Communication Practice the Following Extract

Communication Practice

the following extract is taken in the middle of a conversation between two female students. they have been talking about social plans for the future.

everyone wants to go to Prague for new year (3)do you think it would be good to go to Prague

who's going

so farMaddy (.) Eleanor (.)Anna (.)dunno

do you want to go to Prague

i'd like to but I only want to go if everyone's going cos it's like new year you want all your friends to come

is everyone going (4) oh we're all going to see Judge Jewels aren't we on the Thursday second November obviously

when's that'd: Thursday second of November

when'e that'd: Thursday

when's that (.) you know what I mean

S: Thursday we get back to college

mm

S: I think anyway (3)and we're all going to dress up totally

A:wait you tell me the price

S: dunno (1) probably just a tenner which is excellent (2) it'll probably be a: On Thursday where'd: it'll be so much fun cos everyone wo goes there's really serious and about their clubbing and stuff and they all face the (1) dj box and they're like a: they do that at shindig

S:(mumble)

A: they do that at shindig

S:and um they just it's excellent it was brilliant last time

Professional communication practice is the ability to write and speak in a competent manner, so that one is able to enter and compete in a fast-paced and ever-changing marketplace. The emphasis is also on developing the skills needed to deal with a wide variety of different communications environments.

In dialogues or role-playing sessions as that above, it is possible to demonstrate the correct and incorrect forms of communication practice. In dialogues, or the communication between two individuals, one person sends a message, the other listens and responds, and so on. If this back-and-forth process has any roadblocks, then communication in general or the dialogue in general is not successful. Roger Gregoire, a dialogue specialist and a practitioner with National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (http://thataway.org/resources/understand/quotes.html) makes a number of suggestions on strategic tools and processes on how to improve conversations. These include:

1. Speak from your own experience, from who you are and what you believe. Say 'I' first and avoid you, we, they or them in describing an event or set of circumstances. Speak authentically about who you are from your own sense of self. Avoid hearsay or rumor. Whenever possible, rely on personal experience.

Speaking honestly from your own perspective guarantees the integrity of the dialogue. It allows the collective consciousness to be comprised of the honest identities of the participants because that consciousness can only be as valid and honest as the people responsible for its existence. Perhaps most important, however, is that a major part of the dialogue is the discovery of our authentic selves.

2. Listen carefully with all your heart to what is being said. Listening is the most difficult aspect of participating in the dialogue. It requires a level of attention and self-control that we seldom achieve in everyday life. In a dialogue, try to overcome the tendency to listen to your own 'head,' translating what is said into what you think the speaker means. If you're not sure what is said or meant, ask for clarification.

Pay attention and honor the speaker. Provide the space for what is said to sink in. Leave room for others to consider what is said and reflect on it before considering a response. Then, say your response to yourself, internally, before responding.

3. Suspend judgment. The natural diversity of cooperative behavior will always bring our differences into focus. Every effort should be made at first not to see these differences as right or wrong by suspending judgment. Seek more information that could expand your understanding.

Given these three recommendations, there are several problematic areas with the conversation above. Before looking at the oral aspects, however, it is readily possible to see that problems exist in the written form as well. There are a large number of glaring grammatical and spelling errors. These are highlighted below:

A: everyone wants to go to Prague for new year (3)do you think it would be good to go to Prague? (Everyone wants to go to Prague for the New Year. Do you think it would be good to go to Prague?)

S: who's going? (Who's going?)

A: so farMaddy (.) Eleanor (.)Anna (.)dunno (So far, Maddy, Eleanor and Anna, I think.)

S: do you want to go to Prague? (Do you want to go to Prague?)

A: i'd like to, but I only want to go if everyone's going, cos it's like new year. you want all your friends to come. (I'd like to, but I only want to go if everyone's going. You want all your friends to be together on the New Year.)

S: is everyone going (4) oh we're all going to see Judge Jewels aren't we on the Thursday, second November obviously (Is everyone going? We're all going to see Judge Jewels on Thursday, November 2nd.)

A: when's that (When's that?)

S: Thursday second of November (Thursday, November 2nd).

A: when'e that (When's that?)

S: Thursday

A: when's that (.) you know what I mean (When's that? You know what I mean.)

S: Thursday we get back to college (Thursday we get back to college.)

A: mm (I see)

S: I think anyway (3)and we're all going to dress up totally (I think that we are all going to dress up.)

A:wait you tell me the price (Wait, tell me the price.)

S: dunno (1) probably just a tenner which is excellent (2) it'll probably be (I don't know. It is probably just a tenner, which is excellent.)

A: On Thursday where (on Thursday where?)

S: it'll be so much fun cos everyone wo goes there's really serious and about their clubbing and stuff and they all face the (1) dj box and they're like (it will be so much fun, because everyone who goes there is really serious about their clubbing.)