Update

This blog was meant to serve as the culmination of my studies at Ashford University.  For the capstone to my degree in Communication Studies, I gathered tidbits from years of studying the many facets of communication and posted the information here.  I enjoyed sharing my learning experiences and reading the capstone blogs from the other students in my class.  Creating this blog was a great experience, and I hope someone will benefit from the information.  I just received my diploma in the mail, so I am officially a college graduate.  From time to time, I may add posts that pertain to Communication Studies, but for now I'll write for my personal blog and let the previous posts stand for themselves.  Thanks for reading!

The Comedic Side to Ineffective Communication

            Ineffective communication can be extremely frustrating.  Individuals interpret messages according to their personal experiences and mental set, and sometimes two individuals cannot come to the same understanding.  Conflict has a tendency to rise out of misunderstandings, and conflict, much like communication, is inevitable.  I like to think when I come upon an impossible and equally frustrating communication debacle that I will take the experience in stride and remember there is a comedic side to ineffective communication.  Please enjoy the video below, and I hope you get a laugh just as I did.

Career Options for Communication Studies

Communication is an inevitable process that affects virtually all aspects of life.  Even  when we remain silent in all forms of messaging, i.e. speaking, writing, texting, signing, communication still takes place.  Often times one can express more in a single look than explain in words.  “The very attempt not to communicate communicates something. Through not only words, but through tone of voice and through gesture, posture, facial expression, etc., we constantly communicate to those around us” (King, 2000, ¶1).  Regardless of the myriad of circumstances surrounding communication, the essential principles remain constant.  Effective listening, being aware of non-verbal cues, adapting to the audience, and applying meaning to messages while simultaneously acknowledging others may interpret messages differently are communication skills essential to professional success.  The knowledge and experience gained from studying Communication has proved to be a valuable skill in a diverse range of careers.  The following five occupational summaries offer a glimpse of the opportunities available in Media and Communications-Related Careers.  With a little imagination, we can take what we love, Communication Studies, and relate it to a career worth waking up for every day.

Technical Writer

Technical writing involves translating technical information and industry specific jargon into clear messages comprehensible by a large and diverse audience.  The majority of technical writers work in information-technology-related industries, such as engineering and computer science, but the field may also extend into graphic design and marketing-related fields (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010).  Technical writing appears on everyday objects, and the importance of the writing often goes unnoticed.  If you’ve ever purchased an over-the-counter medicine package and used the dosage directions included, you have read technical writing.  Employment as a technical writer requires a college degree, and most employers prefer applicants to have a bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, or English.  Solid computer competency and experience with other technology also stands out to potential employers, and some specialized fields may require additional experience within the selected field.  Employment for technical writing fares better than the average growth for all occupations, and the median annual wage in this field was $61,620 in 2008 and the highest annual wage was over $97,460 in 2008 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010).  Since the writing in this field focuses on specialized industries, potential growth is limited to technical writing occupations and not much else.

Dispatcher

Although dispatching technically falls outside media and communications-related occupations, the skills learned in Communication Studies carry over and prove valuable in this field.  Employment as a dispatcher requires the minimum of a high school diploma and up to six months of on-the-job training; a college degree and related experience would significantly improve chances of employment.  Organizations that employ vehicle fleets or respond to service-related situations use dispatchers.  The most widely recognized dispatchers work as emergency responders for local and surrounding police, fire, and medical agencies.  Employment as a dispatcher is expected to grow faster than the national average growth for all occupations, and the median annual wage in this field was $33,670 in 2008 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010). 

Broadcasting

Broadcasting is one of the oldest media occupations, and the field remains highly competitive.  Employment in broadcasting requires a college degree in Broadcasting, Journalism, or a related field, and previous experience in the field greatly increases chances of work as employers look for applicants who can perform immediately (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010).  With the majority of media outlets making transitions that follow the evolvement of technology, progression into satellite and online platforms seems natural for radio broadcasting.  The field of broadcasting presents a variety of employment opportunities, ranging from internships to part-time and full-time positions.  Employment in the broadcasting industry is expected to grow steadily over the next few years, although the expected growth should be slower than the overall average for all occupations.  The median annual wage in this field was $40,896 in 2008 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010).  Initial experience in this field typically comes from college radio or unpaid internships, and advancement within the field often requires frequent relocation to develop more experience and industry contacts.

Editor

Editors usually begin their career as writers, and those with the aptitude for recognizing writing talent often move on to editing.  Editors review, correct, and rework the writing drafts of other writers.  Employment as an editor requires a college degree, and most employers prefer a bachelor’s degree in Communications, Journalism, or English (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010).  Because the majority of editors start out as writers, achieving reputable writing accomplishments and being published by prominent publications supports advancements in this field.  Employment in this field is expected to grow at the same rate as the average, and the median annual wage for salaried editors was $49,990 in 2008 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010). 

Photographer

Photographers provide art direction, create and capture images, and conserve images to ensure the integrity of the art form.  Photography represents a more artistic side of media and communications-related occupations; originality and creativity are essential to career success.  Employment as a freelance photographer requires only technical proficiency, but employment as a photojournalist or scientific photographer requires a college degree in photography.  In addition to technical requirements, physical necessities include good eyesight, good hand-eye coordination, creative direction, patience, and compassion (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010).  Although the growth rate for photography is the same pace as the average, competition for employment may stifle as this field continually grows even faster in popularity.  The median annual wage for salaried photographers was $29,440 in 2008 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010). 

Resources

Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2010). Occupational outlook handbook (2010-11 Ed.). Retrieved August 4, 2011, from http://www.bls.gov/oco/

King, D. (2000). Four principles of interpersonal communication. Pellissippi State Community College. Retrieved August 6, 2011, from http://www.pstcc.edu/facstaff/dking/interpr.htm

Bad News With Tact

            The following case study was presented to me with the challenge of creating an effective and equally constructive approach.  In conflict situations, first instincts urge communicators to speak or take action without thinking through the consequences, ethical implications, and the responses of other individuals.  After reading the study, take note of your first instincts, and then take a moment to read the study again before deciding what approach to take. 

“You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services.  You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service.  One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers.  In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment.  You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.” 

"Bad news comes with very strong emotions." 



Listening respectfully to your employee’s responses and offering positive reinforcement to balance out the context of the message provides the greatest opportunity for a positive outcome.  One technique to deliver bad news tactfully is to establish the perspective of the employee as a guideline for proceeding.  “Explore perceptions before you try to define reality” (Sittenfeld, 1999, ¶8).  Before discussing an ultimatum and issues designated as negative contributions, ask the employee how they feel about their current performance.  Allowing them to explain may offer insight to underlying issues or refute the acknowledgement of performance problems. 

Another technique to deliver bad news with tact is to employ positive reinforcement.  Whether the employee discloses knowledge about a substandard performance or denies the existence of negative behaviors, leading the conversation with positive remarks eases the reception of impending bad news.  List at least three qualities you value in the employee from a manager’s standpoint, because recognizing and verbalizing the employee’s positives attributes places you on the same side instead of taking on an adversarial position.  Present the changes that must be made to ensure the highest level of performance for the team.  If the employee demonstrates the desire to make changes, you can proceed with the review and implement the changes in the work environment.  If the employee is unwilling to make changes, or fails to show improvement within a set period of time, the employee must be let go.  

Lastly, show consideration and legitimize the emotions that arise while delivering bad news.  “Bad news comes with very strong emotions—and you must always acknowledge those emotions.  A good, empathic response acknowledges not only someone’s feeling but also the reasons for those feelings…It legitimizes emotions in two ways:  as a response to the situation, and as an item on the conversational agenda” (Sittenfeld, 1999, ¶13-15).  Even if your first instinct says, “Just fire the employee,” stepping back from the situation and creating a constructive and effective approach ensures better communication between managers and employees while minimizing conflict issues and bad news in the future. 

Resources

Sittenfeld, C. (1999). Good ways to deliver bad news. Fast Company Magazine. Retrieved July 30, 2011, from http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/23/buckman.html

Media Technologies

            Technology has a significant impact on the ways in which we communicate.  Media technologies comprise a substantial portion of modern communication, especially in social mediums.  Four media technologies that immediately come to mind are television, the internet, mobile applications, and digital publishing.  The following summaries provide a glimpse into the history and impact of each medium as they pertain to media communication.

Television
            Television (TV) has drastically evolved since experimental images and movies were initially broadcast to the public just outside Washington D.C. in 1928 (Miller, 1929, p. 472).  From the first commercial electronic television sets to Light Emitting Diode (LED) and Three-Dimensional (3D) capable home theater systems, the way we watch media at home has continually evolved over the years.  Besides the obvious evolution of the technology, research into the history of television exposes the intriguing aspect of television broadcasting as a business (Kisseloff, 1995).  Modern television broadcasting provides entertainment, news, shopping, public service announcements, emergency messages and alerts, marketing advertisements, and internet access.  Television has become a media platform with the ability to host an entire sub-set of media platforms which increases audience numbers and audience diversity. 

Television has the potential to reach the largest and most diverse media audience within the United States because the majority of households have access to television where they may not have access to other media technologies.  The relationship between advertising and network executives has become abundantly clear through the gradual introduction of commercial advertising and the permanent effect advertising has had on television (Kisseloff, 1995).  Specialized programming and genre programs are tailored to reach specific audiences, and the advertising attached to each program reflects the target audience.  Although specific programming segregates television audiences according to taste and media preferences, television as a media technology has the unique ability to reach across cultural, religious, gender, age, social, economic, and political boundaries and bring audiences together for a few illustrious hours during prime time. 

The Internet

            I doubt the full impact of the internet was prophesized when the first three letters, L-O-G, were sent from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) to the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) on October 29, 1969 over what was then referred to as Arpanet (Ward, 2009).  Arpanet made a cosmetic name change with the introduction of the new Internet in the 1980’s.  More changes followed when commercial interests took notice of networks in the late 1980’s, greater speeds were established in the early 1990’s, and a user-friendly Browser was established in the mid 1990’s (Kleinrock, 2010).  The internet we know today operates thousands upon thousands of networks on millions of computers all over the world. 

Although not every household in the United States subscribes to internet service, public internet stations, free wi-fi hotspots, and other access terminals are popping up across the nation.  “Back in those days [1969], long before the utility of the net was demonstrated, Dr. Roberts and his colleagues had an inkling that remarkable things would happen once such a network was built” (Ward, 2009, ¶17).  The internet provides many of the same functions as television, in addition to countless information resources, social networking sites, electronic mail, and data backup services just to name a few.  Another unique characteristic of the internet as a media technology, as opposed to television broadcasting, is that information from the internet delivers immediate results, has unlimited accessibility, and has the possibility to circulate to a world-wide audience.  Personal connections are no longer bound by location.  Communication is no longer bound by language barriers, and the possibilities of the internet are limited only by the user’s imagination.  “The potential impact of this ubiquitous information infrastructure is unbounded.  The nature of the services and styles it can produce is limited only by the imagination of its practitioners. It has penetrated our institutions and has changed our behavior and attitudes in fundamental ways” (Kleinrock, 2010, ¶11). 

Mobile Applications

            The introduction of digital media on mobile phones opened up limitless possibilities to turn ordinary phones into what we refer to today as smartphones.  I have one, my husband has one, almost all my friends have one, and my mother even has one.  The mobile phone has become more than a device used to communicate; the mobile phone has become a social status symbol with marketers and consumers alike competing for the latest and greatest.  Like the internet, mobile applications provide immediate gratification for entertainment purposes, and little or no additional effort to search the parameters of these mediums.  Mobile applications target younger generations, an audience accustomed to the convenience of carrying their social lives on their devices.  Status updates, music downloads, instant messaging, and throwback arcade games all available at the touch of a button.  These types of applications provide an additional outlet for marketing driving support from modern consumers.  Mobile advertising uniquely targets specific audiences who seek out products and services, and that value comes with the compromise of unreliable audience numbers.  The compromise seems to be working considering the revenue for mobile advertising in the United States reached $700 million in 2011, and the year just passed the half-way point (Lim, 2011). 

Digital Publishing

            When electronic readers (e-readers), such as the Kindle, came on to the market, many people foretold of the demise of printed books and publications.  With devices such as the Apple iPad, Amazon’s Kindle, and the Barnes and Noble Nook, the latest New York Times Bestseller can be downloaded and ready to read in under a minute at a mere fraction of the cost of a printed copy.  E-readers are dominating the publishing market, evident by the recent liquidation of Borders Group Inc.  The second-largest book retailer declared bankruptcy in February, seemingly unable to compete with counterparts when the publishing industry shifted toward online and electronic dominance (Brown, 2011).  The complete demise of the printing art form seems unlikely, but the shift from print to digital appears to have a lasting appeal.  I know my bookshelves will remain filled with the likes of great authors along with my current favorites, Chuck Palahniuk and Suzanne Collins to name drop.  I also know my Kindle App. has almost reached capacity, filled with guilty pleasure reads and highlights from my latest Cosmopolitan subscription.  The future of digital publishing will be revealed soon enough, but in the meantime, publishing media is both at my fingertips and at the neighborhood book superstore.

Resources

Brown, N. (2011). Borders liquidation approved by bankruptcy judge. MSNBC.com. Retrieved July 22, 2011, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43845362/ns/business/

Kisseloff, J. (1995). The box:  An oral history of television, 1920-1961. New York:  Viking.

Kleinrock, L. (2010). Personal history / biography:  The birth of the internet. Retrieved July 22, 2011, from http://www.lk.cs.ucla.edu/personal_history.html

Lim, D. (2011). Cell phone companies still pondering how to milk the mobile app. Fox Business. Retrieved July 22, 2011, from http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2011/06/22/cellphone-companies-still-pondering-how-to-milk-mobile-app/

Miller, J. N. (1929). The latest in television. Popular Mechanics, 9(1929), 472-476. Retrieved July 21, 2011, from http://books.google.com/books?id=xt4DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA472#v=onepage&q&f=false

Ward, M. (2009). Celebrating 40 years of the net. BBC News. Retrieved July 21, 2011, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8331253.stm

Welcome to Communication Blueprints

            Welcome to my blog, Communication Blueprints.  This blog will evolve over the next five weeks, unfolding the knowledge and experiences I have gained exploring Communication Studies.  As I near the end of my journey towards a Bachelor’s degree in Communication, I find a strong desire to share the positive experiences I have encountered learning the numerous ways in which we communicate.  Mapping out the guidelines and content I want to include has uncovered a dual nature to this blog, offering both a capstone to my studies and a foundation for others to learn from.  I welcome the opportunity to expand my own thoughts on communication as I develop more content to share.  Communication is an inevitable process, and one I believe should be continually practiced, studied, and advanced because effective communication has the potential to increase quality in all aspects of life. 

The design of this blog revolves around the functionality of effective communication, and the purpose of the blog is to demonstrate effective communication through a contemporary social medium.  My goal is to set up an accessible, positive forum for individuals interested in learning more about the communication field or to discuss current topics concerning communication studies.  Each week I will display a new Quote of the Week, to lighten the atmosphere and draw individuals in to the fun side of communication.  This week the quote reads, “The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives” (Robbins, 2011, ¶3).  Please check back in the following weeks to read more about:  Media Technologies, Effectively Delivering Bad News, and Communication Careers.  Until then, thank you for reading Communication Blueprints.

Resources

Robbins, A. (2011). Author quotes:  Anthony Robbins. Retrieved July 14, 2011, from

                http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5627.Anthony_Robbins