UU150 Study Guide - Final Guide: Rollo May
Communication in Professional Settings
Lesson Introduction
“The ABC's are attitude, behavior and communication skills…” ~ Gerald Chertavian
“Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual
valuing” ~ Rollo May
We live in a society where we interact with a variety of different individuals on a daily basis.
This interaction can occur in a variety of ways. For example, we communicate through face-
to-face conversation, through email messages, by texting, or by way of instant messaging
via social networking sites. Communication also differs as a function of the receiver of the
message, that is, whether you are speaking with a close friend, family member, or co-
worker. In community placements or projects and in other professional settings, your style
of communication may differ significantly from how you communicate in more personal
settings. Keeping in mind issues such as confidentiality, professionalism, and ethics, I would
like you to reflect a little on how you might approach your interactions with various
community members, including vulnerable populations, agency managers or supervisors,
community clients and members, and fellow community volunteers or CSL staff.
I want you to be thinking about a few things when working through this lesson:
How do you communicate in a variety of different situations?
In which ways in which you communicate most effectively - what
strategies do you use and why?
How might communication differ by context?
How might communication change when it is online versus face-to-
face?
What are some things that you might want to take into consideration
when engaging in conversation via these two modes?
Effective Communication and Why It's Important
What is Communication?
Communication is the giving, receiving or exchanging of ideas, information, signals or
messages through appropriate media, enabling individuals or groups to persuade, to seek
information, to give information or to express emotions (Communication Theory 2014).
What is Effective Communication?
In today’s world, we communicate through many different modes; through spoken words,
written words, visual images, and body language.
Being able to communicate successfully is more than simply passing on information. It
involves multiple skills, including attentive listening, tone, body language, and recognizing
and understanding others’ emotions, as well as your own.
I would like you to pause for a moment and reflect on the following questions. How do the
points mentioned above relate to communication online? How can we make up for the lack
of non-verbal cues in an online setting?
The ability to communicate appropriately with others is a skill; as you enter new
environments and contexts, you will learn the “rules” for communicating with others. An
email sent to a professor should look quite different than an email sent to friends, and the
way you talk to your placement supervisor would differ from communication with your
parents. It is important to take the context into account when presenting yourself.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
The abc"s are attitude, behavior and communication skills ~ gerald chertavian. Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing ~ rollo may. We live in a society where we interact with a variety of different individuals on a daily basis. This interaction can occur in a variety of ways. For example, we communicate through face- to-face conversation, through email messages, by texting, or by way of instant messaging via social networking sites. Communication also differs as a function of the receiver of the message, that is, whether you are speaking with a close friend, family member, or co- worker. In community placements or projects and in other professional settings, your style of communication may differ significantly from how you communicate in more personal settings. I want you to be thinking about a few things when working through this lesson:
