Letter of Advice

Required Resources

Text

Bevan, J. L., & Sole, K. (2014). Making connections: Understanding interpersonal communication (2nd ed.) [Electronic version]/ Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

· Chapter 1: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication

o Section 1.4: How This Book Will Help You Communicate More Competently

· Chapter 10: Ending Interpersonal Relationships

· Chapter 11: Evaluating and Strategizing Your Own Interpersonal Communication Competence

Multimedia

MindTools. (n.d.). How good are your communication skills? Speaking, listening, writing, and reading effectively (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Measuring tool]. Retrieved from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCS_99.htm

· This website offers a brief quiz to test your communication skills. Please use the results to reflect on your overall communication competencies and areas on which you can work. It will assist you in your discussion this week.
Accessibility Statement (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Recommended Resources

Article

Waldeck, J., Durante, C., Helmuth, B., & Marcia, B. (2012). Communication in a changing world: Contemporary perspectives on business communication competence. Journal of Education for Business, 87(4), 230-240. doi: 10.1080/08832323.2011.608388

· The full-text version of this article can be accessed through the Business Source Elite (EBSCOhost) database in the Ashford University Library. In this article, the authors outline five competencies in business communication: (a) relationship and interpersonal communication; (b) mediated communication; (c) intergroup communication; (d) the ability to communicate enthusiasm, creativity, and an entrepreneurial spirit; and (e) speaking and listening. The authors contend that flexibility and creativity are now central elements in distinguishing oneself and one’s work, and people do this through communication techniques. It may assist you in your assignment this week.

Week 5 – Final Paper

Letter of Advice

For this assignment, you will write a letter of advice to either a newly engaged couple or a group of coworkers. Imagine that either the engaged couple or coworkers hear that you are taking a course in interpersonal communication and want advice regarding how to communicate in their personal or professional relationships. Based on what you have learned in this course, your personal experience, and the five learning objectives we have covered, what advice would you give them regarding how to communicate effectively? How can you use what you have learned in this class to offer a couple or group of co-workers advice to have more positive relationships? Write your paper in the form of a letter. Please review the Sample Final Paper.

Instructions
Use the list of learning outcomes to write your letter. The course learning outcomes you will need to cover are listed below:

· Explain the principles of and barriers to effective interpersonal communications.

· Analyze the role of communication in developing and maintaining one’s self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem.

· Differentiate appropriate levels of self-disclosure and emotional intelligence in various relationships.

· Describe strategies for using communication techniques to resolve interpersonal conflicts.

· Analyze the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communications.

For each of the five learning outcomes, create a separate heading that states the learning outcome that you are addressing. Then, address the following for each segment:

· Explain the principles of and barriers to effective, competent interpersonal communications. Why do the principles matter? How can your couple or group of co-workers overcome the barriers you have listed?

· Analyze the role of communication in developing and maintaining one’s self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem. Begin by defining each term and then explain how these three notions of the self potentially impact the relationships of your couple or group of co-workers. What advice can you offer to help them develop a positive self-concept or build each other’s self-esteem?

· Illustrate the importance of self-disclosure and emotional intelligence in various relationships. What role does self-disclosure play in the relationships of your couple or co-workers? How can their relationships be improved by them becoming more emotionally intelligent? What connections can be made between emotional intelligence and self-disclosure?

· Evaluate strategies for using communication techniques to resolve interpersonal conflicts. Explain one or two potential conflicts and then present at least two strategies for addressing the dispute(s).

· Analyze the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communications. First, define these two key terms. Then, explain the importance of gender and culture in relationships generally and for your couple or group of co-workers specifically. What advice can you give to become a better communicator based on the information you have presented?

Content Requirements
You must address all five of the learning outcomes and the questions listed with those objectives. For each objective, be sure to define key terms and relate those ideas directly to advice for your couple or co-workers. The point here is for you to demonstrate how these ideas can be utilized to help people in their relationships. Try to offer specific advice they can integrate into their lives.

Begin your paper with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement and that previews what you plan to cover in your paper. End with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis and restates your key points.

You must use at least five scholarly sources to help you make your points. At least three of these should be course readings and two should be academic articles you have found yourself by doing research in the Ashford University Library. If you need help doing research, visit the Ashford University Library, which can be accessed through the Library tab in the left-navigation menu, in your online course.
You must also draw on personal experience to offer advice or to illustrate points. It is acceptable to use hypothetical examples and/or your personal experiences for either your couple or group of co-workers. We simply want to see that you can apply what you have learned to some potential “real world” experience.

The Final Paper

· Must be 8 to 10 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style. For assistance, visit the Ashford Writing Center’s Introduction to APA (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

· Must include a title page with the following (for further assistance with the formatting and the title page, please refer to Ashford Writing Cetner’s APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.):

o Title of paper

o Student’s name

o Course name and number

o Instructor’s name

o Date submitted

· Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper. For assistance on writing introductions, conclusions, and thesis statements, please refer to the following web pages, housed within the Ashford Writing Center & Library resources tab:

o Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

o Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

· Must use each learning objectives as a header dividing each section of the paper.

· Must use the textbook as a source. The Integrating Research (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. tutorial will offer further assistance on including supporting information and reasoning.

· Must use two additional course articles/videos and two academic articles the student has found independently. A total of five sources must be used in the paper and be on the reference list.

· Must document any information from a source in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

· Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. guide created by the Ashford Writing Center.

Discussion and Discussion Posts Expectations:

Discussion: Communication Strengths and Weaknesses – Due Thursday

An important theme throughout this course has been communication competence, which is the ability to choose a communication behavior that is both effective and appropriate for a given situation. On this discussion forum, you will take an online quiz to assess your communication strengths and weaknesses. Then, based on those results, you are required to reflect on the importance of those competencies, based on what you’ve learned in this course. What do you feel are your communicative strengths and weaknesses? How might improving in areas where you have flaws improve your personal and professional relationships? Try to be as specific as possible about how your life could be enhanced through making adjustments to your communication style. For instance, if you’re a bad listener, maybe you feel that others find you to be disrespectful or self-centered and have stop disclosing important information to you? If you have work meetings apprehension, maybe this is keeping you from sharing your ideas at work. In addition to sharing your flaws, strategies about how you might be able to improve. Hopefully, we will be able to have some useful discussions here about how we can all improve as communicators.

For this discussion response, you will need to be sure to, once again, break down your response and clearly address both tasks:

(1) Look through the text and identify at least one skill you have mastered and discuss how this skill has improved/enhanced your personal and/or professional relationships. Be sure to use a SKILL (for example, listening, empathy, kinesics);

(2) Identify one skill where you could still use improvement. Discuss what you learned about it and why you are still struggling here. Next, consider how changes in this area could enhance your personal and professional relationships.

To begin with, review Chapters 1, 2, and 11 of your text and take time to reflect on the various ways you can be competent communicators. Think generally about the role of communication in a satisfying life and rewarding career. Reflect on how improving your competencies can change your personal and professional relationships. Don’t forget to explicitly use the text, with full APA citations. This is your General Reflection about assigned communication concept (i.e., communication skill).

Next, using the text, identify one or more communication competencies you feel you’ve mastered; as well as at least one competency that you believe you need to improve. This is your example/discussion.

Now, based on all of this, tell us how do you think this improvement will enhance your personal and professional relationships? This is your “so what” reflection.

Few things to remember: Thoroughly respond to the discussion elements by writing at least one to two sentences on each element. Use the course readings, with full APA citations, at least once to help you make your points. Consider copying and pasting all three tasks into a word file and addressing each of them separately. Your initial response should be 200-300 words in length and is due by Thursday, Day 3.

2 Peer responses to Discussion – Due Monday

Read and respond to at least two of your classmates’ discussions as if you would if we were to carry this conversation in a traditional classroom. Respond by Monday, Day 7. Consider what your peer has reflected upon and offer your own recommendations, suggestions, or further thoughts to improve everyone’s understanding of the importance of being a competent communicator and how it can enhance one’s personal and professional relationships. Try to respond first to someone who has yet to receive classmate feedback. Make sure you ask meaningful questions to improve everyone’s understanding of the key concepts, as well as to help stimulate further discussion with the peer you are responding to. Response posts must be 125 to 200 words in length. If you have questions about how to participate in discussions, consult “About Discussions” under the Course Home menu.

Assignment Expectations:

Final Paper – Letter of Advice – Due Monday (25 points)

This week you should be finishing your Final Paper. Be sure to take into consideration all comments and recommendations offered on your outline draft. The final paper is the most significant project in this class, as it is worth 25% of your final grade. It is designed to allow you the opportunity to synthesize all the knowledge you have gained in this class, and to present it in a nicely written essay.

Use the list of learning outcomes to write your letter. The course learning outcomes you will need to cover are:·

· Explain the principles of and barriers to effective interpersonal communications.

· Analyze the role of communication in developing and maintaining one’s self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem.

· Differentiate appropriate levels of self-disclosure and emotional intelligence in various relationships.

· Describe strategies for using communication techniques to resolve interpersonal conflicts.

· Analyze the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communications.

For each of the five learning outcomes, create a separate heading that states the learning outcome that you are addressing. This is how I recommend you develop your paper:

Begin your paper with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement and that previews what you plan to cover in your paper. If you are having problems writing a thesis, try using the Thesis Generator.

Explain the principles of and barriers to effective interpersonal communications

In this section explain the principles of and barriers to effective interpersonal communications. Why do the principles matter? How can your couple or group of co-workers overcome the barriers you have listed?

Analyze the role of communication in developing and maintaining one’s self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem.

In this section analyze the role of communication in developing and maintaining one’s self-concept, self-image, and self-esteem. Begin by defining each term and then explain how these three notions of the self potentially impact your couple or group of co-workers relationship. What advice can you offer to help them develop a positive self-concept or build each other’s self-esteem?

Differentiate appropriate levels of self-disclosure and emotional intelligence in various relationships.

In this section illustrate the importance of self-disclosure and emotional intelligence in various relationships. What role does self-disclosure play in your couple or partner’s relationship? How can their relationships be improved by them becoming more emotionally intelligent?

Describe strategies for using communication techniques to resolve interpersonal conflicts.

In this section evaluate strategies for using communication techniques to resolve interpersonal conflicts. Explain one or two potential conflicts and then present at least two strategies for addressing the dispute(s).

Analyze the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communications.

In this section analyze the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communications. First, define these two key terms. Then, explain the importance of gender and culture in relationships generally and for your couple or group specifically. What advice can you give to become a better communicator based on the information you have presented?

End with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis and restates your key points.

Please pay careful attention to important content requirements

· You must address all five of the learning outcomes and the questions listed with those objectives.

· For each objective, be sure to define key terms and relate those ideas directly to advice for your couple or co-workers. The point here is for you to demonstrate how these ideas can be utilized to help people in their relationships. Try to offer specific advice they can integrate into their lives.

· You must use at least five scholarly sources to help you make your points. Three should be course readings and two should be academic articles you have found yourself through doing research in the Ashford University Library. If you need help doing research, visit the Ashford University Library, which can be accessed through the Library tab in the left-navigation menu, in your online course.

· You must also draw on personal experience to offer advice or to illustrate points. It is acceptable to use hypothetical examples and/or your personal experiences for either your couple or group of co-workers. We simply want to see that you can apply what you have learned to some potential “real world” experience.