Communicating with Confidence - Essay Example

Running head: COMMUNICATING WITH CONFIDENCE Communicating With Confidence Module: Effective communication skills are beneficial as they foster healthy relationships between individuals and organizations. Therefore, a person with the ability to communicate confidently in a world where information is constantly changing and a great deal of time is spent on writing stands a better chance of being successful. Several factors are essential for a person to develop effective writing skills and communicate concisely. These include the use of an appropriate format and structure to make communication tone effective and enable the reader to scan and understand the message in the shortest time possible. A writer’s ability to quickly attract attention and create interest in the target audience gives them an edge towards communicating confidently. Generation of new ideas through creative and critical thinking leads to a better understanding of the topic and makes the writer to clearly understand the research problem. Communicating credible information obtained by the use of the proper research methodology creates confidence. Multiple measuring instruments such as interviews and questionnaires can be used to avoid biasness in the information. Writers should also be able to use relevant and intellectually stimulating examples with other supporting details to give evidence of deep thinking. In today’s world where there is an overload of information due to high technology, effective and clear communication is essential in order to create a good impression. For a person to communicate confidently, a combination of technical knowhow and appropriate formatting of information to fit the target audience is necessary. Effective communication skills are beneficial because they foster healthy relationships between individuals and organizations and enhance the chances of people building on a successful career. Therefore, a person with the ability to communicate confidently in a world where information is constantly changing and a great deal of time is spent on writing stands a better chance of being successful. According to Mati (2009), many business people lack the ability to communicate effectively in writing therefore businesses must be committed to rewarding the best writing practices. A number of factors have to be considered for a person to improve writing skills and communicate concisely. The initial step involves deciding on the audience or readers that the message is being conveyed to and the format of communication which defines whether the tone will be formal or otherwise. For example, a written letter to a friend should be in a different format from a written letter to a business client. The use of an appropriate format therefore makes the communication tone to be effective. The writer should consider the audience first and decide on what is important and beneficial to them. In the case of long documents, an outline may be created to help in subdividing the tasks into manageable information. A writer’s ability to quickly attract attention and create interest in the target audience gives them an edge towards communicating confidently. The structure of a written document should be in such a way that the reader is able to scan and understand the message in the shortest time possible. This can be done through the use of short paragraphs, numbering and the use of subheadings where possible and necessary. Each paragraph should convey a separate idea and graphs or tables can be used to add value to a written prose especially in data interpretation of technical information. Use of phrases that are not significant should also be minimized because it makes the written articles wordy. Common grammatical errors should be avoided because they make the writer look unprofessional. Proof reading of a written document should therefore be done before final submission to ensure that the document meets the standards (Mati, 2009). Before deciding on the information to be written in order to meet a certain criteria, the aim of writing should be well established. Credible information helps the reader to have confidence in the information being communicated. No matter the target group, all the written communication has to be sensible. Therefore, writers should be able to constantly think creatively by challenging ideas constantly and having a variety of view points. It is also crucial that the writer sticks to the subject matter. Communicating to people from different cultures may be challenging and therefore it is important to adhere to the best writing practices. Creative thinking also leads to better understanding of the topic and makes the writer to clearly understand the research problem. Generation of new ideas that are important to the target audience adds value when communicating through written work hence enabling the writer to also communicate with confidence (Harris, 1998). Critical thinking is evident when there is manifestation of logical reasoning and analysis of alternative view points. Through critical thinking, opinions can be distinguished from facts which in turn make written communication credible. Credible information is obtained by the use of the proper research methodology which can either be qualitative or quantitative. Quantitative research methodology is used in social sciences and mathematical sciences and involves application of mathematical models and theories. Measurement is also important in quantitative research in expressing quantitative relationships. The measurements taken when doing quantitative research should therefore be statistically valid. Qualitative research on the other hand emphasizes on the processes, meanings, and is presented in an essay unlike quantitative research that is presented in figures and numbers. Qualitative research aims to understand a research problem from the population perspective therefore effective in identifying intangible factors for example socioeconomic status (Mayoux, 2005). Some of the measuring instruments that can be used include interviews and questionnaires. When collecting data in a natural setting, observation of participants is the most appropriate. In situations where it is difficult to obtain information personally on preferences, knowledge and behavior of respondents a questionnaire can be used. A major limitation of questionnaires is the difficulty in assessing the sincerity of the respondent. The questionnaire used should therefore be valid and reliable. Interviews are an appropriate tool when collecting information on qualitative research. Although interviews are prone to bias by the interviewer and require a great deal of time to be conducted, the method is still advantageous. This is due to the ability of the researcher to seek further clarification where necessary. The ability to use open ended questions in probing of participants enables them to respond in their own way hence evoking unanticipated responses. Since it is almost impossible to collect data from everyone in the target population, sampling can be used to save on time and also for valid research findings (Mayoux, 2005). The most common strategy is purposeful sampling where the participants are preselected in accordance to the research question. The sample size depends on the available time and resources and is usually predetermined before data collection. Quota sampling may also be used whereby the number of participants in each characteristic for example gender, marital status, age e.t.c. is fixed. In snow ball sampling, the researcher asks the participants with whom contact has been made to refer them to other potential participants. When reviewing the questions, a combination of multiple methods should be used so as to analyze information where the major concern is reliability. Triangulation, which is the use of multiple methods, also reduces the chances of research finding being accused as bias because a single method was used. There should be an agreed standard of ethics to be observed when conducting a research so that the well being of the participants is not compromised and that a basis of trust is also established. The participants should be informed on the purpose of the research, the expected risks and benefits and what will be required of them. In sensitive cases, the participant should also be informed of how the communication can be done with confidentiality. Confidentiality also enables the researchers to get the truth from participants (Mayoux, 2005). In order for a writer to gain critical thinking, they must be rational, argue out points well based on evidence and read widely. The writer should also be able to use relevant and intellectually stimulating examples with other supporting details to give evidence of deep thinking that makes the writing excellent. Making contrasts and comparisons and at the same time relating theories to practice when writing enables the writer to be professional. High order thinking skills facilitate language skills therefore enabling the learners to have higher proficiency in language. Integration of critical thinking with writing is essential in all disciples of learning. The level of success in critical thinking depends on the ability of the writer or user to know which strategy to apply in the specific context. According to Connelly (2009), critical thinking also enables new knowledge creation and plays a vital role in problem solving and developing alternative solutions to problems. Healthy skepticism on the available information sources helps to improve the critical thinking and writing skills. Another way to stimulate critical thinking is rewriting which enables writers to think deeper into what they have written. Intentional analyzing of every situation in life enables writers to develop critical thinking. Some educational background fields such as engineering, system analysis and research involve critical thinking hence advantageous. Critical thinking is beneficial because it reduces the chances of false belief in academic fields and it enables writers to analyze the available information and restructure thinking. Due to the decreased suspicion on the presented information communication confidence is increased. A number of exercises such as text analysis and puzzles that give learners hypothetical situations and ask them to respond enable the development of critical and creative thinking (Connelly, 2009). Critical and creative thinking differs from the other forms of thinking because it requires openness and the ability of the writers to seek for alternative ways of doing things. The desire to find out what has been researched on also fosters creative thinking. Although the ultimate reason for critical reasoning is to understand, it naturally leads to evaluation and sound arguments. In a world where information is constantly changing critical thinking skills are necessary. In conclusion, communicating with confidence in a world where technology has brought about information overload places writers in a better position of being successful. For a writer to be effective in communicating with confidence, the use of the right tone of communication and appropriate research methodology is necessary to produce credible information. Critical and creative thinking is necessary in communication because it enhances understanding and analysis of the available information resulting to sound arguments. Organizations and individuals should combine the technical know-how and appropriate formatting of information to fit the target audience in order to communicate with confidence. Reference Connelly, M. (2009). Critical thinking. Retrieved from http://infotrac.thomsonlearning.com/infowrite/wr_critthink.htm Harris R. (1998). Introduction to creative thinking. Retrieved from http://www.virtualsalt.com/crebook1.htm Mati, B. M. (2009). Writing, presentation and communication skills in knowledge management: A training manual for project managers. Retrieved from http://www.imawesa.net/imauserfiles/file/trainingmanuals/IMAWESA-Training%20Manual%203-Writing%20Presentation%20skills.pdf Mayoux, L. (2005). Research methods. Retrieved from http://www.lindaswebs.org.uk/Page3_Orglearning/Resmeth/ResMeth.htm#Story1 Read More