Communication Skills of Students - Assignment Example

Observational Report Observational Report Introduction Assessment involves the evaluation of skills acquired by fromthe theory delivered in class. Assessment of practical skills such as presentation and interview skills requires proper consideration of the students’ use of language and nonverbal communication skills. Students were presented with two tasks that required them to use a diverse range of skills. One of the tasks involved playing roles in an interview and making a presentation to the members of the class. Successful assessment should involve giving of feedback highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the students and making clarifications on how best they should handle the task. This paper will present an observation report of two students named Hessa Al Khater and Zarmeena Qazi. Presentation A close analysis of Hessa Al Khater’s performance of the presentation task reveals that he managed to address the audience correctly as expected. Hessa relied on both body language and verbal communication to actively engage the audience. At the beginning of the presentation, Hessa brought forth a root statement, which defined his introduction, body, and the conclusion. He exhibited expertise in developing his ideas logically and making a lively presentation. During Hessa’s presentation, the attention of the class was both to the speaker and to the PowerPoint. The speaker’s capacity to involve the audience explains why there was a measure of attention drawn to him. In other parts of the presentation, the speaker pointed out something on the PowerPoint, a factor that prompted the audience to focus their attention on the PowerPoint. Unfortunately, there was an overuse of the PowerPoint, which was an undesirable aspect. However, the speaker gave proper reference to the slides. Some of the outstanding strengths that Hessa exhibited during his presentation were that he was confident and sure of himself and began with a catchy opening. Moreover, he introduced himself to the audience in an appropriate manner a factor that created a favorable atmosphere for the presentation. He highlighted the topic and presented background information on the topic, a factor that warmed up the audience to the content of the presentation. An overview of the presentation and a good planning of the entire timeline backed up the background information about the presentation. Hessa’s presentation was easy to follow with transitions that served to connect different slides. There was a proper emphasis on the main points as well as highlighting of the sub conclusions in each section. At the conclusion, Hessa reinstated the root statement and clarified it adequately. He also gave a summary of the presentation highlighting the main ideas outlined in the presentation. Hessa demonstrated willingness to address the questions posed by the audience and finally thanked the audience for their attention and time. Throughout the presentation, Hessa maintained proper eye contact with the audience and spoke in a clear voice that was remarkably audible. Hessa’s speed of presentation was not even, because he talked too fast at some point and slowed down when highlighting other points. Unfortunately, talking too fast prevented some of the members of the audience from understanding his ideas. In the beginning, Hessa had a remarkable tone of voice, but faded down as he progressed. Hessa’s articulation was remarkably good and he made proper use of pauses as well as body language. He made efforts of collaborating his facial expressions, gestures, tone, and articulation with the idea he was highlighting. Worth noting is the fact that Hessa’s posture was appropriate throughout the presentation. An additional weakness in Hessa’s presentation was that he did not make use of visual aids that would have remarkably enhanced his message and engage the audience further. On the other hand, Zarmeena Qazi did not exhibit expertise in addressing the audience correctly. She lacked the ability to engage the audience effectively. Her presentation did not have a remarkable root statement, but she developed ideas logically. The content of her presentation was straightforward and remarkable, although she did not have an outstanding manner of delivering the content. In the greater part of her presentation, the audience focussed on the PowerPoint presentation because the speaker failed to engage the speaker effectively. Zarmeena exhibited an overuse of the PowerPoint although she had good points in each of the slides. Zarmeena’s presentation lacked a catchy opening, although she introduced herself to the audience well. She placed emphasis on the topic, although she did not give sufficient background information on the topic. She ended her introduction by giving an overview of all the aspects that will be highlighted in the presentation. The body of her presentation was well structured using the right transitions and the elaboration of main points. Zarmeena exhibited expertise in drawing conclusions after discussing each main idea. In the concluding part, she failed to give a remarkable summary of the presentation, but addressed the questions from the audience well. After addressing all the questions, she respectfully thanked and appreciated the audience for listening keenly and asking questions. Zarmeena lacked the relevant confidence of addressing her audience effectively. She seemed unsure of herself and was unable to elaborate some of her points clearly. Zarmeena has a strong voice that she used well during the presentation, although she made it shaky in some parts. The fact that her voice was shaky highlighted that she lacked the sufficient confidence to actively engage with her audience. In the beginning, Zarmeena lacked the relevant tone, but was able to catch up and use the right tone towards the end of the presentation. She ignored some of the pauses and did not use body language extensively. Her posture when presenting was upright, although she was unstable at some point because of her ensuing tension. Zarmeena’s presentation lacked the relevant visual aids, but it had the relevant content. Interview The interview task required two students to participate. Each of the students played either the role of an employee or that of a manager. After selecting the preferred role, the students were presented with a topic. Hessa played the role of the manager during the interview session. A close analysis of his presentation reveals that he began the interview in an appropriate manner and was able to develop a favorable atmosphere for the interview. He was confident and welcomed the employee to the interview. Hessa demonstrated his expertise in using effective communication skills and authority as the manager in the interview. He briefed the employee on the structure of the interview in the introductory part. He did this with clarity a factor that set the interview on the right course. Hessa delved deeper into the agenda by asking open-ended questions and clarifying the ideas presented by the employee. Although Hessa was the manager, he was able to establish a favorable environment of trust and equality by appreciating the employee’s ideas and acknowledging her outstanding skills. Both the manager and the employee agreed on each agenda point and Hessa emphasized the main points in the conclusion. Hessa’s expertise in demonstrating confidence and maintaining eye contact though out the interview was evident. He engaged the employee, a factor that made the interview lively. He was empathetic to the issues highlighted by the employee, but managed to remain in control of the interview process. He clarified ideas as expected and challenged the employee to propose new ideas. He summarized the main points at the end of the interview and requested the employee to highlight any questions or issues of concern. The composure with which he played the role of the manager was remarkable. On the other hand, Zarmeena played the role of an employee and answered questions posed by the manager confidently. She was able to use effective communication and body language when expressing her ideas. She requested for clarifications from the manager when she did not understand the specifics of each question. Through her body language and verbal communication, she exhibited respect for the manager while remaining assertive. She seemed to understand the structure of the interview and collaborated effectively while allowing the manager to stay in control of the interview process. However, there were two instances when Zarmeena seemed unsure of herself and did not answer the questions in a relevant manner. She exhibited diverse knowledge as an employee and seemed to understand the organization well. She strived to maintain eye contact although she was distracted at some point. It was remarkable that she was assertive and expressed her ideas clearly. Conclusion Evidently, the two tasks sought to evaluate the ability of students to use their verbal and nonverbal communication skills effectively. The presentation required the students to organize relevant content logically and express it effectively to the audience. The arrangement of ideas in a presentation is an important aspect of keeping the audience interested. However, being able to engage the audience through verbal and nonverbal cues is more important. Both Hessa and Zarmeena exhibited some outstanding strength, but still have areas to work on to improve their presentation skills. On the other hand, both students performed well in the interview session. Hessa seemed to have monitored the role of a manager well and was able to set the course of the interview perfectly. On the other hand, Zarmeena responded effectively and expressed herself in an assertive manner while respecting the manager. However, both of them can work on the areas highlighted above and improve their interview skills. References Burke-Smalley, L. A. (2014). Using Oral Exams to Assess Communication Skills in Business Courses. Business Communication Quarterly, 77(3), 266-280. doi:10.1177/2329490614537873. Leutenberg, E. A., Liptak, J. J., & Brodsky, A. L. (2008). The Communication Skills Workbook: Self-assessments, Exercises & Educational Handouts. Duluth, Minn: Whole Person Associates. Read More