Communication Plus: A spiral for success includes all the information that learners need for a complete Communication Skills course at Level 3. It is essential reading for those wishing to complete Communication Skills and Core Generic unit standards at Level 3 of the National Qualifications Framework, as well as those studying for communication components of New Zealand Institute of Management qualifications.
Based on the successful style of Communication in Practice: Skills for the Workplace, this text takes a narrative approach to learning. The authors have created a series of case studies following the everyday lives of the inhabitants of an ordinary New Zealand street. The true-to-life situations of these characters form the basis for a discussion of communication skills, not only for the workplace but in social and family contexts. The reader thus learns by:
- analysing the case study
- applying communication principles to the case study situation
- developing his or her personal communication skills in the light of lessons learnt from the case studies.
While the case studies are linked, each chapter has been designed to stand alone, allowing for a flexible teaching and learning style.
Chapter 1 The plus factor
Section 1 Study skills
Chapter 2 Planning for successful study
Chapter 3 Reading and researching
Chapter 4 Note making and summarising
Section 2 Critical thinking
Chapter 5 Thinking
Chapter 6 Problem solving
Section 3 Communication
Chapter 7 The communication process
Chapter 8 Culture and communication
Chapter 9 Non-verbal communication
Section 4 Speaking and listening
Chapter 10 Speaking clearly
Chapter 11 Listening
Chapter 12 Customer service and the telephone
Section 5 Writing
Chapter 13 Writing clearly
Chapter 14 Business writing
Chapter 15 Proposals
Chapter 16 Reports
Chapter 17 Technical writing
Section 6 Interpersonal skills
Chapter 18 Assertiveness
Chapter 19 Giving and receiving feedback
Chapter 20 Conflict and negotiation
Chapter 21 Meetings and teams
Section 7 Career development
Chapter 22 Career planning and job application
Chapter 23 Being interviewed
Mary Thoreau (BA (Hons), Dip Bus Admin, CATE, CLTA) is a Senior Lecturer in Communication Studies at Auckland University of Technology. She has worked in secondary and tertiary education and training in New Zealand, Britain and Canada. Mary has been extensively involved in the development, delivery and moderation of Communication Skills unit standards since 1993. She is an executive member and past President of the NZ Communication Association. Her special interests are in the areas of group dynamics and writing.
Josephine Ellis (BAppSc, PGDip Bus Admin, RMedT, CATE) is a Senior Lecturer in Communication Studies at Auckland University of Technology. She began her career as a medical laboratory scientist, working in laboratories in New Zealand and the United States. For the last ten years she has taught Communication, mainly to Science, Engineering and Computing students. She has helped write Communication Skills unit standards and her special interests are intercultural communication and technical writing.