Reflective Account On Communication Skills

Throughout this unit I had many verbal exchanges where I used clarity of speech effectively and kept calm. Additionally, I spoke with confidence when giving presentations. I learnt to be especially aware of my communication during the opening of a verbal exchange as these first impressions have the most impact. Using eye contact and having a friendly smile was also essential to highlight my good intentions and nature. As well as this, intonation was key when speaking as it showed the emotions behind my words. Furthermore, paraphrasing throughout discussions and talks helped to ensure that everything was fully understood and explained. Following this, I also summarised at the end of presentations and allowed questions to verify that the main

The positive language I used let my team know that I was willing to work and help. Positive language was also helpful when giving constructive criticism to other students as it encourages rather than demotivates. Following this, I reduced my use of negative language when working within the team as it could have lowered motivation and made them not want to work with me. When listening to my team members I made sure to show active engagement by nodding, this let them know that I was listening and paying attention to what they are saying. Asking both open and closed questions allowed different responses suitable for different situations; open questions allowed for a discussion whereas closed questions encourage definite, concise responses and decisions.

Before handing in any work I proof read it to reduce the risk of having any incorrect information or unnecessary mistakes. When researching for the tasks I took notes rather than whole pages of information so that I could pick out relevant information quicker, and then build upon it.

Overall I believe I used a range of written and interpersonal communication techniques throughout the unit. They helped me to work well within a group and complete work in a quick and efficient