Apply Comprehension Skills

Learning Materials
Unit Standard Title: Apply comprehension skills to engage

oral texts in a business environment.
Unit Standard No: 12154
Unit Standard Credits: 5
NQF Level: 4
Learner Guide
This outcomes-based learning material was

developed by
Hilary Lilford in association with Skills Forward
and reviewed by
INHLE Business Solutions
with funding from INSETA in October 2003.
The material is generic in nature.

Its purpose is to serve as a guide for the further development
and customization of company-specific, learner-specific
and situation-specific learning interventions.
Disclaimer:
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the learning material is accurate, INSETA takes no
responsibility for any loss or damage suffered by any person as a result of the reliance upon the
information contained herein.
INSMAT final materials 31/10/03

Filters
Apply comprehension skills to engage oral texts in a

business environment.
“There is no such thing as a worthless conversation,

providing you know what to listen for. And questions
are the breath of life for a conversation”
- James Nathan Miller

-
OVERVIEW
This module has been designed to develop your comprehension

skills to engage in a verbal text. Irrespective of your role in the
insurance industry, you will engage in verbal interactions on a daily
basis. Some of these interactions will be face to face and others will
be where the speaker is not visible. To engage in a verbal text, you
will need to develop effective listening and questioning skills so to
be able to comprehend and respond to the information correctly.
2
CONTENTS
LEARNING MAP.........................................................................................................4
HOW TO COMPLETE THIS COURSE SUCCESSFULLY.........................................5
UNIT STANDARD.......................................................................................................8
MODULE 1 EXAMINING THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS.............16
ACTIVITY 1.1: Understanding the communication process........................18
ACTIVITY 1.2: Exploring the difference between verbal and written text...22
ACTIVITY 1.3 Listening in the workplace.....................................................24
MODULE REVIEW.......................................................................................26
MODULE 2: LISTENING FOR INFORMATION..........................................28
ACTIVITY 2.1: rephrasing and paraphrasing...............................................30
ACTIVITY 2.2: Listening Quiz......................................................................37
ACTIVITY 2.3: Recognising barriers to listening.........................................39
ACTIVITY 2.4: Eliminating listening barriers...............................................40
MODULE REVIEW.......................................................................................42
MODULE 3: UNDERSTANDING THE LISTENING PROCESS.............44
ACTIVITY 3.1: Listening styles....................................................................48
ACTIVITY 3.2: Testing your comprehensive and critical listening skills.....50
ACTIVITY 3.3: Improving Auditory Skills.....................................................51
MODULE REVIEW.......................................................................................53
MODULE 4: GETTING THE INFORMATION YOU NEED.......................55
ACTIVITY 4.1: Verbal texts used in the workplace.....................................57
ACTIVITY 4.2: Recognising verbal and non verbal cues............................58
ACTIVITY 4.3: Understanding Stereotyping.................................................64
ACTIVITY4.5 Dangers of stereotyping.........................................................67
ACTIVITY 4.6: Impacts of personal beliefs on stereotyping........................72
RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT: 1.....................................................................74
ACTIVITY 4.7: Getting information you need through effective questioning76
ACTIVITY 4.8: Effective questioning to get the information you need.........78
ACTIVITY 4.9: Ask the right questions to get the information you need......83
ACTIVITY 4.10 Recognising effective questioning......................................89
RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT 2......................................................................92
MODULE 5: COLLECTING AND ORGANISING INFORMATION.........93
ACTIVITY 5.1 Listening for Keywords..........................................................94
ACTIVITY 5.2 Identifying relationships between information.....................100
ACTIVITY 5.3 Listening for cause and effect information..........................101
ACTIVITY 5.4 Strategies for extracting and recording information............105
RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT 3....................................................................109
MODULE REVIEW.....................................................................................110
MODULE 6: MAKING A JUDGEMENT........................................................112
ACTIVITY 6.1 Analysing information..........................................................113
ACTIVITY 6.2 making a judgment..............................................................117
RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT 4....................................................................118
ACTIVITY 6.3 Fact and Opinion.................................................................119
ACTIVITY 6.4 Summative Assessment......................................................121
MODULE REVIEW.....................................................................................124
3
4
LEARNING MAP
MODULE 1
Communicatio  Understand the communication process

n Process  Identify the difference between speech and
writing
 Recognise the application of speech and
writing in the workplace
MODULE 2
Listening for  Understand rephrasing and paraphrasing

Information techniques
 Evaluate your own listening skills
 Identify barriers to listening
MODULE 3
 Understand auditory processing
Auditory
Processing  Recognise different learning styles
 Practise critical listening skills
MODULE 4
 Identify verbal and non-verbal signals
Getting the  Understand stereotyping & recognise own
Information you need
personal beliefs
 Apply questioning techniques to elicit
information
MODULE 5
 Use note taking to organise information
Collecting the  Apply note taking skills
Information  Organise information using categorising
similarities and difference, cause and effect
MODULE 6
 Integrate communication skills to
Making a comprehend verbal text
Judgment  Critically evaluate information to make a
judgement
 Recognise differences (fact vs. opinion)
5
HOW TO COMPLETE THIS COURSE SUCCESSFULLY
This course has been designed to meet the outcomes of the unit standard: " Apply
comprehension skills to engage oral texts in a business environment”. The course is
outcomes based which means that we take the onus of learning away from the
facilitator and put it in your hands. The facilitator’s role is to assist you to work through
the material and guide you in the activities that will lead you to competence.
Formative Assessment:
In order to gain credits for this unit standard you will need to show an Assessor that
you are competent. The activities in this workshop are designed not only to bring
about your competence, but also to prove that you have mastered competence. You
are required to create a file called your Portfolio of Evidence (POE) to show your
assessor that you have mastered the outcomes of this unit standard. Where you see
the POE icon, you must remove the worksheet from your Learner Guide and place it
in your POE.
Summative assessment:
Not all the specific outcomes will be formatively assessed during the workshop or in
the workplace. The INSETA’s objective is to create independent and self sufficient
learners. This means that you will also be required to do independent research and
assignments outside the training room. This work will also need to be presented in
your POE. Your assessor and you will conduct a pre-assessment meeting to discuss
the assessment process and how you will collect evidence of your competence.
When you are ready, you will advise your assessor that you are ready for the
assessment. The summative assessment activities are indicated at the end of the
learning guide. If your summative assessment is conducted using observation, role
plays or verbal assessment, place a signed copy of the checklists, once completed by
the assessor / assessment panel, in your POE.
6
Different activities will be required of you in order to enhance your learning. The
following icons indicate the different actions required:
Individual Reflection: In experiential and learner-centred learning it is

useful to reflect on your existing knowledge and experiences. You will find
these activities often lead into the topic to warm you to the topic, and get
you to start thinking about your existing knowledge and attitudes regarding
the subject. We also use this technique for learning that is of a personal
nature. For example, when the activity is too personal to share with a
group.
Paired Activities: When working in pairs, you get an opportunity to share
your knowledge and experiences with another learner. It also presents you
with an opportunity to interact with another learner on a more personal
level, than you would in a larger group. Sometimes your facilitator will pair
you with someone who has different experience to yours so that you can
learn from each other. Sometimes you will be paired with someone who is
like you so that you can identify gaps in your own understanding.
Small group work offers opportunities to get to know other people in the
workshop and exchange ideas in a team setting. It will be more challenging
to work in this type of group if you are introverted, because you need to
contribute to the activities to benefit from the learning experience. On the
other hand, if you tend to be more outgoing, you should remember to give
other team members an opportunity to participate. Your facilitator may
interchange your group so that you will meet everyone on the workshop and
learn from everyone’s collective experiences.
Whole group activities are used to introduce the topics and for the plenary
session and wrap up sessions. It is important for you to contribute and
listen during this stage just as much as in the smaller group and paired
activities.
Reading: Although the material is designed to be experiential (which

means we want you to experience learning and practice skills rather than
read a lot of content to acquire knowledge), there is a knowledge
component of competence. Some of these readings will need to be done in
the classroom and are provided in the readings.
References: We may suggest further reference material in the form of
books, articles or internet web addresses for you to expand your knowledge
on the topics.
Research: You may sometimes be required to do your own research. We
7
will sometimes suggest reference materials such as books, articles and
web sites where you can do your research and read further information on
the topic, either for your assignments or to expand your knowledge.
Glossary: The designers have aimed to keep the use of language plain
and simple. However, where they feel that a word or term may need an
explanation, this icon will be indicated next to the paragraph, and the word
will be highlighted in red and bold (for learner guides not printed in colour),
and a glossary has been provided at the end of the module to explain the
word. We also want to encourage learners to expand their vocabulary and
we encourage you to use the space provided to include any other words
that you have not understood.
Portfolio of Evidence (POE): This icon indicates that you must place the
activity as evidence in your POE.
Own notes: This icon is used where space has been provided for your
own notes. It is very important for you to take your own notes during your
workshop, as your recall is improved by the information that you take down
by your own understanding.
References: This icon is used to acknowledge our sources of information.

You must also ensure when you build up your POE that you acknowledge
your sources to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism is copying or using someone
else’s ideas and presenting them as they are your own.
8
UNIT STANDARD
1. TITLE: Apply comprehension skills to engage oral texts in a business environment.
2. UNIT STANDARD NUMBER: 12154
3. LEVEL ON NQF: 4
4. CREDITS: 5
5. FIELD: Business, Commerce and Management Studies

Sub Field: Finance. Economics and Accounting
6. ISSUE DATE:
7. REVIEW DATE:
8. PURPOSE:
This unit standard introduces both cognitive and affective dimensions of listening
comprehension skills that enable learners to engage in a verbal text in order to
maximise understanding and acquire the skills needed to extract relevant information
from oral texts used in a business environment. It enables learners to identify and
respond to situations where verbal communication is the only mode of communication
and where instructions from clients are received telephonically or in face to face
communication.
9
The qualifying learner is capable of
 identifying or recognising explicitly stated information.

 recalling from memory ideas and information explicitly stated in verbal
conversation.
 analysing, synthesising and organising information explicitly stated in a verbal
conversation or text.
 using information explicitly stated in a verbal text as well as his/her intuition,
product and industry knowledge and personal experience as a basis for
conjectures and hypotheses.
 making an evaluative judgment by comparing ideas presented in a verbal text with
external criteria from other written or oral sources and own experience and product
and industry knowledge.
 responding appropriately and sensitively to a verbal text.
9. LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE:
There is open access to this unit standard. Learners should be competent in

Communication at level 3.
10. SPECIFIC OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
Specific Outcome 1: Recall ideas and information that are explicitly

stated in an oral text.
Assessment Criteria
1.1 Details are correctly identified from an oral text.
1.2 An explicit statement is correctly identified as the main idea of a query or

complaint.
1.3 Incidents or actions explicitly stated in the oral text are identified in the correct
order or sequence in which they occur.
10
1.4 Explicitly stated information is compared by identifying similarities and
differences in what the caller/speaker has said and any record of previous
queries.
1.5 Queries are answered correctly using known answers to frequently asked
questions, scripts or prompts.
1.6 Verbal clues that indicate a personality or customer profile are identified using
information from explicit statements in the conversation.
Specific Outcome 2: Reorganise information from an oral text.
Assessment Criteria
2.1 Events, places, equipment, options, investment instruments, policies, people

and/or other items are classified by placing them in appropriate categories.
2.2 Own understanding is confirmed by reflecting statements using a questioning

technique.
2.3 An outline of an oral text is produced using direct statements or statements

paraphrased from the oral text.
2.4 A text is summarised using direct or paraphrased statements from the oral text
2.5 Explicit ideas or information from more than one source are consolidated into a
synthesised oral text.
11
Specific Outcome 3: Infer information from an oral text.
Assessment Criteria
3.1 Information explicitly stated in an oral text, supplemented by the learner’s intuition,
product and industry knowledge and personal experience, is used to infer
supporting details and add facts or information that could help to clarify a
query.
3.2 The main idea or general significance not explicitly stated in an oral text is inferred
using the learner’s intuition, knowledge of the industry or personal experience.
3.3 An action or incident that might have taken place between two explicitly stated
actions or incidents is inferred from the learner’s own knowledge and
experience of the industry.
3.4 A possible outcome or consequence in an explicitly stated series of actions is

inferred from personal knowledge and industry experience.
3.5 Comparisons about times, places, events, and other occupation related aspects
that revolve around then and now, here and there, this and that are made by
inferring similarities and differences using information explicitly stated in an oral
text and the learner’s own knowledge and industry experience.
3.6 The relationship between cause and effect is inferred from information explicitly
stated in an oral text and the learner’s own knowledge and industry experience.
3.7 Information about a person is inferred from information explicitly stated in an oral
text and the learner’s own knowledge and industry experience.
12
Specific Outcome 4: Evaluate information in an oral text.
Assessment Criteria
4.1 Ideas or events presented in an oral text are compared with external criteria
provided by the facilitator, other authorities and other oral sources or with
internal criteria such as own experience, industry knowledge or business ethics
in order to make a judgment as to the whether an event indicated in an oral text
could really have happened.
4.2 An oral text is analysed and a judgment is made as to whether the information in
the text represents an objective fact or the speaker’s subjective opinion.
4.3 Information in an oral text is analysed for adequacy and validity when compared to
other sources or texts and a judgment is made about the text’s completeness
or incompleteness in relation to its intended purpose.
4.4 Information in an oral text is evaluated and is accepted or rejected based on own
knowledge and industry experiences and comparison with other written or
verbal texts.
4.5 Information in an oral text is judged in terms of its appropriateness for the intended
the audience and purpose.
4.6 Judgements about worth, desirability and acceptability of a product are made using
external criteria provided by the facilitator, other authorities and other oral or
written sources or with internal criteria.
13
11. ACCREDITATION AND MODERATION:
This unit standard will be internally assessed by the provider and moderated by
a moderator registered by INSQA or a relevant accredited ETQA.. The
mechanisms and requirements for moderation are contained in the document
obtainable from INSQA,
INSQA framework for assessment and moderation.
12. RANGE STATEMENT:

The typical scope of this unit standard is:
1. Texts and sources include telephonic queries from clients, verbal
instructions and requests, written and oral texts, recordings, interviews,
discussions, face to face contact, radio and TV broadcasts, advertisements,
Internet and photographs.
2. Financial services related texts include brochures, pamphlets, information
documents, newspapers, magazines, financial newspapers and magazines,
legislation, regulations, rules, letters, articles and any other texts used within
the industry and field of learning.
3. Recognition requires the learner to locate or identify information explicitly
stated in the text itself or in exercises that use the explicit ideas and
information presented in the text.
4. Recall requires the learner to produce from memory ideas and information
explicitly stated in a text.
5. Reorganisation requires the learner to analyse, synthesise and/or organise
ideas or information explicitly stated in a verbal text. The learner may use
the statements verbatim or paraphrase or translate the speaker’s
statements in order to check own comprehension and produce the required
thought product.
6. Inferential comprehension is demonstrated when a learner uses the ideas
and information explicitly stated in a verbal text, his/her intuition, product
and industry knowledge and personal experience as a basis for conjectures
and hypotheses. Inferences may be convergent or divergent and the
14
learner may or may mot be asked to verbalise the rationale underlying
his/her inferences. Inference requires thinking that goes beyond the stated
information.
7. Evaluation requires the learner to compare ideas in the verbal text with
external criteria or material provided by the facilitator or other sources with
internal criteria provided by his/her own experiences, product and industry
knowledge and business ethics. Evaluation is about judgment and focuses
on qualities of accuracy, acceptability, desirability, worth or probability of
occurrence.
8. Appreciation involves all the above cognitive dimensions. It deals with the
psychological and aesthetic impact of a verbal text on a listener. It includes
an appropriate response to aggressive or confrontational telephonic or face
to face situations.
9. Internal criteria include own experience, industry knowledge or business
ethics.
13. NOTES:
13.1 Notes to Assessors
 Integration and portfolio assessment

It is strongly recommended that this unit standard be integrated with
other unit standards wherever learners are required to work with oral
texts and deal with customer queries in a financial services
environment.
13.2 Critical Cross-Field and Developmental Outcomes:
The outcomes supported by this unit standard will vary depending on the
sources, texts and content of the material used as a vehicle for learning
the skills indicated in the unit standard. Whatever the material used, this
unit standard should support at least the following critical cross field
outcomes at unit standard level:
15
The learner is able to demonstrate ability to
 Use the comprehension skills indicated in order to identify and solve

problems in which responses show that responsible decisions using
critical and creative thinking have been made.
 Work effectively with others as a member of a team, group, organisation
or community.
 Organise and manage his/her own learning activities responsibly and
effectively.
 Collect, organise and critically evaluate information from a variety of
oral texts in a financial services environment.
 Communicate effectively using visual, mathematics and language skills
both orally and in writing in applying the comprehension skills indicated
to oral communications with clients.
 Be culturally and aesthetically sensitive across a range of social
contexts in responding personally to a variety of oral situations in a
financial services environment.
16
MODULE 1 EXAMINING THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
Module Outline:
Before you attempt this course it is recommended that you are assessed as
competent in Unit Standard 12155: “Apply comprehension skills to engage in written
text in a business environment.” The focus of this unit standard is on written was on
written text, which does not conform to the same rules as verbal interactions. Verbal
interactions are usually more spontaneous than writing and affected by “non-fluency”
features. This means that most people do not speak fluently and use pauses,
hesitations and expressions such as “you know” “mmmm” etc. This slows down the
speaking process and buys the speaker and listener time. Time gives the listener the
opportunity to process the information and to consider whether they need to engage in
the dialogue further.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this module you should be able to demonstrate the following knowledge
skills, values and attitudes:
Knowledge of:  Communication process

 Different communication mediums
Skills to:  Differentiate between writing and speaking

 Categorise information
17
Attitudes and values  Respect and sensitivity
that show:  Recognition of the value and importance of the
spoken and written form
18
ACTIVITY 1.1: Understanding the communication process
Working in pairs read the article below. After you have

completed the readings discuss the communication model
on the next page.
Consider how each element affects the delivery of the
message. Make notes in the space provided.
Time : 10 minutes reading

20 minutes in pairs
30 minutes plenary session
Reading
Communication is the network through which you and your colleagues gather
information to achieve your work goals. Communication is an integral component of
every aspect of your life. You need to be consciously aware of your own
communication style and develop skills to recognize communication signals from
those around you.
True two-way communication requires both parties to be committed to the purpose of

the interaction. You also need to understand the variables involved in the
communication process.
Numerous communication models are available to explain what takes place during the
process.
19
You will probably recognize the communication model below. This model contains
key elements that you should recognize and focus on during interactions with others.
Environmental
Noise
Feedback
Encoding Decoding
Filters Filters
Channel Channel
Message
Sender Receiver
Environmental
Noise
20
Communication elements and their impact on the communication process
21
22
ACTIVITY 1.2: Exploring the difference between verbal and written text
Your facilitator will read you an article. The purpose of

this activity is for you to try and recall as much
information as possible. You may take notes to help you
recall the information.
Once the facilitator has completed the reading he/she

will hand out the article. On this page is a copy of the
same reading. Read the article. The same information
has been communicated to you using different
mediums, namely written text and verbal text.
In a large group, with guidance from your facilitator,

explore the differences between a written and oral text.
Complete the table below to highlight the differences

between speech and writing
Time
Reading: 20 minutes
Large group: 60 minutes
23
Oral Writing
E.g. Information is communicated E.g. Information is communicated
through the use of the voice. using signs and symbols on paper or
a computer screen.
24
ACTIVITY 1.3 Listening in the workplace
Working in pairs, reflect on your own use of speech and

writing. What do you use more in the workplace? For
what purposes do you use speech? For what purpose do
you use the written medium of communication? Write
down your responses in the space below.
Once you have completed this task draw a bar graph to
indicate how much time you spend on these
communication activities in the workplace.
Time: 20 minutes in pairs

10 minutes in plenary
25
Draw your bar graph in the space below
How does your graph compare to the quote below?
A recent survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labour states that, of the total
time we spend in communication, 22% is spent in reading and writing, 23% in
speaking and 55% in listening.
26
MODULE REVIEW
Individual Reflection
Time: 20 minutes
Which assessment criteria from the unit standard are covered in this module?
What forms of natural evidence do I have that I can include in my Portfolio of

Evidence that relate to these assessment criteria?
How can I practically apply the lessons learned back to the workplace?
27
Skills to improve during the next week.
28
MODULE 2: LISTENING FOR INFORMATION
Module Outline:
This module explores the relationship between listening skills and comprehending
information. To be able to engage in a verbal text effectively, you must be an active
listener. This module will help you to ask the right questions and paraphrase for
clarity to get the information you require.
Learning Outcomes:
Knowledge of:  Listening behaviour

 Barriers to listening
 Paraphrasing technique/s
Skills to:  Listen

 Paraphrase
29
Attitudes and values  Sensitivity and respect for people
that show:
30
ACTIVITY 2.1: rephrasing and paraphrasing
Read the article below on paraphrasing. This is a large

group activity to practice the skill of paraphrasing or
rephrasing You will be playing a game to develop active
listening skills. Before you start the game you need to
complete the reading below
The instructions for the game can be found after the
reading
Time: 100 minutes

Reading: 10 Minutes
Plenary session: 30 minutes
Reading
REPHRASING AND PARAPHRASING
As an active listening response, paraphrasing and rephrasing, clarifies understanding

of the content and or feelings your client has expressed during a discussion.
 Paraphrasing is repeating in your own words what a speaker has said to clarify
and summarise the message to increase the accuracy of the communication
process. E.g. "You seem to be concerned that..."
 Rephrasing is repeating what the speaker has said verbatim, i.e. word for word:
E.g. “Can I check your contract number with you: “551234567”
31
This may sound basic and like a waste of time. After all, if they just said it, why repeat
it? Rephrasing and paraphrasing are one of the most powerful listening techniques
available to you, and it is one of the easiest to learn. Simply think carefully about what
you just heard, put it in your own words, and say it back to them in the form of a
question. For example, when someone says to you they are concerned about the fact
that they may be under insured, your rephrase and their response might sound like
the following:
 You: "I can certainly appreciate that being under insured in these uncertain times
would be a concern to you!"
 Client: "Yes, I have just altered my home, and bought new furniture and think it is
time to increase my insurance amount! What can your company do to help me?"
Paraphrasing and rephrasing shows the other person that you really understand their
situation. It also gives the person a chance to repeat and expand upon their concern,
which makes them feel better about it and gives you the chance to identify something
you can do to make a difference. Keep in mind that a rephrase must be sincere.
Artificially posing a rephrase does more damage than good. If you mindlessly
repeated their sentence like a parrot, the client would probably get irritated. Some
good ways to begin rephrase questions are the following:
32
"As I understand it . . ."
"Do you mean . . ."
Paraphrasing lets a person know that he or she has been heard and understood. It is
used to prevent misunderstandings. It does at least the following:
 Confirms what you have heard by checking understanding
Rephrasing feelings feeds back the emotion communicated non-verbally by the
client. When effective, reflecting feelings means you have grasped the
implication of what the client just said. An example is when the client says he
was burgled last week, and you say: "That must make you feel quite
vulnerable."
Examples:
- "Sounds like you felt attacked."
- “This seems to have made you angry.”
- "Seems like you felt ignored or unappreciated."
 Conveying that you understand what is being said (paraphrasing content).
Sometimes the information or instructions you receive are complex. You need
to clarify that you have understood exactly what the client wants, by repeating
in your own words and understanding his/her needs and wants. This will give
them an opportunity to know that you have heard them and if you have made
an error in your interpretation for them to identify the misunderstanding before
any action takes place:
Examples:
- “You seem to be saying...”
- “If I understand you correctly, you want...”
- "What seems most important to you is...”
Rephrasing: There are times when you will need to repeat the information word for
word to another to ensure that you have heard and captured details correctly. Think
of a waitron, who checks an order before going to the kitchen to place it. They will
take the order from each member at the table and then repeat it to the entire table.
This gives the table an opportunity to correct them if there have been any
misunderstandings or breakdowns in communication.
33
Examples:
- “So I spell your surname: V-I-L-I-K-I-K-A-Z-I’
- “You want to revolve R4350? On your loan account”
- “Your address is 5789 Soweto Extension?”
- “Your telephone number is 555-3556”
Instructions for the game
Your facilitator will read an insurance industry related article to the group, the title of
the article is ‘So you think you’re off the fees hook? Think again.’ by Chris Willis. A
copy of this article is included on the following page. Do not refer to the article until the
game is completed. You are required to listen to the facilitator and may take notes.
After the facilitator is finished reading the article, you will each be handed three
coloured chips. Your chips are your license to speak. Each person will be required to
comment on the article. Before you speak, you are required to place your chip on the
table and paraphrase what the previous person has said. Only then can you make
your own comments. You must get agreement from the previous speaker that the
content you have paraphrased is correct. Once you have put your last chip on the
table and made your comments, you may not speak again until each participant has
placed all three chips on the table and the game is completed.
Your facilitator will guide a discussion to determine why you played this game and
what you have learned from it. Make notes of the discussion on the following page.
34
So you think you’re off the fees hook? Think again
MANY financial advisers are now feeling the pressure from clients reluctant to pay advice
fees on their investments. As a client, when your investment is earning 10% real growth,
you're hardly going to resent paying the financial planner for sound advice. However,
when sound advice in a bear market means that your investment loses only 5% compared
with the market average loss of 10%, suddenly clients begrudge paying the financial
advice fee. Several years into a bear market, this is becoming a sticky issue between
clients and financial advisers. As a result of market pressure, financial services
companies and advisers are beginning to introduce alternative fee-funding methods which
are not necessarily best advice for the client. However, these methods are relieving the
discomfort of having to discuss fees — particularly initial fees — in the short term.
Investors need to understand the different types of fees charged on a typical investment.
 Financial adviser advice fee.

Generally, this is paid in two forms — an initial advice fee when placing the investment
and a recurring advice fee for ongoing management of the investment. The upfront
advice fee is taken from the initial investment. Therefore, the amount of capital
allocated to the investment is reduced accordingly. For example, if the initial
investment is R500 000 and the upfront advice fee is 2.5% (R12 500), only R487 500
is actually invested.
 Administration fee.
All investments require some administration. This could be done in-house at the
investment company or through a third party, generally known as a Linked Investment
Service Provider (Lisp).
 Investment fees.
These are charged by the underlying asset manager for managing the selected
investment portfolio. These fees can kick in at various levels and can be levied by
other parties in addition to the fund manager. Currently, the most noticeable change
on offer to clients has been a reduction of the initial advice fee. Many companies now
offer 100% investment allocation so, presumably, the financial adviser foregoes the initial
35
advice fee. In fact, some companies are offering an additional 2%-3% allocation amount.
So technically you're earning a return on 102% or 103% of your original capital.
Does this mean that the financial adviser has generously conceded all ability to earn upfront
fees and is happy to receive only ongoing advice fees? Unlikely. What is happening is that
the investment firm is probably collecting a payment from the investment company or Lisp.
This expense is being funded through the administrator, but in many cases it will lead to the
client receiving poorer investment returns, or alternatively being hit with disinvestment
charges on early withdrawal. This effectively means you are reimbursing the
administrator for advancing the initial fee to the financial adviser. Superficially, clients
may well be happy with this arrangement because it now appears more like a banking
transaction. "All my money is invested and I can see what I earn. It's not really any of
my business what profit the bank makes on my investment, so long as my interest rate
is competitive," is the rationale. The table above reflects the effects this kind of
thinking could have on your investment. Unfortunately, there are many permutations
and the examples here are for illustrative purposes* only, which is why you must
insist* on full disclosure - in writing - from your financial adviser before committing to a
particular fee structure. Also be aware that the quote may reflect fees on a monthly
basis and exclude the fees charged on the underlying portfolio you will ultimately
choose. Identify the portfolios you will be using within the investment, and ensure that
these fees are already reflected. And remember, perception is reality, so don't let your
judgment be clouded.
36
BE CAREFUL OF COSTS
Example: 10-year endowment Company A Company B
Amount invested R500 000 R500 000
Explicit initial advice fee 2.50% 0.00%
Explicit initial admin fee 1.50% 0.00%
Additional allocation 0.00% 2.00%
Ongoing advice fee 0.50% p.a. 1.25% p.a.
Ongoing admin and investment fee 1.75%p.a. 2.50% p*:
Gross investment return (before fees) 10.0% p.a. 10.0% p.a.
Value after one year R516120 R539963:
Value after five years R689 904 R678 480
Value after ten years R991 598 R902619
For company B this could be subject to disinvestment fees prior to the 10-year
term
By CHRIS WILLIS,
chairman of the Business Times Money Club and head of Alexander Forbes Financial Planning
Consultants
37
ACTIVITY 2.2: Listening Quiz.
The Listening Quiz
In order to be able to engage in a verbal text effectively,

you need to develop good listening skills.
Before you start this quiz think about what kind of

listener you really are. Excellent, good, average or bad?
This quiz will help you to determine how good your
listening skills actually are! Answer the questions as
truthfully as possible.
Time: 30 minutes
Individually: 10 minutes
Group: 20 minutes
Tick yes or no to the following questions: Yes No

1 I often finish other people’s sentences.
2 I think about my listening strategy each time I talk to another
person.
3 I let the other person know when I am unable to give my full
attention.
4 At appropriate times in a conversation, I ask for clarification.
5 I am a master at tuning in and out of a conversation and never
missing a thing.
6 I am one of those people who does not take notes, because I
believe I will remember what was said.
7 I make eye contact to show I am listening.
8 I am good at pretending that I am listening when I am not.
9 I am perceived as a concerned, empathetic listener.
10 I often daydream if I am not interested in what the person is
saying.
11 I often hear people say, “you are not listening to me!”.
12 I listen better one-on-one than when I am part of a group.
13 My listening skills have not improved in the last five years.
14 I tend to listen harder when I know I will be tested on the
38
material.
15 When I first meet people, I always remember their names.
16 I generally make a concentrated effort to pay attention when
someone is speaking to me.
17 When someone says something I disagree with or want to add
to, I get hung up on that point and stop paying attention.
18 I am willing to change my opinions and strategies after
hearing someone else’s thoughts.
19 I have made some major mistakes and caused
misunderstandings by not listening.
20 Through my body language, I make a concerted effort to
demonstrate my interest.
Total scores
Now that you have completed this quiz, lets see what kind of listener you really
are………
Consider how many of your answers reflect good listening skills. Think about areas
where you could improve.
Perhaps you may like to give this quiz to a few of your colleagues and/of friends to
complete regarding your listening skills - their responses may surprise you!
Your facilitator will discuss the statements from the quiz with the group.
The ability to listen carefully is critical to the success of the communication process.
Tamar Howson, senior vice president of Smith Kline Beecham, says, “Without careful
listening, incorrect information can be shared and/or misinterpreted, which can lead to
a chain of decisions and actions that have a negative outcome”.
ACTIVITY 2.3: Recognising barriers to listening
Individual Activity
Now that you have completed the Listening Quiz, you
will know how effective your listening skills actually are.
Take a few moments to think about why you do not
listen more effectively. Write your thoughts down in the
39
space below. Your facilitator will lead a discussion with
the group to identify barriers to listening.
Time
Individual Activity: 10 Minutes
Plenary Session: 10 Minutes
REMEMBER, if you do not develop good listening skills, you will not be able to ask the
right questions to get the information you require.
The good news is that listening is a skill, and by definition a skill can be developed!!
ACTIVITY 2.4: Eliminating listening barriers
Paired Activity.
40
Now that you have identified your personal barriers to
listening, write down ways to eliminate these barriers to
become more effective in the workplace. Work in pairs
for this activity, share ideas and information Make notes
in the space on the following page.
Time : 20 minutes
Paired Activity: 10 Minutes
Plenary session: 10 Minutes
A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while, he knows
something
Wilson Mizner,
Playwright
41
MODULE REVIEW
Time: 20 Minutes
What l forms of natural evidence do I have that I can include in my Portfolio of

Evidence that relate to these assessment criteria?
42
43
MODULE 3: UNDERSTANDING THE LISTENING PROCESS
Module Outline:
After the previous session most of you will agree that you will need to improve your
listening skills to be able to communicate more effectively in the workplace. Before we
start practicing skills to help you improve your listening and questioning techniques
you need to understand the mechanics of auditory processing. Auditory processing is
the ability to listen to the information we hear and process it to create meaning.
Learning Outcomes:
Knowledge of:  Auditory processing

 The interactive nature of communication.
Skills to:  Describe the content of a verbal text

 Analyse a verbal text
 Listen
44
Attitudes and values  Respect
that show:  Tolerance for various attitudes
Read the information below on auditory processing
Time:
Reading: 10 Minutes
AUDITORY PROCESSING
To Hear: To Listen and To Understand the Spoken Word

(adapted from: Theresa Brassard, Audiologist).
This article was prepared for the Support and Information Meeting of the Canadian
Hyperlexia Association. - April 2, 1998
Normal hearing is essential for effective communication and interaction with our
environment via the auditory modality. Impairment in “hearing” impedes our ability to
understand the spoken message and/or listen effectively. To most, hearing refers
only to the ability to perceive sounds. True hearing involves not only the physical
ability of the ear to sounds but to the ability to integrate and assimilate the acoustic
information to our environment.
Auditory processing is listening to information we hear and processing it to create

meaning. .
45
Identifying your Listening Styles
If you think about various listening situations you have experienced, you probably will
realize that you listen differently under varying circumstances. Just as with any of
your other skills, you place varying degrees of effort based on your level of initiative,
desire, or interest. A determining factor in these levels is the reason you are listening.
For example, you probably listen differently in a social situation than you do in a
business setting.
According to the Wolvin-Coakley Listening Taxonomy, the reasons for listening can be
categorised into five distinct levels. Each level can enhance or detract from your
personal interaction at the time. Each level also depends on how you listen, the
situation, and the other person’s perception of your listening style. The five levels are
as follows.
1. Discriminative Listening
2. Comprehensive Listening
3. Therapeutic Listening
4. Critical Listening
5. Appreciative Listening
1 Discriminative listening. This is at the base of all your listening. At this level,
you try to determine the significance of the auditory and visual messages you
receive to determine necessary actions to take.
Example: You are in a staff meeting but are expecting an important phone call.
Even though you are involved in conversation, you subconsciously screen out
other noises to listen for a ringing phone.
2. Comprehensive listening. At this level of listening, you strive to understand

the message or information you receive so that you may remember and recall it
for later use.
Example: You are introduced to a new peer or member of senior management
and try to remember her name and as many details about her as possible. This
46
allows personal recognition when you meet her or need to refer to her in the
future.
3. Therapeutic listening. This is most often associated with helping others.

Example: One of your employees comes to you with a problem and asks
advice. You listen carefully and then determine the appropriate response or
course of action to take.
4. Critical listening. This occurs when you try to evaluate the value of the
message you have received. You first use discriminative listening to determine
the significance of the message and then use comprehensive listening to
understand. Then you analyse or assess the message and make a judgment.
Example: You listen to a salesperson explain a produce or service to
determine whether you need it or not.
5. Appreciative listening. This involves discriminative and comprehensive

listening’ however, your primary purpose is to derive pleasure or satisfaction
from messages you receive.
Example: A co-worker comes to you and relates a funny incident or joke.
47
ACTIVITY 3.1: Listening styles
Individual Activity
Time: 60 minutes
Group discussion: 30 minutes
In your workplace, use the rating scale below to identify the styles of listening do you
use most often? Your facilitator will help you determine the rating scale for each
listening style. What types of listening skills are required in your job profile. Some job
profiles will require more use of one particular style than another. Once you have
completed the table consider how can you use other styles on a more frequent basis
in order to increase your effectiveness and strengthen relationships and improve your
outputs at work.
Listening Style Worksheet
Listening Style Rating Scale

Discriminative 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Needs Development Excellent

Comprehensive 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Therapeutic 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Critical 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Appreciative 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
48
49
ACTIVITY 3.2: Testing your comprehensive and critical listening skills
This is a paired activity, designed to test comprehensive

and critical listening skills.
Time: 60 minutes
Once you are in pairs your class will be divided into two groups. All the members from
Group 1 will leave the room. The facilitator will read an insurance industry related
article to all the people in Group 2. You may not take notes but are required to listen to
the reading. After the facilitator has completed the reading, the people from Group 1
will return to the room. Participants from Group 2 who remained in the room will be
required to give their partners a detailed account of the reading presented by the
facilitator.
After this activity is completed, the facilitator will read the article to the group again.
While the facilitator is reading the article again, you and your partner need to check
how much of the information in the article you retained. Was the information accurate
and was it presented in the correct sequence?
50
ACTIVITY 3.3: Improving Auditory Skills
Individual Activity
 What did you learn from this activity?
 How would you rate your auditory retention and
discrimination skills?
 What can you do to improve these skills?
Time: 40 minutes
Plenary: 20 minutes
51
MODULE REVIEW
Time: 20 minutes
What natural forms of evidence do I have that I can include in my Portfolio of Evidence
that relate to these assessment criteria?
52
53
MODULE 4: GETTING THE INFORMATION YOU NEED
Module Outline:
In this module you are going to develop strategies to assist you in comprehending and
interrogating verbal text. To start this process, we need to identify the different types
of verbal texts. Once you have identified the texts, you will develop skills to interpret
non-verbal and verbal cues. Thereafter we will explore the value of questioning to
elicit the information you require to be able to respond to a verbal text appropriately
Learning Outcomes:
Knowledge of:  Communication mediums of verbal texts

 Stereotyping, effective questioning
 Verbal and non-verbal cues
Skills to:  Interpret verbal and non-verbal cues.

 Recognize stereotyping
 Develop questions to get the information you need
54
Attitudes and values  Sensitivity and respect for individual differences
that show:  Recognise implications in conversation.
55
ACTIVITY 4.1: Verbal texts used in the workplace
This is a large group activity.

Your facilitator will help you identify the different types
of verbal texts used in the workplace. Make notes in the
space below
Time
Large Group: 20 Minutes
E.g. talking to a client on the telephone explaining the procedures

to cash in a policy
You will notice that some of the mediums allow you visual contact with the speaker.
The advantage of being able to see the speaker is that you are able to observe the
body language to help you to understand their message. Body language can provide
you with information about how a person is feeling.
56
ACTIVITY 4.2: Recognising verbal and non verbal cues
Read the article on Speech and Language on the following

page.In pairs identify verbal and non-verbal cues that can
provide you with information about the speaker. Also
identify the type of information the cues give you about the
speaker. Write your responses in the space below.
Time: 60 minutes
Reading: 20 minutes
Pairs: 20 minutes
Non Verbal and Verbal Cues Information
57
Reading
Forms of communication
Speech and Language
Language helps us to make ourselves understood through using a united system of

words. We take our language for granted until we suddenly cannot find the right
words to explain ourselves, or when someone asks us to explain what we mean.
Have you ever tried explaining yourself to someone who is not a first language
speaker of your language? It is much easier to be misunderstood. Even when you
are not speaking out loud, you are using language to think and create meaning. We
call this intrapersonal communication, i.e. interpersonal communication happens
between you and others, and intrapersonal communication happens within yourself.
Speech and language includes, but is not limited to:
 Verbal or spoken communication

 Written communication
 Art, e.g. poetry, music, literature
Non Verbal
The term “non verbal communication” is used when we refer to communication that is
not written or spoken. Researchers have found that when we interact with each
other, we interpret more meaning through non-verbal behaviour than through the
verbal message. In fact, research shows that as much as 65% of the meaning is
understood through non-verbal communication.
58
Body movement, posture and gestures.
 Body movements are strong indicators of how you feel. You can tell
how your boss is feeling sometimes just by the way she is walking! Some
people walk as if they are in a daze (research tell us that those are the ones
who are likely to get mugged first – they are communicating: “come and get
me!”), others walk with purpose. Sometimes you can see if a person is feeling
dejected (sad) by the way they walk.
Your posture can also communicate a lot about your personality, your status,
how you are feeling today, your self-image, and your gender. Have you ever
noticed how a tall person who is uncomfortable with being tall may slouch their
shoulders, whilst some 6 foot models “strut their stuff” on the cat walk? Do you
see how this shows a difference in their self-image? But remember, a slouch
may just be a temporary indication of a person’s emotional state for the day –
perhaps they only feel dejected now, and will bounce back when they have
overcome their particular emotional hurdle. We must be careful not to
generalise our interpretations.
Gestures are movements of hands, arms, legs and feet. Hand gestures
commonly describe or emphasise verbal descriptions or communicate
attitudes. For example, crossed arms can communicate a less aggressive
attitude than putting your hands on your hips.
 Facial Expressions and eye contact
Facial expressions are said to communicate how we are feeling and our
reactions to the messages we are receiving. These are generally the real sign
to how strongly we feel about the message we have received. Have you ever
received unwelcome news, and you did not want to show people your reaction,
but your face and eyes gave you away? After all it is said “the eyes are the
mirror of the soul”.
59
The way we use our eyes is also a way of interpreting meaning. Who will be
viewed as more confident?
(a) A public speaker who does not look at her audience or

(b) A public speaker that looks up during her speech?
Explain your answer in the space below.

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
____________________________
“Ones perception is ones reality”.
The above saying means that even if someone else’s perception of you is
incorrect or unfair, it is real to the person who perceives it. Our role is to
manage other people’s perceptions of ourselves. This can be done very much
through taking care of our physical appearance, without compromising our
unique individuality.
 Vocal qualities
In South Africa we have a variety of accents and ways in which people speak.
This adds to the diversity of our nation and we do not want to make everyone a
clone of the other. Vocal qualities are our vocal qualities, creates
miscommunication, then we can say that meaning has not taken place.
We need to use vocal qualities to enhance the meaning of our message.

Therefore we change our vocal qualities according to our situation:
60
 Volume:
Some people speak softer or louder than others. We can increase or

decrease the volume of our speech to change our meaning. E.g’s.
o A customer will use a louder voice to exclaim his dismay at having
his call transferred for a third time.
o A soft voice would be used to show sympathy towards a client who
has called in to enquire about benefits after her spouse has
passed away.
o You have to speak louder when you are interacting with a client if
the air conditioning unit is faulty and making a noise.
Note: Speaking too loudly in inappropriate situations can be irritating, and
interfere with meaning. Speaking too softly can make it difficult for listeners to
hear and understand you.
 Inflection:
Inflection is the rise and fall of the voice. People who do not use inflection
in their voices have a monotonous “drone”. However, overusing inflection
can create childlike speech. You would typically use more inflection when
your conversation of a more exciting topic.
 Pitch:
When interpreting emotions from the highness or lowness of the voice, we
can typically infer a range of emotions from calmness, cosines, lack of
interest through to depression from a low-pitched voice. A high pitch can
indicate extreme emotions such as fear or excitement.
 Resonance
This is the quality and fullness of your voice, or how pleasant or
unpleasant your voice sounds to the listener.
61
 Rate
Rate refers to the pace of your speech. Speaking quickly could indicates
excitement, anger, volatility, whilst a slower speech would indicate being
relaxed, trying to make a point, depression, lack of interest, etc.
o Note: Speaking too quickly can cause your listeners not to hear all
your words, and speaking too slowly can be monotonous and
boring for your listeners.
 Clarity
Clarity refers to the clearness of your pronunciation. Ones accent is
acceptable provided that the listener can understand what you are saying.
A final note on vocal qualities: For some of these vocal qualities the emotions
indicated are very opposite for the same vocal characteristic. To be an effective
listener you need to consider the vebal and non-verbal cues holistically as well as
considering the context in which the dialogue takes place.
62
ACTIVITY 4.3: Understanding Stereotyping
Individual Activity
In the last activity you learnt how to use verbal and

non-verbal cues to assist you in interpreting a verbal
text. This is a valuable skill, however, it is important for
you to be aware of the dangers of stereotyping in this
process. Read the article below and complete the
activity that follows
Time: 30 minutes
Reading: 10 minutes
Activity: 10 minutes
Stereotyping
Stereotyping is a rigid attitude towards, or a belief about a group of people’s that ignores the
individualism of a person. E.g. Blonde women are stereotyped to have more fun and as
ignorant, actuaries are stereotyped as highly intelligent but dull, and taxi drivers are
stereotyped as reckless divers.
Why do stereotypes exist?

“Stereotypes are a product of the way the mind stores, organizes and recalls information, and
therefore, the use of stereotypes cannot be avoided. Stereotypes are used to describe
differences among groups and to predict how others will behave. Stereotypes help reduce
complexity, help us make quick decisions, fill in the gaps in what is known, help us to make
sense of who we are and what is happening and help create and recognize the patterns
needed to draw conclusions. Unfortunately, stereotypes can also support unfairness and
injustice”…– David W Johnson – Reaching Out, 2000. . Own emphasis added.
In the insurance field we occasionally have to use stereotypes. Some examples are:
 When sales consultants conduct a financial needs analysis,
63
 When the marketing department develops an advertisement campaign according to
the Living Standards Measure (LSM) of targeted customers and
 When the Product Development Department design products to meet the needs of the
general population.
Stereotyping becomes problematic when it is offensive or infringes people’s rights as

laid out in the constitution.
The following mind bender demonstrates how perceptions can affect stereotyping:
Can you explain why the circle in the middle on the left is the same size as the circle in the
middle on the right? It is important to not let the surrounding circumstance cloud your
perceptions about things. Just because every one else in the group is one way, does not
mean that the individual with whom you are dealing is the same. It is important to be sure you
are not caught up with stereotypes, which cloud your perceptions and thinking.
64
ACTIVITY4.4: Value of stereotyping in business
In pairs, determine how stereotyping is used to determine

a customers profile in the financial services industry. E.g.
Consider the information required to prepare a risk profile.
Make notes in the space below
Time: 40 minutes
Pairs: 20 minutes
Plenary Session: 20 minutes
65
ACTIVITY4.5 Dangers of stereotyping
The article below appeared in the Sunday Times – 24 August

2003 This article clearly demonstrates how stereotyping can
sometimes fail. People are individuals and cannot merely be
classified according to a system. Read the article below and
answer the questions that follow.
Time: 120 minutes

Pairs: 60 minutes
By The Way - Suzanne LeClerc Madlala

My ELDEST daughter recently had an encounter with "multiculturalism". It was an encounter of
the third kind, that category that includes a UFO landing in the garden and luring one on
board for experimental purposes.
In her case, she happened to be sitting in a high school classroom, with the creature from
outer space taking the form of a social studies teacher.
"Now, learners, we will be focusing on multiculturalism this week, a very important part of our
new syllabus. As you all know, we are living in a Rainbow Nation, and therefore we must
get to know one another and our various cultures better. This will help to promote
peace, love and tolerance, all those wonderful ingredients for a happy new South Africa."
I imagined the teacher's introduction to this exciting new topic must have been
something like that. Never mind that many of the children had been classmates since
Grade 1 and had well over a decade of experience learning together, as well as hitting,
pushing, teasing, arguing, laughing and rehearsing for Christmas concerts.
66
The basic elements of tolerance were put in place long ago, as these kids came to realise
that it was "adapt or die" schoolyard politics, and they simply had to live with each other,
like it or not. The multi-hued learners had a pretty good idea about each other and their
various "cultures" already, but the teacher obviously thought otherwise.
Certainly, a sensitive and informed engagement with issues around culture, race,
ethnicity, gender or class is a valuable component of a modern school syllabus.
Prejudiced attitudes of a kind are a lot like bones; they become ossified through time. It's
of little use trying to teach an old racist or sexist new ways of thinking. We have to start
when they are young. But the problem is that very few among us are skilled enough or wise
enough or experienced enough to handle these topics with the care that they demand.
So, back in the social studies class, the kids were asked to "break into their cultural
groups", with each group assigned one of the four corners of the classroom. Neatly,
there were four corners for the four obvious groups — whites, coloureds, Indians and
Zulus (yes, "Zulus").
But what was obvious to the teacher was not so obvious to the learners. They milled
around playing musical corners and humorously sought advice from one another as to
where they should go. Joel, the French boy, who is black, decided the "white" group
was appropriate. The visiting Venezuelan girl joined the "Indian" group, and the Xhosa-
speaking boy joined the "Zulus". If the teacher was up to the task, she could have used
this as a marvelous opportunity for demonstrating the stupidity inherent in such
simplistic attempts to categorise people. Instead, the teacher became impatient with the
pupils' to-ing and fro-ing and instructed them where they should go!
My daughter, whose life began with a Home Affairs battle in 1989 when they wouldn't
accept her race as "human" and informed her parents that she was in fact Cape
Coloured, was marched off to the "coloured" corner. Joel, the French kid, was put in with
the "Zulus", the Venezuelan was assigned to the "whites", and the African-American girl
was taken out of the "Zulus" group and re-assigned "coloured". The Xhosa boy was told
he could stay with the "Zulus".
67
Once in their "appropriate" groups, the assignment was given: "Discuss your culture: its
traditional foods, customs, dress, music, whatever else that marks you off as special.
Then each of you will take a turn presenting to the class one aspect of your unique
culture."
And so my French-Canadian-Zulu-American-South African global citizen girl child came
home to recount her story about how her classmates had to provide the necessary
cultural advice for her to stand up the following day and talk about the music of her
culture.
With CD’s of Christina Aguilera, Avril Lavigne and TKZ, I wondered what cultural music she
had in mind. "It's called the Coon Carnival," she reported, something she had not even
heard about up until then. "I think they play the banjo and dress up like clowns. Most of
their songs are in Afrikaans. Oh, well, at least I don't have to talk about coloured foods."
Unable and unwilling to hide my shock/horror, I asked what those foods might be.
"Snoek, that's a fish. You know that advert on TV about I&J? Those are coloureds
catching fish. They like fish."
"What?!!" I couldn't help but screech. My child was going to stand up in front of her
class and mindlessly reproduce some apartheid-era notions of race and culture of which
she has no reference points in her own life, and against which her parents spent years
fighting. All to satisfy the teacher and her syllabus.
When I demanded to know the exact location of this teacher's classroom, the time she
leaves school each day and her home phone number, my daughter begged me not to
intervene. "Oh, no, please, mommy, it's just a silly lesson. We don't care about it. We
know it's dumb." The mortified child didn't want mother causing a scene.
So I ended up writing a lame little note suggesting to the teacher that such an exercise
would be useful as a way of slamming racial or cultural classifications, but otherwise
harmful if mishandled. I can only hope that she got the point.
68
If our schools can do no better than spew out discredited ways of understanding
diversity, then we're in trouble. It would be best to skip the "multicultural" lessons
altogether and wait for a new generation of teachers to tackle the topic. Or, better yet,
the teachers should become the learners while our children design exercises that could
help repair some of the brain damage incurred from the past.
When it comes to multiculturalism, our children are far more aware than we are and
further along with the whole project of negotiating and managing diversity. A lot of our
children today actually live it, so let's just let them lead the way.
Suzanne Leclerc-Madlala is professor and head of anthropology at the University of Natal
69
In Pairs answer the following questions
1. Explain the criteria used to categorise the learners into groups.
2. Is there any evidence to show that the teacher’s personal belief resulted in the
stereo typing of the learners?
3. Suggest four other categorise that the teacher could have identified for this
activity.
4. Do you think the teacher was able to achieve the learning objectives of the
lesson? Explain your answer.
70
ACTIVITY 4.6: Impacts of personal beliefs on stereotyping
The article below appeared in the Sunday Times – 24 August

2003 This article clearly demonstrates how stereotyping can
sometimes fail. People are individuals and cannot merely be
classified according to a system. Read the article below and
answer the questions that follow.
Time: 120 minutes

Pairs: 60 minutes
71
72
RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT: 1
In a classic study on communication conducted by Albert

Mehrabian, it was found that 38% of message meaning is
derived from vocal qualities (speech rate, pitch, volume and
articulation) rather than from the spoken words. Non-verbal
cues (face and body language) make up another 55%.
Interestingly, Mehrabian found that when non-verbal
behaviour contradicts the verbal message, the meanings of
the spoken words are altered and messages other than the
ones intended, are conveyed.
Identify five colleagues and walk around the workplace. As
you pass various colleagues, stop and ask them “How are
you” or “How are things going?” Then come back and answer
the following below.
Remember this information can be used as evidence for
assessment purposes in your Portfolio of Evidence.
Time : 120 minutes
1. What messages did you get verbally?
73
2. What messages did you get non-verbally?
3. What body language did you identify?
4. Were the verbal and non-verbal messages consistent or were different

messages being relayed by each other.
5. Why do you think it is important to be aware of verbal and non-verbal features

in order to comprehend a verbal text?
74
Most of your verbal interactions in the workplace will probably be in the form of
conversations with colleagues and/or clients. In these situations you will have more
opportunities to ask questions and gain clarity to get the information you need.
Although a conversation is more informal than a presentation or a speech, you still
need to carefully consider the questions you ask.
“You can become a super questioner by cultivating one simple habit,: turn the
question ‘What should I say?’ into ‘What should I ask?” (Dorothy Leeds)
ACTIVITY 4.7: Getting information you need through effective questioning
This is a paired activity to demonstrate the importance of

listening and asking the right questions. Your facilitator
will explain the instructions for the game to you. After you
have completed the game your facilitator will discuss the
following points in a plenary session
 Identify the difficulties or successes experienced

during the activity.
 Which exercise was more difficult and why?
 What did you learn about the need for effective

communication?
Time: 60 minutes
Pairs: 30 minutes
Plenary session: 30minutes
75
76
ACTIVITY 4.8: Effective questioning to get the information you need.
In the previous activity we explored how verbal and non-verbal

cues can give you information about the speaker. This
information was gathered through silent, passive, observation
and listening to the speaker. In this module you will explore how
you can gather more information from the speaker using
effective questioning techniques.
Read the article below on Effective Questioning, adapted from
The Power of Questions by Dorothy Leeds.
Time: 20 minutes
Every time you speak, you either make a statement or ask a question. As you wade
though the new information and facts you receive on a daily basis, you need to
recognize the power of questioning. The art and skill of asking questions can benefit
everyone from the C.E.O. of a large corporation to the primary school child.
Knowing how to ask the right questions can help you solve problems faster. Dorothy
Leeds, Author of ‘Smart Question’, has identified questions that hold seven very
specific powers..
1. Questions demand answers. When someone asks us a question we are

compelled to answer it. This feeling of obligation is what I call the answering
reflex.
2. Questions stimulate thinking. When someone asks a question it stimulates
thinking in both the person asking and the person being asked.
3. Questions give us valuable information. Asking the right questions can give
us the specific and relevant information we want and need.
4. Questions put you in control. Everyone feels most comfortable and
confident when he or she is in control. Because questions demand answers,
the asker has the power position.
5. Questions get people to open up. There is nothing more flattering than being
asked to tell your personal story or to give your opinions, insight, and advice.
77
Asking questions shows others that you are interested in who they are and
what they have to say – and when that happens, even the mot reticent
individuals are willing to share their thoughts and feelings.
6. Questions lead to quality listening. As you improve your ability to ask the
right question, the answers you get become more pertinent and focused,
making it easier for you to concentrate on what’s important to the situation.
7. Questions get people to persuade themselves. People believe what they
say, not what you say. The are more likely to believe something they thought
up, and a well phrased question can get their minds headed in a specific
direction. The question is the most overlooked tool in the art of persuasion.
“To find the exact answer, one must first ask the exact question”
St. Webster, Clergyman
Before you ask an important question to anyone, ask yourself the following questions:
 What is the purpose? Do I want help, advice, information,

commitment? Do I want to open a discussion, develop new ideas, bring out
opinions or attitudes? Do I want to achieve agreement or suggest an action,
idea, or decision?
 Who am I speaking to? Someone I know well, someone I do not
know at all, someone in authority, someone on my staff?
 Is this the right time or occasion? Timing is everything. You
don’t want to ask your boss an important work-related question at the
Christmas party or a personal question at the board meeting.
 What will the impact of this question be? Questions can be
asked in many ways. Before you ask a question of someone else, consider:
the following: If I phrase the question this way, what possible answers will I
get? Is there a more specific way to phrase this to get a more specific answer?
There are different types of questioning techniques to elicit the information you
require.
78
Dorothy Leeds, Author of ‘Smart Question’ has created a list of fifty questions for you
to use as samples. They are divided into six catergories:
1. Getting to Specifics
These questions are meant to help you clarify, define, probe and get to the
bottom of issues and circumstances –
1) Can you clarify that?

2) Can you give an example of what you mean?
3) What specifically do you mean by that?
4) Do you have any questions about what has been said?
5) What specific results are you looking for?
6) What do you plan to do with this information/report/project?
7) What is the real problem here?
2. Tuning in – Intellectually and Emotionally

Part of understanding another person is to be tuned in to his or her emotional
state or way of thinking.
Tuning in to Others
8) From what standpoint are you asking?
9) How do you feel about it?
10) How strongly do you feel about it?
11) What do you think about it?
12) What’s most important to you?
13) What are your priorities?
14) If I were in (his or her) shoes, how might I be feeling?
Tuning in to Yourself
15) How do I feel about it?
16) What do I think about it?
17) What is my purpose?
18) What assumptions am I making?
79
19) What am I really trying to say with this message?
20) What is the best way to phrase this question?
3. Feedback
We like to think that we are making ourselves perfectly clear at all times. The
truth is, we are not always understood, and the best way to find out is to ask.
Getting Feedback from Others

21) Did I understand you correctly when you said ….?
22) Did I answer you question?
23) How am I doing?
24) Have I done what your requested?
Giving Feedback to Others

25) What type of feedback would be most helpful to you?
26) What do you plan to do with the feedback?
27) Do you want me to just listen?
28) Do you want me to ask questions and interact with you?
29) Do you want me to give you advice?
4. Closing
Many people have difficulty with closing questions.
30) Are we in agreement?
31) Are you ready to go ahead?
32) Is it a deal?
5. Consequences
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Every action you take has a
consequence and should be considered carefully.
33) What if…?
34) Is it worth it?
35) What will I regret not doing?
36) What might the short-term results be?
80
37) What might the long-term results be?
6. Personal
This list of questions is limitless.
38) Can you help me?
39) Can I help you?
40) Am I where I want to be?
41) What do I want to do?
42) Where do I want to spend the rest of my life?
43) And with whom?
44) What are my options?
45) What questions should I be asking?
46) What do I need to do to meet my goals?
47) What am I willing to change to get there?
48) What did I accomplish?
49) What could I have done better.
The important think is not to stop questioning.

50) What should I ask?
81
ACTIVITY 4.9: Ask the right questions to get the information you need
.
Your facilitator will then read you a speech made by Mandela on
HIV / AIDS. Mandela presented this speech at the closure of the
13th International Aids Conference. A copy of the speech is on
the following page. Write down one question that you would like
to have asked Mandela. Your facilitator will write the questions
on the flipchart. Thereafter you will analyse each question to
determine whether the question is appropriate for such an
occasion and elicits the intended information.
Time: 60 minutes
Reading: 10 Minutes
Individual: 10 Minutes
Plenary session: 40 Minutes
82
83
Closing Address at the 13th International AIDS Conference
Durban 14 July 2000,
To have been asked to deliver the closing address at this conference which in a very
literal sense concerns itself with matters of life and death, weighs heavily upon me for
the gravity of the responsibility placed on one.
No disrespect is intended towards the many other occasions where one has been
privileged to speak, if I say that this is the one event where every word uttered, every
gesture made, had to be measured against the effect it can and will have on the lives
of millions of concrete, real human beings all over this continent and planet. This is not
an academic conference. This is, as I understand it, a gathering of human beings
concerned about turning around one of the greatest threats humankind has faced, and
cer tainly the greatest after the end of the great wars of the previous century.
It is never my custom to use words lightly. If twenty-seven years in prison have done
anything to us, it was to use the silence of solitude to make us understand how
precious words are and how real speech is in its impact upon the way people live or
die.
If by way of introduction I stress the importance of the way we speak, it is also

because so much unnecessary attention around this conference had been directed
towards a dispute that is unintentionally distracting from the real life and death issues
we ar e confronted with as a country, a region, a continent and a world.
I do not know nearly enough about science and its methodologies or about the politics
of science and scientific practice to even wish to start contributing to the debate that
has been raging on the perimeters of this conference.
I am, however, old enough and have gone through sufficient conflicts and disputes in
my life-time to know that in all disputes a point is arrived at where no party, no matter
how right or wrong it might have been at the start of that dispute, will any long er be
totally in the right or totally in the wrong. Such a point, I believe, has been reached in
this debate.
84
The President of this country is a man of great intellect who takes scientific thinking
very seriously and he leads a government that I know to be committed to those
principles of science and reason.
The scientific community of this cuntry, I also know, holds dearly to the principle of
freedom of scientific enquiry, unencumbered by undue political interference in and
direction of science.
Now, however, the ordinary people of the continent and the world -and particularly the
poor who on our continent, will again carry a disproportionate burden of this scourge -
would, if anybody cared to ask their opinions, wish that the dispute about the pr imacy
of politics or science be put on the backburner and that we proceed to address the
needs and concerns of those suffering and dying. And this can only be done in
partnership.
I come from a long tradition of collective leadership, consultative decision-making and

joint action towards the common good. We have overcome much that many thought
insurmountable through an adherence to those practices. In the face of the grave
threat po sed by HIV/Aids, we have to rise above our differences and combine our
efforts to save our people. History will judge us harshly if we fail to do so now, and
right now.
Let us not equivocate: a tragedy of unprecedented proportions is unfolding in Africa.

AIDS today in Africa is claiming more lives than the sum total of all wars, famines and
floods, and the ravages of such deadly diseases as malaria. It is devastating fami lies
and communities; overwhelming and depleting health care services; and robbing
schools of both students and teachers.
Business has suffered, or will suffer, losses of personnel, productivity and profits;
economic growth is being undermined and scarce development resources have to be
diverted to deal with the consequences of the pandemic.
HIV/Aids is having a devastating impact on families, communities, societies and

economies. Decades have been chopped from life expectancy and young child
mortality is expected to more than double in the most severely affected countries of
85
Africa. Aids is clearly a disaster, effectively wiping out the development gains of the
past decades and sabotaging the future.
Earlier this week we were shocked to learn that within South Africa 1 in 2, that is half,
of our young people will die of AIDS. The most frightening thing is that all of these
infections which statistics tell us about, and the attendant human suffering, co uld
have been, can be, prevented.
Something must be done as a matter of the greatest urgency. And with nearly two
decades of dealing with the epidemic, we now do have some experience of what
works.
The experience in a number of countries has taught that HIV infection can be
prevented through investing in information and life skills development for young
people. Promoting abstinence, safe sex and the use of condoms and ensuring the
early treatment of sexually transmitted diseases are some of the steps needed and
about which there can be no dispute. Ensuring that people especially the young, have
access to voluntary and confidential HIV counselling and testing services and
introducing measures to reduce mother-to-child transmission have been proven to be
essential in the fight against AIDS. We have recognised the importance of addressing
the stigmatisation and discrimination, and of providing safe and supportive
environments for people affected by HIV/Ai ds.
The experiences of Uganda, Senegal and Thailand have shown that serious
investments in and mobilisation around these actions make a real difference. Stigma
and discrimination can be stopped; new infections can be prevented; and the capacity
of families and communities to care for people living with HIV and AIDS can be
enhanced.
It is not, I must add, as if the South African government has not moved significantly on
many of these areas. It was the first deputy president in my government that oversaw
and drove the initiatives in this regard, and as President continues to place this issue
on top of the national and continental agenda. He will with me be the first to concede
that much more remains to be done. I do not doubt for one moment that he will
proceed to tackle this task with the resolve and dedication he is known for.
86
The challenge is to move from rhetoric to action, and action at an unprecedented
intensity and scale. There is a need for us to focus on what we know works.
 We need to break the silence, banish stigma and discrimation, and ensure total
inclusiveness within the struggle against AIDS;
 We need bold initiatives to prevent new infections among young people, and
large-scale actions to prevent mother-to-child transmission, and at the same time
we need to continue the international effort of searching for appropriate vaccines;
 We need to aggressively treat opportunistic infections; and
 We need to work with families and communities to care for children and young
people to protect them from violence and abuse, and to ensure that they grow up
in a safe and supportive environment.
For this there is need for us to be focussed, to be strategic, and to mobilise all of our
resources and alliances, and to sustain the effort until this war is won.
We need, and there is increasing evidence of, African resolve to fight this war. Others
will not save us if we do not primarily commit ourselves. Let us, however, not
underestimate the resources required to conduct this battle. Partnership with the
interna tional community is vital. A constant theme in all our messages has been that
in this inter-dependent and globalised world, we have indeed again become the
keepers of our brother and sister. That cannot be more graphically the case than in
the common fight against HIV/Aids.
As one small contribution to the great combined effort that is required, I have
instructed my Foundation to explore in consultation with others the best way in which
we can be involved in the battle against this terrible scourge ravaging our continent
and world.
I thank all of you most sincerely for your involvement in that struggle. Let us combine
our efforts to ensure a future for our children. The challenge is no less.
I thank you.
87
ACTIVITY 4.10 Recognising effective questioning
This is a large group activity.

Your facilitator will play you a short transcript of a
dialogue between the Financial Mail’s Stuart Theobald and
short-term insurance ombudsman on the release of the
ombudsman’s annual report. A copy of the transcript can
be found below.
Time
Large group: 60 Minutes
The interview below was presented on Summit TV, Face to Face on 28 March 2003
where Financial Mail's Stuart Theobald speaks to short-term insurance ombudsman
Helm van Zijl on the release of the ombudsman's annual report.
Stuart Theobald: What kind of complaints were you dealing with last year?
Helm van Zijl: The bulk, 53%, relate to motor vehicles. The second highest, 37%,
relates to house insurance, contents and structure. Cellular, travel and accident
insurance make up the remaining 10%. We only act for individuals so closed
corporations and Proprietary Ltds are excluded.
ST: So it is the little man that you are out to protect?
HvZ: Correct. For the little man last year we gained R22,5-million.
ST: At 3 000 claims that means R1 million a claim?
88
HvZ: Not quite. Some are quite big. The maximum jurisdiction per claim is R500 000,
but we had a lot of smaller claims. The bottom line is that we got out R22,5-million for
individuals. Those are people who could not have afforded the costs of an attorney.
ST: How does someone go about registering a claim with you?
HvZ: We need a written complaint from the complainant. The claim must have been
repudiated or partly admitted. We then submitt the complaint to the insurance
company. Very often the covering letter sees the insurance company admitting the
claim, the reason being that initially the claim is denied or repudiated by a lesser clerk.
When the claim comes from us, we deal with a person who is experienced, who
knows that we don't just look at the black and white, but at the grey areas and we can
also look at equity.
ST: The grey areas are certainly, I suppose, where most of the disputes will arise.
How often is it about the fine print in a contract? What is your approach to the fairness
of a situation versus the letter of an insurance policy?
HvZ: For example, I recently had a case of a lady who was in Barcelona, Spain. Five
people overpowered her and stole all her documents, including her passport. She
missed a particular tour the following day as a result. She lost R5 000. The insurance
company said that it did not cover for robbery, but it does cover for hijacking. In my
letter I pointed out to them that I, too, had been involved in a case that dealt with the
meaning of hijack. Hijack is an elastic word, it can include robbery and it can include
theft. I told the insurance company that if you use the work hijack, it includes a
robbery by five men. They paid up.
ST: Last year there were 18 cases where you made a ruling and said an insurance
company must pay. Which are the most contentious issues that would lead you to
make a ruling like that?
HvZ: It was only in respect of two insurance companies that I made those 18 rulings.
In eight complaints, the one insurer's business was so muddled that it was totally
89
chaotic. We gave that particular insurer time to come back to us and after they didn't
do so, we made the eight rulings against them. The bottom line is, we had over 320
000 claims that we finalised last year. We only made a ruling in 18 of them. It is a
miniscule percentage.
ST: How can someone get hold of you if they are having a dispute with their insurer?
The purpose of this interview was to discuss the annual ombudsman report.
 Examine the type of questions asked by Stuart Theobald.
 Does he get the information he wants? Explain.
 Identify questions that you could rephrase to get more detailed information from
Mr. Van Zijl.
Write down five questions you would ask Mr. van Zijl on the ombudsman annual
report.
90
RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT 2
Time 240 minutes
Working in pairs, identify and interview a call centre operator from your organisation to
identify the most frequently asked question the operator receives. List the questions
and prepare appropriate responses using your industry knowledge and experience.
Then practise using these responses, preferably when communicating with a client or
alternatively in a role-play situation. This process should be evaluated against a
checklist by a supervisor or line manager to ensure that the learner meets the
requirements of the assessment criteria.
This information must be included in their Portfolio of Evidence
91
MODULE 5: COLLECTING AND ORGANISING INFORMATION
Module Outline:
Another technique to help you create meaning from verbal texts or conversations is to
take notes. Effective note taking can assist you in improving your auditory processing
skills. You need to be able to listen ahead by processing and remembering what you
hear while you are writing.
Learning Outcomes:
Knowledge of:  Cause and effect relationships.
Skills to:  Listen for information

 Identify key words and main ideas
 Tabulate information from a verb al text
Attitudes and values  Recognition of the value of a verbal text.

that show:
92
ACTIVITY 5.1 Listening for Keywords
This is an individual activity called a gap fill. The purpose

of this activity is for you to practice listening and writing
down key words from an oral text. Your facilitator will read
an article titled ‘Insurance industry enters new era’ issued
by Astrid de Vos –Financial Services Board – 14 August
2003.
Listen to the reading and fill in the missing key words in
the following article.
Time: 30 minutes
14 August 2003
Insurance industry enters new era
The Insurance Amendment Act, 2003, (Act 17 of 2003) which became effective on
1 August will have major bearing for the South African insurance industry.
Head of registration and policy for insurance at the Financial Services Board (FSB),
Deon van Staden, says the amendments ensure greater ____________
______________ and increased defences against ________________
He says the main improvement the amendment introduces is the adoption of

______________ ___________ for calculating the value of assets, __________ ___
________ _________ requirements of long-term insurers.
“The ____________ ____________ __________is more realistic and in line with

____________ ____________. It also considers ____________ _________, the
expected ______________ of an insurer, the actual _________ ___________ of the
insurer and the ___________ of the insurer to manage these risks,” he says.
93
Previously, the _____________ ____________ ___________ method was used. The
main ________________ between the two valuation methods are the manner in
which the value of an ______________ in a subsidiary and shares held in a holding
company is ____________, and the way in which the ___________ __________
adequacy requirement is ______________.
“But insurers who now find their _______ ______ _____ ______ in value because of
the new valuation method need not fear that they will lose their businesses. Insurers
may apply to the FSB for an __________ to absorb the new requirements.”
The FSB has already published a ________ ________ and ___________ on the
statutory valuation method requirements for the calculation of the value of the assets,
liabilities and capital adequacy requirement of long-term insurers.
Amendments to the definition of ‘____________ ______________’ in terms of the Act

also ensure________ _________ ______, as the Act is now clearer about how the fit
and proper principles are to be applied to top management.
In terms of the Act, the FSB has to be informed at all times about ______
____________and _________ ___ ________ ___________and of managers who
report to them.
The new Act also addresses ___________and ____________

_____________and______________ __ __________. In terms of the amendments to
section 59(1) of the Act, a _________ _________test regarding the materiality of
representations will be followed to establish whether an insurance claim may be
________on grounds of ____________or non-disclosure.
Other amendments include:
 Advertising material must contain the name of the insurer that underwrites the
policy.
 The Registrar must approve the use of translations, shortened forms and
derivatives of an insurance company’s name.
94
 The regulation of the inclusion of certain shares as assets.
 Long-term insurers are exempted from the requirements regarding free

choice when money is lent to a policyholder upon the security of a long-term
insurance policy with that insurer.
 Banks no longer need to furnish receipts for cash payment of premiums.
ENDS
Issued by Astrid de Vos

Financial Services Board
Communication & Liaison Department
Thursday 14 August 2003
Telephone 428 8116
A copy of the original article for you to compare against your gap fill activity
14 August 2003
Insurance industry enters new era
The Insurance Amendment Act, 2003, (Act 17 of 2003) which became effective on
1 August will have major bearing for the South African insurance industry.
Head of registration and policy for insurance at the Financial Services Board (FSB),
Deon van Staden, says the amendments ensure greater consumer protection and
increased defences against systemic risk.
He says the main improvement the amendment introduces is the adoption of

prescribed requirements for calculating the value of assets, liabilities and capital
adequacy requirements of long-term insurers.
95
“The statutory valuation method is more realistic and in line with actuarial practise. It
also takes considers economic factors, the expected experience of an insurer, the
actual risk profile of the insurer and the ability of the insurer to manage these risks,”
he says.
Previously, the financial soundness valuation method was used. The main differences
between the two valuation methods are the manner in which the value of an
investment in a subsidiary and shares held in a holding company is calculated, and
the way in which the minimum capital adequacy requirement is determined.
“But insurers who now find their asset base has diminished in value because of the
new valuation method need not fear that they will lose their businesses. Insurers may
apply to the FSB for an extension to absorb the new requirements.”
The FSB has already published a board notice and directive on the statutory valuation
method requirements for the calculation of the value of the assets, liabilities and
capital adequacy requirement of long-term insurers.
Amendments to the definition of ‘executive management’ in terms of the Act also

ensure increased consumer protection, as the Act is now clearer about how the fit and
proper principles are to be applied to top management.
In terms of the Act, the FSB has to be informed at all times about new appointments
and departures of executive officers and of managers who report to them.
The new Act also addresses material and non-material misrepresentations and non-
disclosures of information. In terms of the amendments to section 59(1) of the Act, a
more objective test regarding the materiality of representations will be followed to
establish whether an insurance claim may be refused on grounds of misrepresentation
or non-disclosure.
Other amendments include:

 Advertising material must contain the name of the insurer that underwrites the
policy.
96
 The Registrar must approve the use of translations, shortened forms and
derivatives of an insurance company’s name.
 The regulation of the inclusion of certain shares as assets.
 Long-term insurers are exempted from the requirements regarding free choice
when money is lent to a policyholder upon the security of a long-term insurance
policy with that insurer.
 Banks no longer need to furnish receipts for cash payment of premiums.
Note to editors: The FSB is a statutory body responsible for supervising the non-
banking financial services industry. The FSB’s regulatory objectives are:
 Fairness, efficiency and transparency
 Stability of financial markets
 Protection of consumers
ENDS
Issued by Astrid de Vos

Financial Services Board
Communication & Liaison Department
Thursday 14 August 2003
Telephone 428 8116
97
Reflection
After the facilitator has completed the reading, identify

how many blank spaces you have.
Then compare your article with the original article. How
many of the key words were correct?
What does this indicate about your listening skills? What
can you do to improve them?
Time: 30 Minutes
98
ACTIVITY 5.2 Identifying relationships between information
When listening to a verbal text, it is important for you to be

able to identify the relationships between the information
conveyed to you by the speaker.
This is a large group activity. Your facilitator will give you

each a card; on each card is a statement. The purpose of
this activity is for you to move around the group and find
the statement that corresponds to your statement in a
‘cause and effect’ situation. Once you have found your
partner, sit down together and connect the two sentences
by introducing a phrase that expresses the relationship of
cause and effect.
Each pair will then read out their sentence. Your facilitator
will write up the phrases on the flip chart
Time: 40 Minutes
Write ‘cause and effect phrases’ in the space below. See if you can add anymore to
your list after you have completed the paired activity.
Cause and effect phrases:
eg Therefore……….
As a result… …...
If……….then.……...
99
ACTIVITY 5.3 Listening for cause and effect information
This is a paired activity.
Your facilitator will read you an article on medical aid

fraud. You need to extract information from the article,
which will help you to recognize and understand the
challenges facing the industry. A copy of the article is on
the following page. Based on the information you extract
from the article, write down ten sentences to illustrate the
‘cause and effect’ relationship.
Time: 60 minutes
Pairs: 30 minutes
E.g. some medical aids reimburse the client directly; as a result, many doctors do
not get paid.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Now that you have a good understanding of the ‘cause and effect’ relationship, lets
explore how you can use this skill to improve your understanding of a verbal text.
Tuesday August 12, 2003, SABC 3 at 9h30 pm -
"Doctoring the Books"

This Tuesday Special Assignment goes undercover to expose the cunning scams
perpetrated by medical professionals in cahoots with their patients.
100
Working with a new unit especially set up by South Africa’s medical schemes, we
crack the case of a Vosloorus-based physiotherapist. He has over the years
systematically defrauded several medical aid funds. His modus operandi is the so-
called ATM-scam, whereby he exchanges member’s medical aid details for small
cash hand-outs.
We travel to Makhado in Limpopo Province where a GP routinely dispenses

slimming tablets. For the medical schemes this is a non-refundable commodity, but
claims for bona-fide drugs are submitted to the medical aids instead.
In Newlands, Johannesburg, a pharmacist “helps out” cash-strapped grocery

shoppers. He regularly submits electronic claims for drugs in exchange for things like
porridge and toilet paper purchased in his pharmacy.
Our team worked hand-in-hand with a new forensic unit, set up by medical schemes
across the country. Medical scheme investigators once jealously guarded their turf,
their tip-offs, their informants, their network of agents. Now they’re pooling all their
efforts and resources. This industry-wide initiative aimed at cracking down on
doctors who break the rules, will be unveiled to the press this week.
Marius Smit is chairman of the new collective, called the Forensic Management Unit.
It draws together 60% of the country’s medical schemes and administrators under
101
the banner of the Board of Health Care Funders. Smit describes the thinking that
underlies the initiative: “It is believed that 25 % of adults will always lie, steal and
cheat; 25% will never lie, steal and cheat; the 50% that's over can go either way.
Now the interesting thing about that 50% is what determines where they go?”
Every year South Africans spend about R40-billion on private health care - it includes
everything from visits to GPs, dentists, optometrists, physiotherapists, pharmacies
and private clinics and hospitals. Private health-spend accounts for 5% of the
country's economy.
Corruption, collusion, over-servicing, kickbacks, perverse incentives: these are all

forms of abuse that are costing the industry and the country up to R10-billion a year.
The consequence for ordinary people like us is simple: the more fraud there is, the
more expensive medical care becomes. Medical inflation is spiralling at 3 times that
of normal inflation.
102
Until now virtually all medical schemes employed their own forensic investigators to
follow up on fraud allegations. These units only managed to scratch the surface as
fraudsters simply skipped from one company to another, defrauding scheme after
scheme. “Neighbouring” forensic units worked in isolation, unaware of cases that
could help prevent their own scheme from re-hashing similar investigations.
The new industry-wide forensic management unit under the Board of Healthcare
Funders is determined to put an end to this duplication. It aims to kick inefficient
fraud management and corruption in the teeth.
“Doctoring the Books” was filmed by Mzwandile Njokwana, with additional footage by
Dudley Saunders, and written by Anna-Maria Lombard.
103
ACTIVITY 5.4 Strategies for extracting and recording information
Individual Activity.
You have practiced listening for key words from a verbal text, ‘a
strategy to extract key concepts from a verbal text’. This is a
difficult skill to master, as you are working with a number of
different processes at the same time. Read the article below on
summarising and complete the activity that follows.
Time: 120 minutes

Reading: 20 minutes
Reading
Summarising information when listening.
Summarising is a useful tool to help you extract the essential information from a verbal
text. Summarising includes the ability to:
 Understand meaning,
 Identify the purpose or intention,
 Recognise verbal and non-verbal features,
 Identify cause and effect relationships,
 Distinguish between fact and opinion and
 Discriminate between the relevant and irrelevant information.
There are different techniques to summarise information and you need to identify what
works for you. Summaries can be written as:
Keywords or,
 a continuous script, giving the gist of the original or,
 in point or mind mapping for outlining the essential substance of the text.
104
The following guidelines can be used to extract key concepts from a spoken text:
 When listening to a verbal text you should focus on what is being read and try
to block out all internal/external noises. For some this is an extremely difficult
task,
 Identify the main ideas,
 Eliminate unnecessary words and figures of speech,
 Use plain English to describe key ideas,
 Try to reduce wordy phrases to one word,
 Maintain the tone of the text, and
 Listen for words and phrases to indicate chronological order or sequences, e.g.
firstly, secondly, finally, to sum up.
In order to practice this process, your facilitator will read you a short article from the
‘Sunday Times Business’ section titled ‘Protect yourself by doing these essential
checks on advisors’.
Using the guidelines described in the reading, write down your main ideas, keywords,
categories, similarities and differences to enable you to summarise this article as
accurately as possible.
 A copy of the actual article is on the following page. Once you have completed
your summary and compare it to the information in the article.
105

Protect yourself by doing these

essential checks on advisers
T H E F in a n c ia l A d v is o r y a n d M a k e s u r e th a t If an existing policy is to
I n t e r m e d ia r y S e r v ic e s ( F A I S ) be terminated and
A c t n o w im p o s e s o b lig a t io n s in te r m e d ia r ie s a c t replaced with another,
o n a ll p r o v id e r s o f f in a n c ia l intermediaries are
s e r v ic e s . obliged to tell you about
O ld M u tu a l P e rs o n a l a c c o r d in g to la w all the potential implica-
F in a n c ia l A d v ic e has tions, costs and
c o m p ile d a 1 0 - p o in t insurer's shares and if they consequences.
c h e c k lis t to f o llo w b e fo r e received more than 30% • Not all financial
y o u s i g n a n y t h in g a n d of their pay from a advisers necessarily carry
c e r t a in ly b e f o r e y o u h a n d particular company or personal indemnity
over any m oney: associated company in insurance. The advantage
• T h e F A I S A c t a p p lie s t o the previous year. of dealing with an
a ll fin a n c ia l a d v is e r s a n d • Before providing any established financial ser-
b ro k e rs ( a ls o c a lle d advice the intermediary vices provider is that you
r e p r e s e n t a t iv e s or must collate information have recourse to a major
in t e r m e d ia r i e s ) , w h e th e r about your financial circum- company should
t h e y b e lo n g t o a c o m p a n y stances. This is used to something go wrong.
o r w o r k in d e p e n d e n t ly . conduct a financial "needs • All assurance
• T h e f in a n c ia l s e r v ic e s analysis", which enables companies are obliged to
p r o v id e r h a s t o b e lic e n s e d an adviser to allow you a "cooling off"
and m u s t e n s u re its recommend products period to change your
a d v is e r s a r e c o m p e t e n t . best suited to your needs mind without any
A d v is e r s m u s t d is c lo s e and ensure your portfolio detrimental effect.
t h e ir e x p e r ie n c e , a s w e ll is appropriate to your risk • Do not sign until you
a s th e a d d r e s s o f th e ir profile. are entirely satisfied with
h e a d o f f ic e , t h e o f f ic e t h a t • Advice should be in the adviser's credentials
w ill s e r v e y o u , r e l e v a n t plain language and the and that you've under-
t e le p h o n e n u m b e r s a n d e - adviser must ensure you stood the advice. And
m a il a d d r e s s e s . understand it. You must be remember, it is an offence
• S o m e a d v is e r s a r e provided with detailed for an adviser to ask you
e m p l o y e d b y lif e a s s u r a n c e information about the to sign a blank or
c o m p a n ie s . O t h e r s o p e r a t e name, class and type of a incomplete application
in d e p e n d e n t ly a n d c o u ld b e recommended product, form.
lia b le fo r lo s s e s in c u r r e d a s including its benefits, • If you feel that these
a r e s u lt o f in c o r r e c t a d v ic e . premiums, projected guidelines have not been
I n t e r m e d ia r ie s m u s t t e ll values, any commissions followed, you can lodge a
y o u if t h e y h a v e p e r s o n a l and claims notifications complaint with the adviser.
in d e m n it y in s u r a n c e . procedures. If he works for a financial
I n t e r m e d ia r ie s m ust • Any fees you are service provider, take up
d is c lo s e a ls o i f t h e y o w n expected to pay must be the matter with the
m o re th a n 1 0 % o f a n declared upfront. employer. If it is still not
resolved, you can
approach the Life
Assurance Ombudsman.
106
107
Time 240 minutes
Select a business programme or documentary of no less than 30 minutes on

television. Watch the programme and take notes. Use note-taking technique that you
are comfortable with to record your information. Then select another two source to
provide you with additional information on that particular topic and summarise that
information. Lastly using all your notes, write a clear concise summary of the topic
integrating all the relevant information.
Your notes and summary need to be included in your Portfolio of Evidence for
assessment purposes.
108
MODULE REVIEW
Time: 20 minutes
109
110
MODULE 6: MAKING A JUDGEMENT
Module Outline:
This module is an opportunity for you to integrate the skills you have learned with your
intuition, product and industry knowledge to determine whether an event could have
really occurred.
Learning Outcomes:
Knowledge of: 
Skills to: 
Attitudes and values  .

that show:
111
ACTIVITY 6.1 Analysing information
This is a small group activity for four people. Each person

will be assigned a particular role. Refer to the map on
below.
Your facilitator will explain the activity to the group.
Time: 90 minutes
Small Group: 70 minutes
Map of the accident.
112
Person 1 : Short term Insurance Clerk
Your role is to listen to the calls made by Mrs Jones and Doctor Tshabala, to inform
you of the accident that has taken place. Each person will give you the information
from their perspective.
You need to ask questions to clarify details. Determine what is an objective fact or the
subjective opinion.
Using your knowledge and experience of the insurance industry, identify where there
are inconsistencies in the information and make a judgment as to whether this
accident could have really happened.
Person 2 : Maureen Jones, driver of an Audi A4.
You are on your way to fetch your children from school. You are running late, school
has already finished and many children have started to walk home. Children exit the
school gate in Marsh Street and walk left on the pavement, towards Swamp Street.
Some children cross Swamp Street and take a short cut home through Johnston’s
park, while others turn right and continue walking north down Swamp Street.
You are travelling North down Swamp Street, preparing to turn right into March Street.
There is heavy oncoming traffic and children are trying to cross the road.
As you get a gap to turn right, Mr Tshabala, the tax driver, comes speeding down
March Street. He suddenly stops his Combi across the intersection to drop off a
customer and you drive into the rear end of the taxi, damaging both vehicles.
113
Person 3 : Mr Tshabala, the taxi driver of the Combi
You are a taxi driver who has recently completed a specialised driving course through
the Taxi association. You are transporting commuters down Swamp Street in a
southerly direction. As you approach the intersection to the school, you slow down.
This is a busy intersection, particularly at this time of the day. You have noticed an
Audi A4 stopped in the middle of the intersection. There are no indicators on and the
lady driver is talking on her cell phone. It appears that she had stopped to allow
children to cross the road.
Suddenly, without any indication, she turns right and clips the back of your vehicle as
you pass Marsh Street.
Person 4 : Observer
Your role is to observe the role-play between the administrator and the two customers.
After the role-play is complete, you may ask each customer five questions. The
purpose of this task is to help the administrator clarify, or obtain further information to
help him/her to make a judgment about the accident.
Person 1, the claims advisor, from each group will present their judgment to the group.
114
115
ACTIVITY 6.2 making a judgment
Large Group Activity
Your facilitator will lead a discussion to determine how the

claims administrator arrived at their judgment. Make notes in
the space below.
Time: 60 Minutes
116
Time 240 minutes
This is a small group assignment.
Using the Mr Tshabla and Mrs Jones case study, you will contact a short-term
insurance company. Your facilitator will allocate this company to you.
The purpose of this activity is for each group to research the procedures followed by
their allocated company in the event of a claim. By researching the process followed,
you will be able to determine how the company collects information and makes a
judgment with a claim. Your group will present their finding to their peers.
117
ACTIVITY 6.3 Fact and Opinion
Large Group Activity
In this activity you will play a game with your group called ‘fact
or opinion’.
You will each be given two blank cards. Write one statement of
fact and one opinion on each card. Try to contextualise the
statements Your facilitator will collect the cards, shuffle them
and divide the cards into two packs. Your group will be divided
into two teams. Each team will be given a pack of cards. The
objective is to sort the cards into those with statements of fact
and those with statements of opinions. The first team to
correctly complete the sorting of the cards in their respective
pack is the winner
Record your team’s answers on the following page.
Time: 60 minutes
Group: 30 Minutes
118
Fact Opinion
119
ACTIVITY 6.4 Summative Assessment
This is an individual activity developed for the summative
assessment process. You will be using the knowledge ,
skills, values and attitudes that you have developed during
this course
Your facilitator will have invited two financial advisors

from the short-term insurance industry to this session.
Each advisor will attempt to sell you their product. They
will have 30 minutes to sell their product to the group.
After the presentation there will be 10 minutes for
questions. Thereafter you will be required to evaluate the
information and make a judgement regarding the purchase
of a product.
Time: 180 minutes

Presentations by advisors: 60minutes
Individual presentations: 60 minutes for the group
Your role is to listen to the presentation. You may take notes. Identify the differences
and similarities between the two products. Be careful about confusing facts and
opinions presented by the speaker.
 Write down any questions you would like to ask the presenter.
 Lastly decide which product you would purchase. You need to be able to
motivate your decision to the group in a mini presentation.
120
Use the following table to list the similarities and differences of the products:
Similarities Differences
Product A Product B
 Write down any questions you would like to ask the presenter.
 Decide which product you would purchase. You need to be able to motivate
your decision to the group in a mini presentation.
121
122
MODULE REVIEW
Time: 20 minutes
123
124

Apply Comprehension Skills

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Apply Comprehension Skills

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Learning Materials

Unit Standard Title: Apply comprehension skills to engage

Unit Standard No: 12154

Unit Standard Credits: 5

This outcomes-based learning material was

The material is generic in nature.

INSMAT final materials 31/10/03

Apply comprehension skills to engage oral texts in a

“There is no such thing as a worthless conversation,

- James Nathan Miller

This module has been designed to develop your comprehension

Communicatio  Understand the communication process

Listening for  Understand rephrasing and paraphrasing

Individual Reflection: In experiential and learner-centred learning it is

Reading: Although the material is designed to be experiential (which

References: This icon is used to acknowledge our sources of information.

1. TITLE: Apply comprehension skills to engage oral texts in a business environment.

2. UNIT STANDARD NUMBER: 12154

5. FIELD: Business, Commerce and Management Studies

 identifying or recognising explicitly stated information.

9. LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE:

There is open access to this unit standard. Learners should be competent in

10. SPECIFIC OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

Specific Outcome 1: Recall ideas and information that are explicitly

1.1 Details are correctly identified from an oral text.

1.2 An explicit statement is correctly identified as the main idea of a query or

Specific Outcome 2: Reorganise information from an oral text.

2.1 Events, places, equipment, options, investment instruments, policies, people

2.2 Own understanding is confirmed by reflecting statements using a questioning

2.3 An outline of an oral text is produced using direct statements or statements

3.4 A possible outcome or consequence in an explicitly stated series of actions is

12. RANGE STATEMENT:

13.1 Notes to Assessors

 Integration and portfolio assessment

13.2 Critical Cross-Field and Developmental Outcomes:

 Use the comprehension skills indicated in order to identify and solve

Knowledge of:  Communication process

Skills to:  Differentiate between writing and speaking

Working in pairs read the article below. After you have

Time : 10 minutes reading

True two-way communication requires both parties to be committed to the purpose of

Your facilitator will read you an article. The purpose of

Once the facilitator has completed the reading he/she

In a large group, with guidance from your facilitator,

Complete the table below to highlight the differences

Working in pairs, reflect on your own use of speech and

Time: 20 minutes in pairs

How does your graph compare to the quote below?

What forms of natural evidence do I have that I can include in my Portfolio of

Knowledge of:  Listening behaviour

Skills to:  Listen

Read the article below on paraphrasing. This is a large

Time: 100 minutes

REPHRASING AND PARAPHRASING

As an active listening response, paraphrasing and rephrasing, clarifies understanding

Instructions for the game

 Financial adviser advice fee.

The Listening Quiz

In order to be able to engage in a verbal text effectively,

Before you start this quiz think about what kind of

Tick yes or no to the following questions: Yes No

ACTIVITY 2.3: Recognising barriers to listening

ACTIVITY 2.4: Eliminating listening barriers

What l forms of natural evidence do I have that I can include in my Portfolio of

Knowledge of:  Auditory processing