Course Concepts and Skills A Reflection

[NAME]

[NAME]

INSTRUCTOR NAME

SUBJECT

27TH June 2024

Communication: Reflection on Course Concepts and Skills

A concept from the first five modules of the course that stuck with me is the idea of informative speaking (Author 4). I encountered this concept from a classmate’s discussion post, where they attempted to explain the different ways they use to make their speeches compelling to different audience. Informative speaking is the ability to deliver information in a way that serves the audience’s specific needs and effectively captures and holds their attention. I found the concept meaningful because, in my view, it could go a long way towards strengthening social relationships both professionally and at the personal level, particularly with the generational differences that characterize the society today. The youth and teenagers may feel that their parents, guardians, teachers, or other adults they interact with do not understand them because they do not identify with the challenges they are facing today. However, by cultivating informative speaking skills, the older generation would develop innovative ways to work around generational differences to create information hunger that would enable them to build rapport with the younger ones in their care. I volunteer part time at a youth center in my neighborhood and often work closely with youth and teenagers. The skill of informative speaking would help in selecting captivating topics for the youth and teenagers, organizing speeches in an appealing way, and selecting the most appropriate delivery methods and techniques.

The job listing selected for analysis is that of a cross-cultural clinician/mental health practitioner at the Oregon Health and Science University. The job requires an employee to conduct individual, group, and family therapy to clients from diverse African backgrounds and to have an adequate understanding of the values, traditions, and beliefs of different African communities. To carry out their job effectively, the incumbent should be able to communicate effectively with people from other cultures. This requires the skill of rhetoric in communication, which is discussed in the course textbook. The job holder will need to apply logos to persuade the audience that it is important to look after their mental health as it ultimately affects their physical health (Author 8). This is particularly so for clients from cultures that hold divergent beliefs about mental health. They will equally need to apply pathos to get their audience to trust that they respect their beliefs and attitudes even when their beliefs differ from their own (Author 8). This entails being aware of, and remaining sensitive to the cultural differences that bring about differences in people’s ways of thinking, behavior, attitudes, and beliefs. Clients are likely to open up if they perceive respect and do not feel judged (ethos) (Author 8). In this case, the job holder will need to effectively appeal to the logos, pathos, and ethos of clients from diverse cultural backgrounds to ensure they can interact effectively and build a social and emotional connection with them. Thus, success for the job holder will not only depend on how well they understand the cultural differences, but how well they demonstrate rhetoric in their daily interactions and communication with clients.