Each graduate of the Master of Library and Information Science program is able to demonstrate oral and written communication skills necessary for professional collaboration and presentations.
Information professionals need good communication skills because we will often need to engage in interactions with the public, staff, and co-workers. Communication involves two or more people exchanging information, so the way we send and receive messages impacts its meaning. For example, the way we use language, voice, gestures and facial expressions impact the way our messages come across to others. In the information professional field, we want to feel comfortable with our communication because it establishes confidence and creditability. It also makes others feel comfortable with our interactions because it instills mutual understanding and trust. Misunderstanding often leads to confusion, frustration or errors that waste time and resources. According to Evans & Ward (2007), “ True communication only takes place when a person receives the identical meaning and emotion meant and felt by the person sending the message (256).” Therefore, oral and written communication skills are important because we want to relay our intentions, thoughts, and messages in a way that is not misunderstood.
Oral Communication
Oral communication is important for information professionals because there are a lot of face-to-face and verbal interactions with individuals and groups. The types of oral interactions include reference work, customer service, meetings, projects, instruction sessions, public relations, management and more depending on our roles within in organizations. Information professionals interact with a variety of people who will have different communication needs. For example, different generations have different communication styles and preferences. Oral communication involves understanding how to approach a situation without coming across with an unintentional message. A variety of factors affect oral communication that includes verbal, physical and cultural. Word choice and manner of delivery impact the way messages are received because its context can be interpreted differently. For example, words have different meanings in different contexts, so word choice will affect the meaning of our messages. People from different cultural backgrounds also might misinterpret our messages because they are unfamiliar with the variety of meanings for words. When we delivery messages, the tone of our voices and our engagement also impacts the way our messages are received. About 60% of our messages comes from nonverbal cues, so it is important to pay attention to how we are presenting the information (Evans &Ward, 2007 p.283). Our facial expressions, gestures, eye contact and proximity all send different types of messages. It is also important to remember that being in the attentive listener is also another form of communication because it also sends nonverbal and verbal cues to the speaker about how we are receiving the information. Nodding, smiling, leaning in the direction of the speaker and paraphrasing, are ways that let our speaker know that we listening to their messages. As an information professional, it is important to have good listening skills because we don’t want to miss important information that could help our patrons. We also don’t want our patrons to feel like their inquiries are not important and prevent them from coming back for more help when they need it. Being a good communicator doesn’t mean we need to use complicated forms of language to relay our messages. Often being direct, to the point and simple is enough to relay our messages and helps avoid confusion.
Written Communication
Written communication skills are important because written communication has the potential to reach a larger audience than face to face. Important services, information, issues, and solutions come to light when we are able to make them available for review. For example websites, blogs, journals, and social media are all ways we reach patrons and people in the field about new information. Written communication skills are also important because it establishes credibility. For example, if it is clear and error-free, it establishes that what you are writing about is important to you and your readers. Written communication skills are also important when working with others at work and in groups because it helps establish instructions and procedures in a clear format that everyone can reference and implement correctly. When writing there are important things to consider that will help write clear messages. Our words can sometimes be misinterpreted because there are less non-verbal cues to add context to our writing. For example, chat messages need more clarification or visual aids, such as emoticons to add more meaning. When we are directing our writing to others it is important to be clear by being direct and to the point. Readability is also important so we want to use a shared vocabulary and avoid spelling and grammar errors. Information professionals will need good writing skills because our work involves using writing to reach users and to convey information to them.
Collaboration & Presentations
Although it is important to work independently there will be times when collaboration is necessary for projects. I never realized the importance of group dynamics and the awareness of stages that groups face. In Dr. Ken Haycocks (2007) lecture, Working with teams, there are four stages that groups could face. The phases consist of learning to work together despite the roles, frustrations, and challenges one may face. Once these hurdles are dealt with the group accepts its goals and performs accordingly. Haycock also explains that successful groups have clear goals with defined roles and responsibilities. Good communication is key to making sure everyone is aware of his or her responsibilities. This also includes encouraging all group members to contribute to the conversation and to ask questions whenever possible. This also includes written documentation defining group member roles, responsibilities and tasks so that group members have a reference source. When duties are clear, there is a lack of confusion and uncertainty that leads to improved performance and fewer dysfunctions (Evans & Ward, 2007 p. 196-198).
According to Haycock (2007), some dysfunctions of teams are distrust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results. Some of these have often made me wary about working in groups. One of the biggest dysfunctions I think to a group is the issue of trust. Without knowing how a person works and handles tasks assigning important duties can be a challenge. Evans & Ward (2007) explains that fear of failure should not be the only reason why certain tasks are delegated but rather creating a positive improvement should be the end goal (p.197). It is up to the group leader to make sure that if there are any dysfunctions to handle them in an appropriate way that allows the group to transition from one stage to the next to complete a task/project (Haycock, 2007 & Evans & Ward, 2007). Good communication will allow the group to investigate the strengths of group members, and to come to appropriate resolutions for conflict that arises.
Communication is also important when creating and delivering presentations. Understanding how our communication comes across and affects others is a good way of improving presentations. When conducting presentations, it is important to be aware of our audience’s reactions. Their reactions and behaviors are important to understanding how the information we are presenting is affecting them. Do they look bored or confused? These are signs that maybe we are speaking to fast, not loud enough or we are overcomplicating the points we are trying to convey. When delivering presentations, we need to think about how we can construct our presentations to avoid our audience being bored or confused by providing opportunities for engagement. For example, during presentations offer opportunities for questions and comments throughout the presentation to verify if there are problems you need to address. Another helpful step is to provide small activities such as polls, or the incorporation of activities where the presenter and audience work together to come up with concepts and resolutions. Communication is a two-way street, so providing opportunities for communication and engagement within presentations allow our audience to understand the messages we are trying to convey. Information professionals who need to present, benefit their audience when they improve their communication skills because their audience becomes more receptive to the information you are providing.
Competency Development:
All of my courses for my MLIS have helped me improve my oral and written communication skills. Most of my courses have allowed me to expand my writing and oral communication skills. For example, the weekly discussion posts in most of my classes allowed me to think critically and communicate with my classmates about important topics and issues about the field. My course also provided me the opportunity to collaborate with others in assignments and projects that allowed me to experience how to effectively communicate with each other to accomplish our goals. I have also had the opportunity to conduct presentations online that have allowed me to practice communicating in front of audiences using technology to aid me. There are also some courses that provided me with important information that will help me improve my communication skills as an information professional. In Libr 204, Information Organizations and Management, I learned about the importance of being a clear and direct communicator as an information professional. I also learned how to work with groups in an online environment relying on online tools to relay our messages, meetings, and notes. When working with groups communication is vital no matter what type of environment you work in. In Libr 210, Reference and Information Services, I learned about communicating with patrons through reference interviews. The information I learned about reference interviews is also useful information about communication techniques, such as attentive listening and body language. In Libr 254, Information Literacy and Learning, I learned about instructional theories to help convey information to users with a variety of learning styles. The instructional techniques that I learned will help me provide different modes of communication to make my information accessible.
Evidence 1: Libr 204, Discussion Post Virtual Teamwork
In Libr 204, I answered a discussion post that asked, “What are the most important success factors for your virtual team in LIBR 204 to understand and employ?” In this discussion post, I discussed what I felt was the most important takeaway’s based on available literature. I discuss how the virtual environment creates more productivity and accountability because group members are motivated to work because of the flexibility to create one’s own working schedule. I also discuss how when technology is updated, it can be used to plan, organize, and alert group members faster. Finally, I discuss that team building is just as important in the virtual environment as face-to-face interactions.
The discussion post itself is located in an online environment that allows me to communicate with others and utilize my written communication skills in this type of setting. The concepts and tips that I learned while writing this discussion post, will transfer over to any future group projects and collaborations. For example, later on in the semester, I worked with a group of 6 people in a multi-component project in a virtual environment. In this discussion post, I demonstrate the importance of utilizing tools to help connect individuals in virtual group settings. I also demonstrate that I am knowledgeable in utilizing resources that allow me to communicate with individuals in a variety of settings both virtual and in person. I will have the resources available to let me connect with individuals despite any distance and access issues. This is important for information professionals who need to collaborate with others in different locations or to make their messages more accessible.
Evidence 2: Libr 204, Strategic Plan Progress Report and Assessment
In Libr 204, I worked with a group to create a strategic plan for a public library. There were many components to the project that required a team to develop materials. The first part of the project consisted of a literature review on a specific aspect of strategic planning, mission, vision, and values statements for the organization, and an environmental scan with a SWOT analysis. The second part of the project consisted of strategic goals for the organization, assessment criteria for each strategic goal, an annotated bibliography including an analysis of best practices and a PowerPoint presentation of our strategic plan. Since this project was a big undertaking, this project required that all team members communicate with each other at various points of the project. We utilized various online tools to communicate with each other since it was not possible to meet face to face. We used chat conferencing tools, such as Blackboard Collaborate and Google Talk to conduct weekly meetings. We also used Google Docs to upload our work, then edit and comment accordingly. There were also various emails’ and chat messages in between meetings to stay updated with progress. These tools were vital to our communications and help us establish meetings, objectives, and tasks. Before we could really dive into the project, goals, timelines, and tasks needed to be delegated. In our progress report for Part 1, we discuss our timeline dates and group member roles and tasks. There was a total of 6 tasks, with one group leader assigned for each task and all 6 group members participating in a combination of tasks. Each group member had the opportunity to be a group leader and participate in about 4-5 tasks. This allowed us to make sure that the amount of work was distributed equally among us and that group members were playing into their interests and strengths. In my Assessment of group work, I discuss how our work was delegated in part I and part II using the same method above. I also discuss group contributions and the resources and skills that each group member used. The progress report and assessment were important because they documented the work that was conducted within the group and acknowledges our process and decisions. This assignment demonstrates my ability to plan and work with group members utilizing technology to communicate with each other to complete our project. For this project, I learned the importance of getting to know your group members so that the best resources and skills of each group member are brought out for a project. This assignment also demonstrates my ability to lead a group within a bigger project and provide support to other group members when needed. This is important because information professionals will need to work together in various stages of their career so it is important to develop communication skills and resources. Information professionals will also need to work together in order to bring in different resources and perspectives for projects and services they participate in. With this project, I demonstrate the importance of good written and oral communication skills and how I will transfer these skills in other settings or projects.
Evidence 3: Libr 254, Instruction Session Recording
In Libr 254, I created and delivered an instruction session about accessing and sharing documents in Google Docs. I wrote a lesson plan to help me plan and create an instruction session that I delivered to my audience. My lesson plan also included slide notes that guided me through my live session. My instruction session was conducted in Blackboard Collaborate, chat software that allowed me to present in an online environment with various chat tools at my disposal. Throughout my instruction session, I tried to utilize various communication and instruction techniques and strategies to effectively convey my concepts and messages. For example, it was important throughout my instruction session that my voice was clear and that my pace was not to fast. I wanted to prevent and minimize audio barriers and issues that could lead to confusion and misunderstanding. Throughout my session, I also established checkpoints to provide opportunities for feedback and clarification when needed. It is important to allow audience members the opportunity to communicate with the instructor because it prevents them from passively just listening and allows them to participate in the conversation. I also utilized some of the chat features to allow my audience to participate in the live session. For example, I asked my audience a series of questions about which visibility mode is appropriate for their documents to use in certain situations. I had a slide ready with three choices of “Public on the Web”, “Anyone with Link”, and “Specific People.” For each question I asked them to pull their pointers from the chat tools and to point to the visibility mode they believed was appropriate for the situation. The checkpoints and activities throughout the session allow my audience to send me information about how the session is going and allows me to evaluate if they understand the concepts and procedures I am showing them. These tools also allow me to evaluate through verbal and non-verbal ways to help accommodate my audience’s communication and learning needs. This recorded instruction session demonstrates my oral communication skills and how I used verbal and nonverbal strategies to convey my messages. Communication strategies are important when delivering a presentation because we want to make sure our audiences find our information engaging. This instruction session provided me with the experience and resources needed to continue to create them for other institutions. Being aware of my communication skills will help me improve my presentation delivery and allow me to create more dynamic and engaging instructional sessions.
Conclusion:
Communications skills are important for information professionals to develop throughout their careers. Our interactions with others are forms of communication that are read and analyzed, so it is important to be aware of how we communicate with our non-verbal cues. Good communication skills are important because it allows us to work productively to meet our organization’s mission and goals. We deal with vast amounts of information on a daily basis so it is important to know how to communicate clearly to prevent confusion and negative feelings with staff and the public. I feel my experience working with others has improved my communication skills because I have learned to communicate with others using different formats and tools. I have also learned how to communicate with others using presentations, tools, visuals, and activities to help stimulate the conversation to help my audiences understand my messages. Communication skills constantly need to be worked on, so I feel I have the necessary tools and resources that will help me develop better communication skills.
Resources
Evans, G.E., & Ward, P.L. (2007). Management basics for information professionals (2nded.). New York: Neal-Schumann Publishers, Inc.
Haycock, K. (Lecturer). (2007). Working in teams. Colloquia February 2007. San Jose, California [Web]. Retrieved from http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/about-slis/colloquia/ Spring 2007
Assignments
LIBR_204_Discussion_Post_Teamwork