Assignment:
Discussion Assignment Instructions:
Overview:
The student will complete one (1) discussion in this course. The discussion will include one (1) thread and one (1) reply.
Instructions:
For Discussion Thread: Communication Foundations, Communication Analysis, and Electronic Communication, students will submit an original response to one of the prompts in 250-350 words of the assigned Module: Week. The thread should be free from grammar or spelling errors and written using an essay format with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Students must support their assertions using two (2) approved sources. Approved sources include the course textbook (as listed on the course syllabus) and one (1) full-text, peer-reviewed/scholarly article published within the last five (5) years and found within Liberty's online library database. A complete reference list, which does not contribute to the word amount, must be included at the end of the thread. Articles must contain a working URL directly linking to the full-text article within Liberty's online library. Parenthetical or narrative in-text citations must be used to show how and where information from outside sources has been used in the thread. The most current APA formatting guidelines must be used to format in-text citations and the reference list.
For Discussion Reply: Communication Foundations, Communication Analysis, and Electronic Communication, students will submit an original reply of 200-300 words in response to one classmate who answered a different prompt/question of the assigned Module: Week. Students should promote further development of the topic using the 2-by-2 format. For the 2-by-2 format, while focusing on content, indicate two points of agreement or two things you liked about the post and why, as well as two points of disagreement or two points the posting author could have included to strengthen their position and why. The reply should be free from grammar or spelling errors and written using an essay format with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Sources are not required for the reply post.
How to Avoid an Honor Code Violation
- Submit your original work, created solely for this course. No previously submitted assignments are acceptable.
- According to the honor code, you may NOT use any artificial intelligence (AI) aids, paraphrasing software, past coursework, or coursework of others. If you have questions, don't hesitate to email me. You can also read The Liberty Way, which can be found within student affairs on Liberty's website.
- Include all sources used on a reference page(s), properly formatted according to the most current APA formatting guidelines.
- Provide citations directly within your thread for all statements, ideas, and thoughts - paraphrased or directly quoted - from any outside source.
- Include a proper balance of information from outside sources and your analysis of the topic; outside sources should add credibility and support to your work, not make up the bulk of your thread.
Reply to Leilani Ross
Communication Analysis: Nonverbal Messages
Until the exponential growth of technology, humans have long interacted face-to-face which allowed for communication with verbal and nonverbal cues. Communicative coherence, as ten Brinke et al. (2020) refer to this concept, is still vital to know how to send and interpret verbal and nonverbal messages. Since nonverbal messages are constantly being sent and they can convey the majority of a message's meaning, it is essential in business communication to be attentive to nonverbal cues of those interacted with whether it be an employee, supervisor, client, co-worker, or even the delivery person (Lehman et al., 2024). Both the sender and receiver should be aware of nonverbal cues as it can increase the richness of interactions or alternatively, cause offense.
Nonverbal messages are conveyed in different ways, but it is always important for all parties to pay attention to those messages. Nonverbal cues can indicate truthfulness or manipulation, which can help make decisions such as whether an interviewee is prepared and well-fit for the job so should be hired or if a supervisor is being truthful about passing along feedback to their supervisor (ten Brink and Weisbuch, 2020). Similarly, from the other perspective, an interviewee can gauge if there is true interest in their skills and experience or the supervisor can tell if an employee is truly giving feedback because they see it benefitting the organizational culture versus the employee disguising the "feedback" as a personal complaint. These situations include meta communication and visual and vocal kinesic communications, a combination of underlying messages not expressed with words, body language, attire, and intonation (Lehman et al., 2024).
Interestingly, ten Brinke et al. (2020) also note that comprehension of a message improves when the communicator is seen-their head movements, eye movements, and coordinated hand gestures contribute to comprehension. On the other hand, it was noted that body language or hand motions that did not match up with words being said (saying "cut" while making a pulling gesture) caused a loss of comprehension. In business, comprehension is essential since it can lead to goal achievement.
Not only are important decisions and goal achievement affected by nonverbal cues, but respect can also be shown which can be critical in intercultural communications (Stoian, 2020). Good business communication includes being aware of proxemics, territoriality, personal space, time, and haptics to build positive relationships and send clear nonverbal messages. For example, if interacting with an Italian businessman, emotional expression would likely build a connection whereas in the German culture, it might be offensive and off-putting, leading to potentially losing business. (Stoian, 2020). If a meeting does not start on time or runs long, it might not affect someone from Hawaii but someone from Switzerland could be highly offended. Haptic communication, physical touch, should be limited if interacting with a Japanese client, but a client from Latin America might feel a lack of connection without being greeted with a friendly handshake or maybe even a hug.
Business communication should strive for clear and concise messages that can be comprehended, and nonverbal cues play just as much of an important role as verbal cues in successful communication. Need Assignment Help?
References:
Lehman, C.M., DuFrene, D.D, & Walker, R. (2024). BCOM (11th Ed.). Cengage Learning, Inc.
Stoian, C. (2020). Nonverbal messages across cultures: Introducing nonverbal communication to university students. Technium Social Sciences Journal, 10, 39-49.
Ten Brinke, L., & Weisbuch, M. (2020). How verbal-nonverbal consistency shapes the truth.
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology., 89.