Essential communication skills for community services Comm1140

Does Tone and style work with each other and why?

Yes, they work with each other as since you write for certain purposes the style that you are writing will set the tone of your writing.

Try to put a positive spin on statements You cannot have your snack until you are finished cleaning up your station. .

You can have your snack once you have finished cleaning up your station

Tone

attitude or character of text. constructed and expressed through writers formality, diction, and writing conventions

competence

being able to do a job well

etiquette awareness

being familiar with codes for polite behaviour avoid making assumptions about people based on appearances

dedication

being hard working and finish what you start

punctuality

being prompt and on time with your communications

attention to detail

being thorough and accurate in completing tasks

honesty

being truthful, authentic

true or false: You can not add in an "coordinator" to join two independent clauses.

false You can add in an "coordinator" to join two independent clauses.

problem solving skills

finding solutions to difficult situations

service orientation

focusing on customers and their needs/ concerns

Inclusive, Respectful Language

gender neutral, inclusive, and/or people-first:

Be timely and respectful

give any info needed in a timely manner, communicate with them if you will not be able to get back to them till a later date

politeness and modesty

good manners staying humble with accomplishments

industry standards compliance

having appropriate credentials acting in accord with your organizations goals and objectives

commitment to excellence

having high expectations for your performance and doing your best

intregity

having strong moral principles

Examples of tone

humorous, light, serious, direct, intimate, distant, displeased, content, worried

ethical awareness

identifying ethical dilemmas and assessing the impact of values and behaviours on others

add a prefix to these words Legible Like Comfortable Friendly Active Agree Grateful Passive Handle

il-legible dis-like un-comfortable un-friendly in-active dis-agree un-grateful Im-passive mis-handle

Style

it is the manner in which a text is written. Words put together to fit a specific audience, purpose, context. expressed through a choice of words, sentence structure and writing conventions (grammar and punctuation)

discretion

keeping private information private avoiding causing offence

knowledge and commitment to professional development

keeping up to date on important information and maintain the right credentials

action orientation and autonomy

know how to self direct and executing tasks self directly

Be aware of privacy policies and protocols

know what you can and can not say according to laws privacy, confidentiality. be careful how you represent your company

confidence

maintaining a calm, well spoken demeanor and inspiring trust by having confidence in yourself

objectivity and professional detachment

maintaining proper distance selectively withholding expression of personal values emotions and preference

poise

maintaining self control and remaining calm even when others are angry

expert judgement

making decisions and finding solutions based on specialized knowledge, training experience and skill set

fairness

making judgement that are free from discrimination and treating people in a reasonable way

image awareness

meeting basic context specific standards for grooming

Altruism

not letting self interest prevent you from acting in the best interests of others

Accountability

owning up to and making amends for mistakes

Distinguish between fact and opinion

passing off an opinion as a fact is misleading

Avoid language that attempts to evade responsibility

passive voice when misapplied can lead to failure to assign responsibilities for certain actions

trust

placing confidence in things and others and inspiring others belief in you

Diction

power words words phrases that express thought and communicate meaning influence on how some words are read, perceived and (mis)-interpreted

Be forthcoming and accurate

present facts accurately. give all info needed

organizational skills

prioritizing important tasks and planning ahead

diction

refers to the writer's choice of words or phrases to express thought and communicate meaning.

Avoid libel

remarks that arouse hatred towards another, print or recorded, false, malicious,, hatred remarks

Cultural sensitivity and cultural fit

respecting diversity and adapting to social groups at work

pride and satisfaction in work

satisfaction from work that is well done and up to standards

collegiality and corporate citizenship

sharing power and authority among colleagues, being pleasant, co-operative, ready to help

reliability

showing others they can count on you to get your job done and show up

respect and consideration

showing respect and consideration for authority, other people, rules, and differences

colloquialsm

slang words, words made up that can mean something else cool-temp, sick-illness, k-okay

What is this; A word that means exactly as or very close to another word in the same language close=shut may share identical meaning but are not necessarily interchangeable blow up= informal speech explode= formal

synonym

responsibilities

taking charge of your actions

Denotation:

the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests ("dictionary definition") -more limited, yet descriptive definition of a word ex. snake-reptile, long, legless etc

true or false; you can add in a coordinator, to join two independent clauses

true

Commitment to service

understanding and responding to the needs of employers and customers

what is Inclusive, Respectful Language

using todays society words for example Indian -> Aboriginal -> Native -> Indigenous and First Nations people LGBTTQI+ (Lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, two-spirited, queer, intersexual, plus) rather than "gay," "homo," or just "queer" Do not assume gender or marital status* His or her may become "their" (i.e., Every student has his or her locker vs. All students have their own locker)

shorten these words by adding an apostrophe to these words; it is, can not, would not, could not, should not,

-it is=it's, can not= can't, would not=wouldn't, could not=couldn't, should not= shouldn't, etc.

Why is denotation and connotation important in both written and oral communication

If a writer wants his/her readers to fully grasp the meaning, she must use words according to their established denotations to avoid meaning something she didn't intend and end up confusing the reader.

Choose the right words Most Educational Assistants (EAs) are ________________ (woman/women) who have ____________ (a lot/alot) of experience with children. They interact with young students _______________ (everyday/every day) and, in many cases, may ______________ (all ready/already) have children of their own.

Most Educational Assistants (EAs) are women who have a lot of experience with children. They interact with young students every day and, in many cases, may already have children of their own.

Turn the following negative sentences into positive statements or questions: -You are not supposed to be doing that right now. -Put that away. -We're not working on that right now. -Don't leave the washroom door open.

What are you supposed to be doing right now? Where is that supposed to be? Let's finish this first before we move onto that. Remember to close the door when you go to the washroom.

Turn the following negative sentences into positive statements or questions: You are not supposed to be doing that right now. Put that away. We're not working on that right now. Don't leave the washroom door open.

What are you supposed to be doing right now? Where is that supposed to be? We're not working on that right now. Let's finish this first before we move onto that. Don't leave the washroom door open. Remember to close the door when you go to the washroom.

Give examples of style writings

Professional, formal, informal academic, descriptive, persuasive, comedic

Ethical Communication

-Tell the truth -Avoid language that attempts to evade responsibility -Be forthcoming and accurate -Be timely and respectful -Avoid libel -Distinguish between fact and opinion -Use a transparent layout -Be aware of privacy policies and protocols -Be careful communicating in cyberspace

comma-splice

A comma splice joins together two independent clauses that should actually be two sentences. its a run on sentence.

Parallel Structure

A list of words (nouns or adjectives) written in the same grammatical form For example: hiking, walking, writing, talking

what is a prefix

A part of a word that prefaces another For example: belief = disbelief changes the meaning of a word

what are some examples of denotation and connotation

D=house C=home D=cop C=officer D=skinny C=slender

spot the errors; An Educational Assistant is one of the schools strongest resources, their support is always necessary.

An Educational Assistant is one of the schools strongest resource; their support is always necessary.

What is a professional tone?

An overall quality that is confident, courteous, sincere, at an appropriate level for the audience, written with a suitable level of formality, and free of unnecessary jargon or complexity.

Correct the following sentences: Students come to Communications classes to learn how to organize, writing, revising, and how to think critically. .

Answer: Students come to Communications classes to learn how to organize, write, revise, and think critically.

correct the sentence Parallel structure You can use a dictionary to find definitions, proper spellings, or to look up the language of a word's origin.

Answer: You can use a dictionary to find definitions, proper spellings, or word origins.

Apostrophes- what are they used for?

Apostrophes are used to abbreviate words by adding a contraction Apostrophes are also used to denote possession or belonging

Tell the truth

Avoid deceptive language- words with double meanings, extremes of over statements/ understatements misrepresentation

Professional Writing

Avoid wordiness (be concise); Be polite; Use inclusive language;

what should you not use for professional tone?

Do not use CONTRADICTIONS- don't, won't, couldn't etc. Do not use SECOND PERSON-you, Avoid the USE OF FIRST PERSON -in my opinion, I believe if not necessary Do not use SLANG OR COLLOQUIALISMS- awesome sauce, cool, for real, sick Do not use JARGON/ SUBJECT SPECIFIC LANGUAGE

what are correlatives and coordinating conjunctions

and, but, or, so, nor, yet

correct the sentence; Education is an extremely important field, it benefits children in classrooms.

Education is an extremely important field. It benefits children in classrooms.

true or false- Diction can not influence and determine how particular words are read, perceived, and (mis)interpreted.

False- Diction can influence and determine how particular words are read, perceived, and (mis)interpreted.

-It is used to shorten a word, phrase, text (abbreviate) -a shortened version of the written and spoken words, syllables or word groups -gives something meaning or indicate a procession or belong

apostrophe

Choose the Right Words In a research essay, you have to be careful to _______________ (cite/sight/site) your references ______________ (to/too) show exactly ________________ (wear, where, were) you got the information.

In a research essay, you have to be careful to _______________ (cite) your references ______________ (to) show exactly ________________ (where) you got the information.

Which one is correct In the summer, I enjoy hiking, taking a walk, talking, and to write. In the summer, I enjoy hiking, taking a walk, talking, and writing.

Incorrect: In the summer, I enjoy hiking, taking a walk, talking, and to write. Correct: In the summer, I enjoy hiking, taking a walk, talking, and writing.

Choose the right words It is ______________ (alright/all right) for young Educational Assistants to not have plenty of experience working in a school. ______________ (They/There/Their) are plenty of training opportunities once they are hired by a school _____________ (bored/board). _______________ (Everybody/Every body) there is so supportive.

It is all right for young Educational Assistants to not have plenty of experience working in a school. There are plenty of training opportunities once they are hired by a school board. Everybody there is so supportive.

add an apostrophe to add procession to these words; Lena, kayt, krys,

Lena's, Bryon's, Kayt's, Krys'

Most Educational Assistants (EAs) are ________________ (woman/women) who have ____________ (a lot/alot) of experience with children. They interact with young students _______________ (everyday/every day) and, in many cases, may ______________ (all ready/already) have children of their own.

Most Educational Assistants (EAs) are ________________ (women) who have ____________ (a lot) of experience with children. They interact with young students _______________ (everyday) and, in many cases, may ______________ (already) have children of their own.

Make the following terms gender neutral, inclusive, and/or people-first: Guys Male nurse Chairman Mailman Handicapped person Fireman Slow student

Make the following terms gender neutral, inclusive, and/or people-first: Folks, class, ELKPs, everyone Nurse Chairperson Mail carrier, mail person, delivery person Special needs student ,Student with an exceptionality Firefighter Student with a learning challenge/disability

spot the errors; Student's with exceptionality's are always included in a class's activities.

Student's(plural) with exceptionalities are always included in a class' activities.

what is Ethical Communication

Tell the truth Avoid language that attempts to evade responsibility Be forthcoming and accurate Be timely and respectful Avoid libel Distinguish between fact and opinion Use a transparent layout Be aware of privacy policies and protocols Be careful communicating in cyberspace

correct the sentence; The ELKP student could not find her spoon, she smeared her pudding all over her desk and licked it off with her tongue.

The ELKP student could not find her spoon. s She smeared her pudding all over her desk and licked it off with her tongue.

spot the errors; The Early Childhood Educators responsibility is to assist the teacher, while facilitating learning among his or her kid's.

The Early Childhood Educator's responsibility is to assist the teacher. While facilitating learning among his or her kid's.

spot the errors; The college forbids the sale of water bottles. This policy is one of it's most effective in encouraging students to bring reusable container's to class.

The college forbids the sale of water bottles. This policy is most effective in encouraging students to bring reusable container's to class.

Choose the right words The homeroom teacher always provides good ________________ (advise/advice). She knows her students so well and has even memorized all of ____________ (there/they're/their) names after just one ____________ (weak/week).

The homeroom teacher always provides good advice. She knows her students so well and has even memorized all of their names after just one week.

team orientation

actively contribruted to achievement of group and organizational goals

Connotation:

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning ex. snake=scary

rewrite the paragraph and kids are sometimes to hyper, they get on my nerves. I like began an EA, but my job can get a little stressful because of it's responsibilities and duties, like helping students' get dressed fill their backpacks, and checking for lice. Despite the challenge's, I couldn't think of working anywhere else.

children are very active!I like being an educational assistant, even though it can be stressful at times. My responsibilities and duties include; helping student's get dressed, filling their backpack's, and checking for lice. I could not think of working anywhere else.

What is this; - two independent clauses that should be two sentences -incorrect use of a comma - run-on sentence

comma splice

co-operation and mutual support

committing to and helping achieve common goals

audience focused communications

considering the needs of your readers and listeners

what is this: shortening a word(s) by adding an apostrophe to replace missing letters. combines two words into one it is=it's compressing full words together with full stops (.) mister=Mr. Doctor=Dr.

contraction

apostrophes are also used to pluralize words; correct this word; desks chairs

desk's chair

Most common prefixes

dis-connect,-honest mis-conception, -behave un-acceptable, -wind a-typical, im-practical,-possible de-compress il-legal

Use a transparent layout

don't hide info, use lists, bullets to highlight your work

Be careful communicating in cyberspace

don't put information regarding your personal problems or bad habits online