Posted: April 12th, 2015

Answer the following questions about your potential topic:

module 3

Answer the following questions about your potential topic:

3. Fill in the topic for your Self Improvement Project. Be as specific as possible so that your instructor can give feedback. Remember this is a topic that you will research in order to increase your own knowledge about it and then you will present this same topic and information to an audience for your informative speech.
Describe the specific communication you wish to find out more about:
Describe the setting in which you will use this communication skill including the people who will be involved: Overcoming Communication Barriers

4. Explain why this topic is important in your personal or professional life.
5. Now think about if this topic will be appropriate for your intended audience for your informative speech.
a. Identify the intended audience for your informative speech (their relationship to you, number of people, etc.)

b. Explain how this topic will be important to them and will provide them with new information or insight.
6. Brainstorm and list the different search terms you might use when researching your topic.

1. Your topic – Overcoming Communication Barriers

2. Now let’s look at three of the sources you found on this topic. You are welcome and encouraged to use more than three sources but three is the minimum. Complete each item as thoroughly as possible. As you can see on pages 356- 357, the information you fill in below will help you formulate a correct oral footnote for each source.

Source #1
a. What kind of source is this? ( a book, website, an article in a journal, magazine, or newspaper, etc.)
b. What is the name of the source? (the website, book, journal, magazine or newspaper, etc.)
c. What is the name of the article or webpage?
d. What is the date? (Give the date of publication for a printed source. For a website, give the date it was created or last updated. If neither of these can be located, give the date you accessed it.
e. Who is the author or sponsor of this material? What information is available about the credibility of this source? Consult page 357 regarding the type of information that is needed for each of the types of sources.

Source #2
a. What kind of source is this? ( a book, website, an article in a journal, magazine, or newspaper, etc.)
b. What is the name of the source? (the website, book, journal, magazine or newspaper, etc.)
c. What is the name of the article or webpage?
d. What is the date? (Give the date of publication for a printed source. For a website, give the date it was created or last updated. If neither of these can be located, give the date you accessed it.
e. Who is the author or sponsor of this material? What information is available about the credibility of this source? Consult page 357 regarding the type of information that is needed for each of the types of sources.

Source #3
a. What kind of source is this? ( a book, website, an article in a journal, magazine, or newspaper, etc.)
b. What is the name of the source? (the website, book, journal, magazine or newspaper, etc.)
c. What is the name of the article or webpage?
d. What is the date? (Give the date of publication for a printed source. For a website, give the date it was created or last updated. If neither of these can be located, give the date you accessed it.
e. Who is the author or sponsor of this material? What information is available about the credibility of this source? Consult page 357 regarding the type of information that is needed for each of the types of sources.

3. For each of the three sources you listed for the previous question, give one piece of supporting material you found within the source and use a complete oral footnote identifying your source.

Do not just copy and paste a large section from the source – locate a specific piece of information representing the types of information – example, statistic, testimony, description, definition. Identify the piece of support that you use by putting the name of the type in parenthesis (example, statistic, testimony, description, definition). This is how you will identify the support you use in your speech outlines in Modules IV and V so this will help you practice how to do that.
Although this is a written report, we are practicing the oral footnotes that must be used in your speech to identify your sources for your audience. Consult pages 356-357 for help in constructing an oral footnote.
Example: In an article in the January, 2008, issue of Current Health,
Kelly McConigal,psychologist at Stanford University, says that,
“constructive criticism helps someone change a behavior or improve
performance.” (testimony)

Information from Source #1:

Information from Source #2:

Information from Source #3:

Topic for your self-improvement project – Topic for your self-improvement project – Overcoming Communication Barriers(language)
What motivated you to choose this topic for your project?
Now it is time to explain at least three specific skills or techniques you learned during your research on your selected topic – you should include at least one skill, technique, or piece of support from each of your three sources. From each source, we are asking you two things – a list of key words or short phrases for the skills you found and then an explanation of those skills including a complete oral footnote for the source. You will find that these items may be useful in the preparation for your informative speech on this same topic. The key words or phrases may help you organize main points. Although this is a written report, we are practicing the oral footnotes that must be used in your speech to identify your sources for your audience.
Source #1
a. List the key words or short phrases for the skills you found in this source.
b. Explain these skills in a short paragraph including a complete oral footnote for
the source.

Source #2
a. List the key words or short phrases for the skills you found in this source.
b. Explain these skills in a short paragraph including a complete oral footnote for
the source.

Source #3
a. List the key words or short phrases for the skills you found in this source.
b. Explain these skills in a short paragraph including a complete oral footnote
for the source.

Describe how you plan to apply these concepts in your personal or professional life. Be specific, and include all of the skills or techniques you listed in #3.
Create a sample dialogue between two or more people demonstrating the skills or techniques you discussed in #3.Using the key words or phrases you created for question #3, identify these concepts by putting the name of the skill or technique in parentheses. Your sample dialogue should demonstrate all three of the skills or techniques you described in your answer for #3 in this assignment and should involve a minimum of five exchanges between the people involved. I.e., five exchanges = ten statements.
An example of ONE exchange- (You would need to add four more)

Topic: Coping with Criticism
Instructor: You really did not do a very good job on this assignment.
Student: I want to make sure I understand. You’re saying I did not do
a very good job (reflective listening). Could you help me understand
if it was the format I used or the length that was not very good?
(asking for additional information)