Communication Apprehension Discussion
Communication Apprehension Discussion
One of the most frustrating challenges at work is communication apprehension. However, there are ways to overcome this challenge.
Prepare: As you prepare to write this discussion post, take a few moments to do the following:
Read the writing prompt below in its entirety. Notice that there are three tasks:
Identify one or two forms of communication apprehension you have experienced on the job.
Explain at least two strategies to overcome the communication apprehension.
Discuss the role of communication in being a professional.
Review your notes on Chapter 5: Developing Confidence: Coping with Insecurities about Interpersonal Communication.
Read Chapter 6: Interpersonal Communication in the Workplace.
Review the grading rubric.
Reflect: Take time to reflect on a specific experience you had in the workplace where you faced the challenge of communication apprehension. Think about how to overcome this challenge. What changes can you make to improve how you communicate at work? Reflect on communication as both the problem and solution.
Write: Based on course materials and your own reflections, address the following:
Describe a time you found yourself in a situation where you faced a specific form of communication apprehension in the workplace described by Bevan and Sole. Be sure to explain the apprehension itself and how you experienced it. If your work experience is limited, consider a time when you were working with others in a different context, such as school or a club.
Based on what you’ve learned from class this week, explain some specific strategies you can use to overcome the communication apprehension(s) you listed and make yourself a more competent communicator.
Use the text to discuss the role of communication in being a professional.
Thoroughly address all three elements of this prompt by writing at least two to three sentences on each element. Use the course readings at least once to help you make your points. Consider copying and pasting these tasks into a word file and addressing each of them separately.
Your initial response should be 200-300 words in length and is due by Thursday, Day 3.
Bevan, J. L., & Sole, K. (2014). Making connections: Understanding interpersonal communication (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc
You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.
Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.
Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.
The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.
