LEARN NC

CareerStart lessons: Grade eight

1.7 Effective communication for successful careers

By Andrea Fedon, Gail Frank, and Cindy Neininger

Provided by CareerStart

Essential question: Why is the ability to communicate properly an important component of career success?

Learning outcomes

Students will learn some important considerations to keep in mind when communicating in writing.

Teacher planning

Materials needed

  • Pencil
  • Paper

Time required for lesson

Two 50-minute class periods

Activities

Day one

  1. Activating strategy: Put the following quotation up for students to consider:

    Sixty percent of all management problems result from faulty communication.

    This statement by management consultant Peter Drucker is causing leaders in business to question the educational background of their job applicants and employees. When there are management problems at the workplace, workers are likely to be less productive. This can put jobs at risk for elimination.

  2. Have a discussion with students about the need for appropriate communication:
    Ask students if their parents and teachers caution them about the dangers of using shorthand, as with instant messenger or cell phone text messaging. Students may mention adults’ warning them that using shorthand to communicate informally may hinder their ability to write correctly in school, and eventually to get and keep a job. Schools are now hearing this concern from business leaders.
    It is important to consider your audience so that your spoken or written communication adequately relays your thoughts. Your friends understand your text-messaging shorthand, but is it appropriate to use those abbreviations on classroom assignments or at work? Definitely not. Therefore, you must learn how to correctly correspond within the academic and employment arenas.
    According to Lee Iacocca, former CEO of Chrysler Motors, “You may have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.” Poor communicators usually do not receive the credit they think they deserve simply because the audience did not understand the message.
  3. Activating prior knowledge: Tell students they will be practicing written communication with the goal of informing or persuading their audience. Share with students the following guidelines for writing with a purpose and for a real audience:
    • Choose a familiar topic and jot down 10-20 facts about the topic.
    • Decide on the purpose for your communication. What are your goals? Will you entertain, inform, or persuade?
    • If the information is not necessary, don’t include it. Be cautious about using language that may be offensive.
    • Decide on the audience for your correspondence and speak to them, keeping in mind prior knowledge they may have on the topic. Will they be familiar with the topic? Will they be receptive or opposed to your ideas? Compose your thoughts with the audience in mind.
    • Consider what you may have to win or lose. Will sharing your thoughts be worth the price? In other words, will the end result justify your communicating your ideas?
    • Write the information using appropriate and understandable language.
    • Have someone you trust read it and correct errors.
    • Remember: If your ideas aren’t put forth in an understandable way, it won’t matter how important or timely they are, because your audience will not get it!
  4. Have students brainstorm topics of interest. Try to keep the topics narrowed to those that would be important in the workplace. Encourage them to talk with parents to accumulate ideas for topics that are important in their careers. What are some facets or components of their workplace they would like to see changed? How are they encouraged or discouraged from proposing change in their job sites? Possible workplace topics could include:
    • Proposing recycling
    • Encouraging carpooling
    • Getting a softball team together
    • Planning a going-away reception for a manager/boss/co-worker
    • Switching companies for copiers/vending machines/cleaning offices
    • Changing work hours
  5. Once students have decided on a topic, have them write an informative or persuasive paper, following the guidelines listed above.

Day two

  1. Have students swap papers with a partner to share their writing. As students read each other’s papers, ask them to reflect on the purpose of the communication and the effectiveness of the delivery.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 8

  • Goal 1: The learner will use language to express individual perspectives through analysis of personal, social, cultural, and historical issues.
    • Objective 1.01: Narrate a personal account which:
      • creates a coherent, organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context.
      • establishes a point of view and sharpens focus.
      • uses remembered feelings.
      • selects details that best illuminate the topic.
      • connects events to self/society.