Writing for Business Success/Introduction to Business Communication/Important to communicate well

“	I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.	”
—Robert J. McCloskey

Required reading

Read Section 1 Intro and Section 1.1: Why is it important to communicate well?, in Saylor Academy (Ed.) 2012. Business Communication for Success. (See page(s) 4 - 10 in PDF version.)

These readings describe communication as an activity, skill, and art incorporating a wide range of human learning and knowledge. Think back, for example, about how you learned to talk, to tell stories, to write, to send text messages, to post in online media, and how to present yourself in a job interview. Think of all the skills each of those things involves!

Communication is key to success in personal relationships, in the workplace, and as a citizen. It influences how we think about ourselves and others, and how we learn. In business contexts, our communication represents both us as an individual and our employer, and communication skills are a consistent priority in employment opportunities.

Reflection

In your learning journal blog:

• Make notes on what you understand to be the key to effective communication.
• Do the Introductory exercises (p. 4), which invite you to reflect on your short and long-term goals.
• Look for some examples of real job descriptions in your region. What do you think of them? Is there anything that surprises you about them? Is there anything you would do differently? Add your thoughts to your learning journal.
• Remember to tag or label your post using the course code: ccom101 (This is needed to harvest a link to your blog post in the course feed.)
• Look in the course feed to see what others have written.