Communication

Competence
Session 4
Business Communication
Objectives

• Describe the role and function of

communication in their
everyday lives

• Show an understanding of
communication competence and
its role in everyday interactions
That Sounds Alien! 10 minutes

Teach an Alien How to Wear a Jacket

• The class will be seated in a circle.

• They will each take turns in giving

instructions to the facilitator who will
pretend to be an alien.

• The alien has to understand what a

jacket is, its purpose and how to put
it on. It does not recognize COLOR,
SHAPE, SIZE, DIRECTIONS (left,
right, up and down)
Functions of Communication

Communication plays a vital role in the fulfilling

the following:

•Physical Needs
• Identity Needs
• Social Needs
• Practical Needs
Physical Needs

• Communication is necessary for overall

Activity:health.
physical
Imagine
• The absencethis.orYou areofstuck
lack on
satisfying
an island, withcan
communication no sign
leadofto:
rescue.
What
Socialwould you do
isolation, on those
which increases the risk of
terminal
days? Howcancer
would andyou death
survive?
 Mental problems
 Stress and complications
for pregnant women
Identity Needs

• Communication is the only way

for us to learn who we are.
• Through communication, we
are able to:
 Gain an idea of our identity
the way we define ourselves
 Gain an idea of our identity
the way others define us
 Establish a self-image
 10 minutes

Tell Me Who I Am
Meet Victor

The Wild Boy of Aveyron, Victor, is a child of

approximately 10 to 12 years of age, who
was found living alone (feral child) in the
woods near Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance in the
south of France in 1798.

He escaped but was discovered again in

1800. He showed no social behaviors, and
could not speak. Instead, he made weird
cries. An author, Roger Shattuck said about
him, “ He had no sense of being a person”.
Social Needs

• Communication provides a vital link to others.

• Some of the social needs we satisfy by
communicating are:

 Pleasure
 Affection
 Inclusion
 Relaxation
 Control
Activity

Hi! It’s nice to meet you!

•Recall the first time you met

your best friend, a long lost
relative, your partner, or a
person close to your heart.
• How was that first meeting?
What did you talk about?

•Share your stories with the

class.
Practical Needs

• Communication is the important

key to effectiveness in a variety of
everyday situations.
• Everyday, we perform important
functions through communicating.

• Cite examples of everyday tasks

and situations that you deal with
the use of communicating.
The What and Why of Communication

Misconception on Communication
Read the Story
Think about this situation:

Mark,calls
Sarah already
Disappointed,Mark having
Sarah a hard
one lashes
day, outtime
while at
atheMark
waswork,
at
for
lashes
work.
not
It outasks
eventually
having
She at escalates
Sarah.
time him He
for ifher.
he starts
into
She
wants telling
a starts
fulltoblown
go her
yelling
out
atabout
for
fight,
him howaccusing
lunch.
which
and difficult
continues hiswhen
him.job is,they
She andget
says how
she ishe
home
is pressured
Mark
not
laterhappy
that
suddenly
day. bygives
in the his boss. They
relationship.
a cold bothHE
answer. start
yelling
says he’satvery
eachbusy.
other.
Misconceptions on Communication

Here are some pointers we should think about when

we interact with other people:
 Communication Does Not Always Require Complete
Understanding

 More Communication is Not Always Better

 No single Person or Event Causes Another’s Reaction

 Communication Will Not Solve All Problems

 Meanings rest in People, Not Words

 Communication is Not Simple

Helping Sarah and Mark…

Apply the concepts you have

learned in helping out Sarah
and Mark. In groups,
answer the following
questions:

• What concepts can you

apply in Sarah and Mark’s
case?

• What could they have

done to prevent having a
fight?

• How could this have turned

out? Would it have a
different outcome?
Warm-up

• Take a look at the following pictures and ask the

class to share their reactions.
• Answer the following questions:
Would you say that the communicators are
competent? In what way? Or why are they
incompetent?
Could the communication have turned out
better? If yes, how?
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
Exhibit C
Exhibit D
Exhibit E
Communication Competence

Communication Competence
 "the ability to interact well with others" . The term “'well'
refers to accuracy, clarity, comprehensibility, coherence,
expertise, effectiveness and appropriateness"
- Spritzer (1988)

 Think of someone, (a teacher, professor, friend, or

relative), whom you think had the ability to
communicate effectively, regardless of the language that
he/she used.

What were the notable qualities of that person?

Achieving Communication Competence

DAPTABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY

PPROPRIATENESS

OMMUNICATION SKILLS

ONVERSATION MANAGEMENT

MPATHY

ELF MONITORING
Components of Communication Competence

• The Content
• The Manner
• The Form
The Content

• The message (The what)

• The reason (The why)
• The way (The how)
• The timeframe (The when)
• The impact/result (The So what happens next)
• The expectation (The what you ought to do)
• The consequence (The What happens if the
message fails)
The Manner

 The Delivery

 The Emphasis

 The Timing

 The Approach
The Form

 The Heart

 The Confidence

 The Credibility
Time for an Activity
International Conference
• •Write down a fictional character on a small
strip of paper. The character should have a
name, country of origin, occupation and age.

• •All strips of paper will be put in a fishbowl.

Each participant will draw one strip that is not
their own.

• •Pretend that you are in an international

conference where you are to get to know the
people around you. You will play the
character that you got and will be given 3
minutes to talk to one person then move on
to another.
Self-Assessment: Communication Competence

• Think about how you

communicated in that activity,
and how you communicate
with people in general.

• Reflect on it and fill out the

self-assessment form.

Microsoft Office
Word Document
Recap

Did we describe the role and

function of communication?

Did we define communication

competence and its
elements?