid messages that clutter your message.
Those are some of the key points to listening and communicating effectively but thatās not all. We also need to build a strong working relationship. It is important to emphasize what is needed them to meet and also follow through what you say. If you have any concerns work it out with the source not others. Make sure to take your time listening and giving advice. Make sure you have a talk with the source in person of any concerns not through email. Also emphasize what things you can do and by when you can meet what is requested. When someone is discussing issues with you make sure you are interactive with them not just sitting down listening.
It is important to build a strong working relationship by communicating and listening effectively. As I expressed here there are various ways we could improve our communication with the audience and workplace as well.
Attached: Cheat Sheet Communicating Effectively For Dummies
Summary: The cheat sheet will give you an idea how to effectively communicate and listen to an audience.
Thanks, Luis!
TO: Chris Shannon
FROM: Yishi Wang
DATE: 02/03/2015
SUBJECT: Summary of Communicating Effectively for Dummie
According to the article āCommunicating Effectively for Dummieā by Marty Brounstein, there are many way of communication reaching out to the audience, and those ways were depends on the various situations.
Such as when people working in business field, the way they reaching out their idea to their customer were different than a regular oral performer doing an act or regular talking. In business situation, they prefer using speaking in a concept or method, because they want to persuade their customer to believe on their company or partnership, even things were not true or not easy to handle, all they need to is to pushing their customer to believe their idea, make them happy.However, a regular speaking person, they would want to express out whatever they want their audience understanding their issues, using a emotion, face expression or tone of voice. They want their audience to understand how serious of situation is or how much they need to know the problem.
Communication is main way to connecting people together, to understanding each other. In certain situation, people prefer different kind of talking, itās all about what kind of relationship the speakers want to have with the listeners.
Thanks, Yishi!
TO: Chris Shannon
FROM: Pratik Shetty
DATE: 2/04/2015
SUBJECT: Summary of āCommunicating Effectively for Dummiesā
What stood out to me in the reading, āCommunicating Effectively for Dummiesā, were the pitfalls in communicating in a workplace. Communicating in my workplace which is an office environment, I come across struggling what not to do. Itās somewhat easy to do what is needed to do, but what not to do is definitely something to be aware of.
This article brought to light the manner in approaching a client with pricing or sales. It isn’t appropriate to fundamentally know what the client wants based on previous similar projects. Based off my reading, it is important to ālearn to understand the customerās needs and then speak to indicate how you can help meet those needs.ā Pricing and sales is a very important role in the office place and it is VERY important to accurately note what the client needs.
This article also discussed that it isn’t appropriate by āSitting by quietly and passively when people discuss issues with you.ā At my workplace, I am new to the construction and production of different fabrication so I always ask questions to my peers. Even if I know what the right answer is to a question, by asking a question, you develop an understanding of what your peers know. By asking a question, I also learn something that I might have not been aware of.
Thanks, Pratik!
Memo
TO: Professor Chris Shannon
FROM: Francisco Diaz
DATE: 2/4/2015 ENG 3771 Adv Career Writing
SUBJECT: communicating effectively for dummies.
First of all; I would like to start my memo with a few questions? What is communicating effectively? What are some of the benefits of communicating effectively? What can people do to communicate effectively? Why is it important to communicate effectively?
In my opinion, I think that Communicating effectively is being able to convey your point or message straightforward. Itās getting to the main point right away and avoiding slang words. Communicating effectively also includes using the correct words in order to get your message across, keeping in mind who is receiving the message. For instance; when you are talking to your employer, you would not use the same vocabulary as when you are talking to your friends. You have to know how to differentiate your audience. The way you speak to your audience will determine how successful you might be. According to the memo, the main idea is to communicate effectively in a simple manner. The way you can communicate efficiently is by getting to the point right away; and also by using powerful words. It also includes listening as well as speaking.
Thereāre many benefits of when you communicate effectively; however I would just mention a few. When you can communicate successfully, you can save time and you can impress the audience. Things become easier for you and everyone might be interested in talking to you. Any company can hire you right away if they see how clever you are. Effective communication skills might not only be helpful at school but also at your workplace. You can save the company money and time in certain ways. For instance; letās say if you get a job at 911; you would have to be a well listener and a well speaker. If you can convey the message or the main point right away, that company might save time and money by excluding you from the training.
Well people can do many things to communicate efficiently. But the most important one is educating themselves by going to school. They would have to be good listeners and good speakers. People would also have to be able to differentiate the audience. As I said before, itās not the same speaking to your parents/employer as speaking to your friends.
Itās extremely important to communicate effectively; mainly if you want to accomplish what you want. Being able to transmit your message or main point right away will save you a lot. And if you donāt communicate successfully, you might not accomplish what you might want. You could also save time at school by getting to the main point right away instead of spending hours on a topic. You could also gain the respect of others by being a successful speaker and listener. And also you could gain more friends because some people like to associate with knowledgeable individuals.
Thanks, Francisco! Great work!
TO: Chris Shannon
FROM: Carla Tabb
DATE: February 3, 2014
SUBJECT: Best Practices for Communicating Effectively
You asked that I compose a summary on the article titled, āCommunicating Effectively for Dummies.ā You also asked that I give information on points that stood out most to me and past experiences of the strategies provided in the article.
The beginning of the article provides tips on how to communicate effectively through active listening. Active listening lets the other person know that you hear and fully understand what the person is trying to tell you. You can communicate that you are an active listener by paying close attention to the personās words and tone, keeping eye contact, showing some sincerity to the personās message, and acknowledging the information given.
The next set of tips relate to how to be most effective in speaking to an audience. Needless to say, the first tip is to speak up and be certain you speak at a volume that is appropriate for the audience. Pacing your words, steady eye contact, and deliberate hand movements are essential in keeping your audience interested and engaged.
The best ways to use effective communication to build strong working relationships mainly revolve around etiquette and courtesy. The article recommends showing respect, showing appreciation, and using humor in good taste to maintain professional work relationships with colleagues. Other recommendations include focusing on actual issues, listening without judgment, and placing yourself in someone elseās shoes. These are great tips in minimizing workplace misunderstandings and potential confrontations.
One of the points that stood out to me was a pitfall listed at the end of the article: saying yes when you really donāt meant it. When I first transferred to a new unit at work, I began reporting to the programās director. There were a lot of new tasks thrown my direction and instead of being more realistic about my time I said yes to each request. After several days of overtime and few missed deadlines, I had to be more honest about what I was capable of instead of trying to do everything in hopes of impressing my new director. I learned it was better for everyone involved when I was able to consistently complete all of my tasks then to fall short of inflated expectations.
Thanks, Carla! Great work!
To: Chris Shannon
From: Meredith Pascal-Taylor
Date: 2/4/2015
Subject: Summary of Communicating Effectively For Dummies
Effective communication is a two way process. Communication needs both listening and speaking skills.
Listening means really focusing and paying attention to the speaker. The speaker needs the full attention of his audience or individual. He needs to feel that the person is attentive to him and not passively listening. Both parties need to make eye contact, acknowledge and interact with each other. Both parties also need to watch their body language and tone of voice when speaking so as to avoid sending the wrong message.
Written communication must also be done in a manner which can get the message across effectively. One needs to be more formal in an office setting. Focus on the issues which you need to bring across to the audience. Be concise and straight forward instead of trying to use too many words.
Thanks, Meredith! Great work!
TO: Chris Shannon
FROM: Juan C Torres
DATE: 02-04-2015
SUBJECT: āSummary of Communicating Effectively For Dummiesā
Many research and analysis show that effective communications involves listening as well as speaking. In the workplace, effective communication techniques can help foster positive relationship. Active-listening tools, such as those in the following list, help you hold up your end of a successful conversation or discussion.
ā¢ Concentrate on what the speaker has to say.
ā¢ Maintain steady eye contact so speakers know your attention is with them.
ā¢ When you give feedback to check understanding, do so in one sentence.
ā¢ Make your goal in conversations to show understanding of what the speaker truly means.
When you speak to a multitude, communicating effectively means that your transfer is positive and confident so that your message comes across successfully such as those in the following list.
ā¢ Speak aloud so others can easily hear you, especially in group situations.
ā¢ Use language in the best way possible to make your points.
ā¢ Focus on getting solutions when you talk about problems.
ā¢ Be sincere: People respond best to those who are genuine and respectful in their delivery.
Effective communication strategies can help you build strong working relationships with customers, team members, managers, and internal customers. A good tip is respond to requests by emphasizing what you can do to help meet them. Listen without passing judgment and donāt rush in to give advice. When others give your assistance or support, express appreciation for it.
Effective communications includes choosing the proper method to communicate, the right time, and the relevant message. Never use e-mail to express concerns or responding to requests by immediately saying it canāt be done.
Listen well, learning to communicate to an audience, create a strong working relationships and avoiding pitfalls in a workplace are the technique that we communicate effectively.
Thanks, Juan! Great work!
TO: Chris Shannon
FROM: Nestor Lam
DATE: 02/04/2015
SUBJECT: Communicating Effectively For Dummies.
There are different ways to listen and speak well as part of communicating effectively.
Communicating effectively involves speaking and listening as well. To listen and understand effectively, we have to follow some steps.
ļ Concentrate on what the speaker has to say
ļ Listen for content and emotion to understand the entire message
ļ Maintain steady eye contact so speakers know your attention is with them.
ļ Reflect back with verbal feedback to confirm your understanding of the message.
ļ Stay patient when people talk to you.
To communicate effectively to an audience, we must be confident and positive. To deliver the information to the audience we can use some tips such as:
ļ Speak up so others can easily hear you, especially in group situations.
ļ Make your message as concise as possible; wordiness is not needed or wanted.
ļ Use language in the best way possible to make your point.
ļ Talk with your hand and use them to emphasize your key points.
ļ Be direct and honest with people as a consistent practice.
To build strong working relationships with effective communication, there are some strategies to help us to improve better relationships with customer, manager or even clients. The following tips will helps us to build strong working relationship.
ļ Respond to request by emphasizing what you can do to help meet them.
ļ Follow through and do what you say youāll do.
ļ Listen without passing judgment and donāt rush in to give advice.
ļ When you have concerns, work them out with the source, not with other.
ļ Communicate with respect in every interaction regardless of whether you like the person.
ļ Focus on issues, not personalities.
Choosing the proper method to communicate, avoid pitfalls in workplace communication. The following list shows the most important pitfall to avoid.
ļ Using email to express concerns
ļ Talking too much in sales situations
ļ Responding to request by immediately saying it canāt be done.
ļ Providing your employees, if you are a manager, with opinated criticism when their performance needs improvement.
ļ Saying yes when you really donāt mean it.
ļ Sitting by quietly and passively when people discuss issues with you.
To communicate effectively we need to follow all the step above in order to receive or send the message properly to the audiences.
Thanks, Nestor! Great work!
To: Professor Shannon
From: Michael Yunatan
Date: 02/04/15
Subject: How to communicate effectively
Although most of our communication has been slowly shifting into the digital world, there are still many issues to address in regards to communicating in a matter that is both effective and optimal for both the speaker and audience. Whether the audience is a group of coworkers at the office or a business partner that you work with, it is crucial that we understand the means of effective communication.
As many of us already know, there are many methods of communication that are used every day, and all of them require a speaker and audience. In my humble opinion, some of the key elements a well-trained audience needs to have will be listed in the next few lines below.
1. Concentrate and listen to what the speaker has to say.
2. Maintain steady eye contact at all times to better understand the speaker.
3. Pay attention to the change in tone in the speakers voice because in can address change in emotion.
4. Reflect back verbal feedback to let the speaker know you are understanding the message.
5. Listen to understand, do not listen to speak! Many of us just wait for the speaker to finish so that we can offer our own opinion without listening to the full meaning of the message.
Listening is a major part of effective communication and should be taken seriously, especially when you are in a professional environment that requires your utmost attention and verbal feedback, such as in a business meeting and job interview. After we listen and competently understand the message being sent to us, we can respond in a manner that is respectful and clear to our audience. In this case the roles are switched, meaning the listener becomes the speaker, and the speaker becomes the listener. Below, I will gather a few good ways to be an effective speaker.
1. Make your message clear and to the point. Do not stray from the theme of the message, although you know what you want to say, it can cause confusion to audience members.
2. Body language is a big part of oral communication. Use your hands to express different types of emotion and key points. Keep the volume of the message comfortable to the audience as well.
3. Talk in a calm and respectful manner, especially if you are in the midst of your manager, boss, or even customers. Be sincere in your tone and truthful with your words!
Now that we have discussed some of the ways to effectively communicate as a speaker and as an audience, we can briefly take a look at some of the tings to avoid when communicating in a professional environment such as a workplace. Although communication in a relaxed environment is most common to the average person, workplace communication is key to building strong relationships with your coworkers and superiors. Letās take a look at some of the fundamental things to stay away from:
1. Providing your employees, or (even worse) employers with opinionated criticism regarding their performance, if and when it needs improvement.
2. Responding to requests by saying it canāt be done. The last thing your employer wants to hear from when she asks you to perform a task is a no! Rather, listen and analyze the problem at hand, it could be a simple fix given the situation and the tools available to you.
3. Sitting by quietly and passively when people discuss issues with you. This one can apply to a various amount of situations at the office ranging from a coworkers personal problems to a companyās ongoing debt problems. If the issue is discussed with you, your feedback is crucial to your audience. Be active about it!
By analyzing all of these key points, we can create a work environment that is strong, fun, and positive for everyone. Communication is used almost always among coworkers, customers, employers and business partners. It is best to learn how to communicate effectively to avoid problems and misunderstandings in the future.
Thanks, Michael! Great work!
TO: Chris Shannon
FROM: Juan Lu
DATE: 2/4/2015
SUBJECT: Summary of Communicating Effectively For Dummies
The way people communicate effectively nowadays depends on how people include both speaking and listening into their daily lives. In the article āCommunicating Effectively for Dummies,ā Explain how effective communication is not only a talent but a skill that you have to practice to make it better. The article mention very particular point for example:
ā¢ Concentrate on what the speaker has to say
ā¢ Stay patient when people talk to you
ā¢ Make your goal in conversations to show understanding of what the people truly means
Many people find out communicating a challenged and also complicated in cases where you need to speak to a crowd. What will you need to do to overcome this problem? Well, start by delivering a positive and confident speech so that your massage come across affectively. Always speak up so other can without problems hear you. This means never quiet yourself down.
To determine the best way to build a strong working relationships you will need to created strategies so they can help you out to be an effective communicator. They are few tips you can follow as:
ā¢ Respond to request by emphasizing what you can do to help meet them
ā¢ Follow through and do what you say youāll do
One of the point that stood out and was very significant to me was being able to build a strong relationship in which I know itās very important in the business world. Be able to communicate with clients, costumers, managers, etc. In an effective way open many opportunities for us.
Thanks, Juan!
Thanks, Juan! Great work!
TO: Chris Shannon
FROM: Vivian Yuan
DATE: 02/04/15
SUBJECT: Summary of āCommunicating Effectively for Dummiesā
One successfully communication effectively in the workplace can be help yourself out, and feel more easier for you job with your team members. It’s important to build strong working relationship with effective communication, it can helps you foster positive relationship on your customers, when you do speakers with someone make sure you have eye contact with the person who you speak to, also make sure you have to help and feel respond to requests by customers let them feel how strong you want to help them, it will be first step to start to build the relationship. Also when you communication effectively to an audience you that means your delivery some positive information to them, there is some ways can help you do better
– speak louder as you can, make sure everyone in the meeting room can hear.
– use your body language, maybe some time you can use hands to help you point out the main idea.
Always discuss some problem and getting solutions with you team members as you need, because you have to understand the company is not just have you, getting more people’s help maybe can get a good idea by yourself. but as that point you have to be careful pitfalls with you doing your job, focusing on yourself is very important, you have to responding every work you assume.
Those point is some idea I think it can help you achieve a successfully communication effectively for dummies.
Thanks, Vivian!
Thanks, Vivian! Great work.
TO: Chris Shannon
FROM: Amelia Ali
DATE: 02/07/15
SUBJECT: Summary of “Communicating Effectively For Dummies”
The ability to communicate is a vital tool that can take a person a long way. No matter your age, gender or ethnicity, anyone is capable of developing effective speaking. You not only need to develop speaking skills but listening skills as well. It is essential that you listen for content and emotion as you are looking them in the eyes so that they know they have your attention. Reply with feedbacks which indicate that you understand what they are saying. Always remain poised even if you are feeling uneasy inside. Itās best to speak in monotone so to ensure the person doesnt think you are making judgements and remain sincere sounding. The use of one sentence in giving feedback helps to check understanding. Learn to read between the lines, acknowledge feelings and focus on how the person says certain things rather than just the words they utter.
When speaking to a crowd it is ideal to approach it with confidence and positivity. Speak loud enough to ensure that a group of people can hear you. Make sure your message packs a punch and doesn’t stray from your main idea. Using language that help describe what it is you are saying allows for better understanding. Using hand gestures shows that you are engaged and will also engage an audience. Steady eye contact is necessary in holding their interest. Make sure to stand upright and seem alert as you speak, be ready to answer questions. Avoid using āumā because it can clutter your message throwing listeners off; instead pause and resume when youāve gathered your thoughts. Be as sincere as possible, focus on solutions, once people notice that they will respond positively.
Effective communication can create a wonderful working relationships with clients and customers, team members, managers, and internal customers. Respond to requests and take advantage by saying what you can do and follow through with it. Listen first and do not give advice or show any judgements. If there is a problem work it out at its source not others around you. Communicate with respect even if you are too fond of the person. Learn to say thank you and smile so to show appreciation for the help you are getting. Donāt allow personalities to sway you in a working environment and make issues your focal point.
There are so many pitfalls to avoid in the workplace that we must be aware of. Instead of expressing any concerns over email, it is healthier to express them to the person face to face. If a customer is having issues, listen to them rather than speak and answer with questions with how you can help solve a problem. Donāt ever respond to requests with āit cant be doneā, instead make it clear what you can do and when it can be done. Try not to be passive and say yes when you really dont mean it. Instead suggest alternatives in a constructive manner on how to improve the situation. It is very easy to dwell on whos at fault but it is ideal you focus your attention on working out solutions with others. Always behave respectfully and considerate of other people. It will take you a long way.
Thanks, Amelia!
Thanks, Amelia! Great work!
TO: Chris Shannon
FROM: Harold Hernandez
DATE: 2/9/2015.
SUBJECT: Communication Effectively for Dummies.
What really stood out for me with the Article, is are the many detailed information in instilling self confidence, and how we project ourselves towards crowds and a public, or just people in itself. Not only does it give valuable tips on talking in class, buts its great to take consideration when giving a speech in of a much larger audience. What really stood out against the rest, and really āhit homeā to me personally was the āPitfalls to Avoid in workplaceā¦.ā. This is one of my bigger enemies. One that I relate to the most, and it the root to a lot of my bad habits. Furthermore, I really enjoyed reading this, and recommend this to anyone. Shy or not, any age. Even the small things are pointed out, such as remembering to āuse humorā. That is a small detailed, that is easily ignored, for one thing it shows your a human being and natural, but most importantly an experience talker.
TO: Chris Shannon
FROM: Cynthia Fuentes
DATE: February 4, 2015
SUBJECT: Summary of Communicating Effectively For Dummies
The article “Communicating Effectively For Dummies” explains how communication encompasses more than the person talking. Communication involves body language, tones, sincerity on behalf of the speaker as well as being an active listener for the audience. The article suggest to communicate effectively the message must be direct and concise and the messenger must be alert to his/her posture, tone, and most importantly eye contact.
What stood out to me the most from the article was the section Pitfalls to Avoid in Workplace Communication. The section detail of how certain situations should be handle to be addressed correctly or more or less efficiently. For example the example of a sales situation, most sales personnel think by talking away they can convince the customer on purchasing the product, whereas following the article suggestion of focusing on the customer’s need sounds like a better approach.