Module 25

Module 25 is about how to use visuals in proper and effective ways.  When creating a rough draft of your document visuals can help to see that ideas are presented completely and can help to find relationships.  Once you get to the final draft of your document or presentation visuals should be used to make points vivid, emphasize material, present material more completely, and focus on information needed by decision makers. Visuals are supposed to tell a story. The way to find a story for your visual is to focus on a topic, simplify the data, and finally look for changes and relationships.  It is always important to make sure you use the right kind of visual. Tables are best when your audience needs to see exact values, pie charts are best for comparing a part to a whole, and a line graph or bar chart is good at comparing one item to another.  Color and clip art are things to be used with caution in your visuals.  The reason is that it may mean different things to different people.  Always make sure that your visuals are accurate and ethical.  The first aspect of the module I found useful is the part that tells you what kind of visual to use, it is helpful to know such things.  I also found it useful to know that you should not use the same visuals in your documents and presentation unless they are very simple. 

Module 3

Module three is about with how to communicate across cultures.   First, it is important to know what culture is.  Culture is our understanding of acceptable actions and beliefs.  There are high- context culture, where little is spelled out, and low- context cultures, where most things are explicitly spelled out.  Japan is an example of a high- context culture and the United States in an example of a low- context culture.  Culture affects business communication in every way because not everyone has the same values, beliefs, and practices.  Nonverbal communication, body language, personal space, time, oral communication, and writing to an international audience are more ways in which culture is important.  It may be hard to know how to communicate properly since there are so many cultures, but if you focus on being sensitive and flexible it will help.  It is also important to make sure your documents are bias- free. You can do this by using nonsexist, nonracist, and nonagist language.  I think the part of the module that teaches you how to make language appropriate for all people is one important aspect.  Another important aspect is to always remember that things like time and personal space are looked at differently by other cultures.

Module 20

Module 20 is about giving you the skills to deliver an effective oral presentation. Most oral presentations have more than one purpose: they can be informative, persuasive, and/ or goodwill presentations.  When planning your presentation it is important to choose what kind you want to give.  You can give a monologue; where you talk without interruption, a guided discussion; where you present questions and issues, or a sales presentation; where the tone is more like a conversation.  Always think about the audience and what their reaction might be to your presentation.  Visuals are a great way to involve the audience.  Use a program like PowerPoint to enhance your presentation.  Strong openers and closers to presentations are hard to think of; it may help to use a startling statement, narration/ anecdote, question, or quotation.  When organizing your presentation it can be helpful to use one of these five patters: chronological, problem- causes- solution, excluding alternatives, pro- con, or 1 -2 – 3.  One useful aspect of the module is the section on keys to delivering an effective presentation.  The book suggests transforming your fear, using eye contact, standing and gesturing, and using notes and visuals.  I also thought it was important to try and anticipate any questions you might be asked.     

Module 24

Module 23

Modules 27 and 28

Module 22

Module 21

Module 21 helps with understanding some of the things needed in order to write quality proposals and progress reports.   It is good to know what your subject matter consists of before exploring it. In that regard, reports can be formal, informal, informational, analytical, and/or recommendations.  Before even beginning your report, no matter what type it is, it is a good idea to have done at least one quarter of the research that needs to be done.  Proposals include many things that make them up, and even though there are different types of proposals there are certain things that can help you in general.  The problem must be indentified, the feasibility of a solution should be explored, what audience will read the report needs to be determined, topics should be investigated, methods and procedures have to be picked, work scheduled should be decided on, and a call to action should end.  Different progress reports are meant for different things and should be developed in different stages.  It is useful to keep in mind that a progress report can be used to enhance your image, float trial balloons, and minimize possible problems.  One other thing I found to be a useful aspect from the module is that a proposal should include a good purpose statement. This should clarify what the problem is, what questions need to be answered to solve the problem, and what the rhetorical purpose of the proposal is. 

Modules 17 and 18

Module 17 teaches us about listening. Remember, listening means decoding and interpreting sounds received correctly.  To be a good listener it helps to do four things: pay attention by avoiding distractions, focus on the speaker in a generous way by not looking for flaws when listening, do not make assumptions or ignore things you think are unnecessary, and listen for the speakers feelings in addition to the facts.  It helps to be an active listener, you can do this by demonstrating to the speaker that you have heard and understood them by asking questions, offering help, or paraphrasing them.  It is important to remember that you can still utilize these techniques and be a good listener even if you disagree with someone so that you can be seen to show respect.

Module 18 gives advice on how to work and write in teams.  Messages within a group are either information, meaning they focus on content; procedural, which are about method and process; or interpersonal, that are about the people in the group.  These different messages will be more abundant at various stages of group development. For example, interpersonal and procedural messages will be most common when the group is in the orientation stage.  A useful part of the module reminds us that positive roles and actions will help the group to achieve its goals.  Some of these things are seeking information and opinions, summarizing, evaluating, encouraging participation, and relieving tension. 

Modules 15 and 16

Using the right word is critical to get across the proper message, and module 15 explores how to choose the appropriate word.  To get your meaning across it is important to use a word with the proper denotation, or literal meaning, for your idea.  You must also be able to craft your words so that you can get the response you want.  Connotation, or the emotions that a word creates, will help you do this.  You can use “fearful” if you are looking to be negative, but if you would like a more positive response from your reader then it might be helpful to use “cautious”.  It is useful to know that jargon should only be used when it is essential and that technical jargon is more acceptable than business jargon. 

Module 16 helps with revising sentences and paragraphs.  You should make your style give off a feeling of friendliness and business, and make sure to avoid using contractions or slang.  Some things you can do to improve your style of writing are to use clean pages when starting, have someone else read your message out loud to you, and read and write a lot.  Probably the most useful part of the module is what to look for when revising sentences. You should try to use active verbs, not be wordy, vary length and structure, use “you”, and incorporate parallel structure.