Home Study Course Correspondence
Study Communcations by Distance Learning
Become a better communicator and live a happier and more effective life!
Learn about body language, speech, writing and descision making!
Become a better communicator and live a happier and more effective life.
Poor communication is the cause of many problems in life, if left unchecked it can lead to problems in a person's family life, breakdowns in friendships or difficulties in the workplace.
This course aims to improve your ability to communicate in all situations, whether private or professional.
This course covers:
- Behaviour
- Visual Communications
- Language
- Public Speaking
- Conducting Meetings
- Writing Letters and Reports
- Communications Technology and lots more!
COURSE STRUCTURE
This subject has 8 lessons as follows:
1. Introduction
•Problems with Poor Communication
•Barriers to Effective Communication
•Giving Instructions
•Evaluating Instructions or Orders
2. Types of Communication
•What is Appropriate Communication
•Passive, aggressive and assertive Communication
•Listening
•Obstacles to Listening
•Empathic Listening
•Ways to Indicate You are Listening
•Informative Language
•Persuasive Language
•Imaginative Language
•Literal Language
•Figurative Language
•Formal Language
•Colloquial Language
•Communication Channels
3. Language Skills
•Reviewing your Writing
•Evaluating your Writing
•Concise Wording
•Condensing your Writing
•Common Problems contributing to Lack of Conciseness
•Clear Wording
•Making Meanings Clear
•Causes of Confusion; homophones, malopropisms, colloquial meanings, ambiguity
•Simplicity
4. Writing Skills
•Where Writing Skills are Used
•Writing for a Purpose
•Determining the Purpose
•Knowing Your Reader
•Guidelines for Effective Writing
•Language
•Planning What You Write
•Business Letters
•Writing a Business Letter
•Other Types of Business Documents
•Writing Themes
•Types of Themes: analogy, chronological theme
•Common Gramatical Errors to Avoid
•Punctuation
5. Developing Writing Skills
•Writing Fundamentals
•Improving a Piece of Writing
•Newspaper Writing
•Concise Wording
•Magazine Articles
6. Visual Communications
•Hand outs
•Visual Materials; illustration, charts
•Digital Technology
•Digital Applications; Graphics, CAD, Multi media, Internet, etc.
7. Public Speaking
•Audio Aids
•Recorded Presentations
•Speaking in Public
•Principles of Public Speaking
•Selling
8. Committee Meetings
•Functions of a Meeting
•Conducting a Committee Meeting
•Role of Office Bearers
•Taking Minutes in a Meeting
Aims
- Explain the communication process
- Explain the types of communication approaches used.
- Demonstrate language skills that are concise and precise.
- Explain the importance of writing as an effective form of communication.
- Demonstrate writing skills as an effective form of communication.
- Describe various forms of visual communication and how they are generally used to impart messages.
- Prepare for effective verbal communication.
- Conduct committee meetings.
People can Communicate poorly in many different ways, for example
- Fragmented Sentences: This is where a writer incorrectly ends a sentence that is not a complete sentence.
- Run on Sentences: Two clauses or sentences that are not separated. e.g. I ate this morning my friend ate leftovers.
- Comma Splices: This occurs when two independent clauses are joined together by a comma. e.g. The soup cooked for three hours, it was tasteless.
- Dangling Modifiers: A modifier is a word or phrase that modifies (tells more about) another word or phrase. A dangling modifier occurs where the thing being modified is not included. e.g. Typing at my computer, the foot rail broke off.
Confusion can also arise when you say or write one thing but your facial expressions or actions are inconsistent with what you say.
There are many other issues to consider and understand with respect to communication; and this is precisely what this course will do.
Duration: 100 hours
Sample Course Notes -
What are the Barriers to Effective Communication?
When understanding is blocked communication becomes ineffective resulting in the kinds of problems listed earlier. There are many barriers to communication including:
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Using unnecessarily complicated language or words.
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Using jargon – not everyone will understand jargon that may be industry specific or regional.
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Language difference - it is important to ensure that the receiver has understood your message.
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Your meaning - make sure that both you and the receiver of your message both understand what you are trying to convey. Poorly expressed communication can alter the meaning. Also do not assume that the receiver will know the importance of your message.
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Preconceptions - don’t presume that the receiver of your message automatically knows what you are trying to communicate; or that they will let you know that they do not understand.
- Fear or anxiety - nervous receivers may be concentrating more on how they are feeling then the communicator if they feel anxious.
- Overload - giving too much information at once, making it impossible to absorb.
- Physical barriers - i.e. when using telephones or other such forms of communication poor reception can result in the message not being heard.
- Unrealistic demands - don’t presume that the receiver is more capable then they actually are.
More Information on ACS Distance Education and our courses
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Sample Course Notes
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How Long will it take to complete the course?
This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing. We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it.
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I don’t think this is the right course for me.
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What qualification will I achieve for completing this course?
This is an individual module course. The individual module courses are 100 hours long and can be taken on their own or as part of a larger program of study.
If you wish to take an individual module course as a stand alone course, you can elect to sit an optional exam at the end of it.
If you successfully pass the exam and all assignments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment. You can take examinations at a time and location to suit you. If you enrol, you will be sent further information on how to arrange examinations at the end of the course.
If you do not wish to take the exam, you will receive a Course Completion letter when you have passed all assignments.
There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. So for example, if an individual module course contains ten lessons, you will need to complete ten assignments. Assignments can be sent to us via email, post or fax.
Other qualifications, such as certificates, diplomas etc may require examinations to be taken as part of the overall assessment process.
You can find further information on the examinations process by clicking on the “Enrolment” link above.
You can find further information on other courses by clicking on the “Courses” link above.
