OU blog

Personal Blogs

Ellen-Arwen Tristram

Reflection on 1.7 - Using Language for Interaction

Visible to anyone in the world

reflection on water


What are the different elements that make up effective communication in a language? Listening, speaking, reading and writing are the four key communication points. Other factors come into play when a spoken language is not shared, such as shared knowledge, speaking slowly, body language, facial expression, simplifying concepts, props and a real motivation to get the information across. 


What implications does this have for your own use of language in this module?

Remembering that there are cultural 'barriers' and my own cultural norms are different to others'. Also, that different language should be used in different situations.


How applicable is what you have learned to your communication in different contexts beyond this module, in the outside world?

Entirely applicable. Every situation where you communicate with someone you are choosing how you portray yourself, or who you are representing, and each presents an opportunity to use this skills.


Do such considerations make you more or less interested in learning a foreign language? Why?

Yes - I want to be a more effective communicator in my own language too, which can be greatly aided by learning a foreign language.

Permalink
Share post