6.11 Key Takeaways

Communicating your thoughts and ideas so that others can understand them is a critical skill for success in college and the workplace.

• Choose the right communication tool for the type of communication required.
• Your professors and Fanshawe staff expect you to use your FOL email account regularly to send and review messages. Check your FOL email daily and use your email account for all formal communication.
• The communication process is complex and there are many variables that impact how the message is sent and received.
• Active listening improves the communication process and includes: asking questions, observing body language to see if it matches the words, making eye contact, nodding to show understanding and really listening for meaning, not just listening to respond.
• Communication is not always something active. Logos, signs, TV, social media are all communicating a message and we need to be aware of and critically examine these messages.
• Online discussion boards and forums, used in school and workplaces offer an asynchronous way to share ideas, ask questions for clarification and build relationships in a global setting with people you may never meet.
• Poor communication is a large contributor to conflict. Working with others will help you practice active listening, written, and spoken communication. Take time to reflect not only on how you communication, but on how others do so that you can adapt to each others’ styles.
• Benefits of practicing these skills include reduced conflict, less stress, better workplace opportunities, making new friends and connections among classmates, professors and employers.