Taking a Look at Digital Activism - 1140 Words

Digital Activism Digital activism is the manifestation of informal communication and media systems can have constructive results on the world giving strength and a voice to people when required. Yet, at the same time be utilized as a part of conflicting attitudes to rather fulfill individual needs of activists bringing on more mischief than good. Digital activism incorporates numerous sorts of new media, for example, online journals, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. These online networking sites have assumed a real part in different questionable political scenes. These sorts of new media have given important devices to activists looking to have a voice and to support flexibility and majority rule in government. Each instance of digital activism is its own particular story, and from nation to nation there are key elements that give the vital setting to why some social developments triumph and others fail. Digital activism has an exhibited, positive effect, particularly when the global community gathers and uses digital mediums that concentrate on the objective of changing government strategy. Digital activism, in general, is a peaceful undertaking. There are just a few situations when digital mediums have been used to empower roughness against their rivals but in general digital activism is centered on urban engagement, not hurting individuals or property. Regardless of the dangers, Ai Weiwei has provoked others in China and abroad to take the charge through tweets,Show MoreRelatedTaking a Look at Digital Activism594 Words   |  2 PagesDigital activism can be defined as the use of the internet and social networks such as various blogs, Facebook and Twitter. By using these various social networks, people are able to promote certain ideas as well as raising issues of what is happening around the world around us hereby gaining support against these matters. Ai Weiwei stated that â€Å"the internet is uncontrollable. And if the internet is uncontrollable, freedom will win.† From this statement we gather that by using the internet, weRead MoreThe Importance of Social Media to Activism Essay1706 Words   |  7 PagesImportance of Social Media According to Dictionary.reference.com, activism is the policy or action of using campaigning to bring about political or social change. A huge campaign that is well known across the world, the Civil Rights Movement, was brought about by Martin Luther King, Jr. King risked his life everyday to ensure justice and equality for the African American race. â€Å"Small Change† by Malcolm Gladwell gives insight on how activism is more effective than social media, especially from one scenarioRead MoreThe Ingredients : Why The Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted1408 Words   |  6 Pagesexpanded uncontrollably. Gladwell concludes why people would join the protest, â€Å"Even revolutionary actions that look spontaneous†¦are, at core, strong tie phenomena†¦The more friends you had who were critical of the regime the more likely you were to join the protest.†(137) Reading more deeply, we could find out that an intimate friendship is the most basic constituent to provoke a hig h-risk activism. Because friendship asks of frequent interpersonal communication, people construct trust with each other overRead MoreThe Arab Spring : Social Movements2081 Words   |  9 PagesInternet Age When it comes to the case of the Arab spring it has a lot to do with how they got their start over social media networks such as Facebook and twitter, social movements just like the Arab spring have established a platform for political activism that wasn’t there before which is what I hope to show and express in my research in the case study of the Arab spring. When it comes to the Arab spring as most know they begun as a social movement on the internet via the social media website FacebookRead MoreThe Concept Of Narcissism And Its Elements2720 Words   |  11 Pagesone’s own image construction is represented in a digital environment, incorporating the phenomenon of the selfie culture. Qualitative research, being rich, multi- dimensional and complex (Alasuutari, P., 1995) allows the in- depth exploration of the rhetoric of the self and the self- constructs in a technoculture and makes sense of the phenomenon of the human- machine connection and the creation of virtual realities that bears problematical ideas of digital narcissism. The position that this researchRead More Cultural Activism and Culture Jamming Essay5153 Words   |  21 PagesCultural Activism and Culture Jamming Cultural activism is not quite the same as traditional political activism. Within the sphere of traditional activism, there are issues like war, nuclear power, abortion and standard organizational principals and consciousness-raising strategies. Cultural activism (and more specifically culture jamming), in many ways goes beyond traditional strategies that have typified political action concentrating on issues like distribution and the public nature of artRead MoreAnalysis Of Malcom Gladwell s Small Change3404 Words   |  14 Pagesrole in revolutions had been greatly exaggerated. At this segment of the article, he moves on to discuss his second point: the reality of social media activism. Here he begins to look at what it cost the supporters of the Civil Rights Movement. He sees that some lost their homes and jobs, while others lost their lives. This type of ‘die-hard activism’, Gladwell states, is not the kind that social media fosters. It does not build the robust bon ds between a member and their cause that is needed for challengingRead MoreThe Identity And Street Art5052 Words   |  21 PagesIdentity and Street Art Michaila Forte â€Å"An empty wall is an empty population† – Anonymous Abstract Street art emphasizes communal engagement, public activism, and awareness all while being an integrated part of a city. Social media is one of the most important tools to connect people in our lives, especially in today’s youth culture. Our group is interested in investigating the relationship between identity and media. We are approaching this question in three main ways: street art, gentrificationRead MoreSmartphones And Its Impact On Society1859 Words   |  8 Pagesline of our desire from multiple books. Now we can read multiple books while sitting at our home. Although the author argues that this model of having infinite access to information all at once in front of us is harming us such as our memories, I am taking a different approach and not answering whether technology such as smartphones are making us smarter or dumber, but due to these innovative tools at our leisure we have more filters for irrelevant information while gaining access to specific informationRe ad MoreAdbusters Media Foundation: An Active Space for Participation2476 Words   |  10 Pagestruth about our surroundings behind the shadows of advertisements and large corporations. Adbusters’ largest communicative medium is their magazine, Adbusters. Adbusters also challenges mainstream messages through a practice called culture jamming. By taking popular ads from the media Adbusters challenges corporations and mainstream media by interrupting the consumer experience by revealing the underlying message and meaning behind the ad. This essay will argue that through Adbusters’ communicative practices

Existential therapy focuses Free Essays

string(344) " who have been diagnosed with dysthymic disorder will frequently claim that they do not remember not having the feeling of depression; however they may be reasonably efficient in the aspect of managing their lives, even though the indications are harsh enough to root interference and distress in their important role responsibilities in life\." Julia is a 43-year old woman who claims that she never experienced the feeling of happiness. She said that there are certain times when she had been feeling that her life is progressing well as compared to other times; however she had never remembered feeling any sense of joy in her entire life. Julia said that most of the time she had always been pessimistic on everything new. We will write a custom essay sample on Existential therapy focuses or any similar topic only for you Order Now She had never really believed that there was a man who is right for her and, apparently, due to this notion, she had remained single. It is really difficult for her to express amusement and Julia claims that she does not have the sense of humor. Often, she sighs she always has the sentiment of carrying on her shoulders the weight of the world. Julia’s has actually been diagnosed with a chronic weight problem. She has always been on a diet; however, her weight has kept going up and down the scale. She says she has a great need for sleep; however, at most times she experiences insomnia and walks around all day feeling tired. Julia perceives that the blame for this is on her energy and its chronically low level. She has always stressed up with what could have been rather simple decisions. She claims that she loathed her being indecisive. There are people who accused her of devoting 50% of her day with disagreements toward herself. Tracing back to her high school days during her junior year, the guidance counselor advised her to work on her very low self-esteem. At her age right now, Julia feels that it is too late to change, and she had already accepted the fact that she will forever stay unfulfilled and unhappy. Julia is reported to have been suffering from a mild and long-lasting form of depression classified as dysthymia. This type of depression is also considered as a minor type of depression that is characterized by its long-term effects. With this, people often suffer all throughout their lifetimes. Dysthymia is in general identified in people who have experiences of its symptoms every day within two years and without greater than two months span of having no symptoms. In adolescents and children, the principal symptom is dissimilar in comparison with the symptoms experienced by the adults. The adults initially experience extreme sadness, while adolescents and children habitually manifest defiance and irritability. The children usually tend to become inferior in school specifically during the stage of depression. Aside from the feeling of being depressed, the major symptoms should be prevalent in order to diagnose dysthymia which is overeating or poor appetite, oversleeping or problems sleeping, low self-esteem, low energy, poor concentration, feelings of hopelessness and difficulty in making decisions (Williams, Barrett Oxman, 2004). The depression known as dysthymia has been known to affect two to three women for every man, and is perceived to be instigated during childhood and adolescence stages. If this is left untreated, the dysthymia will generally carry on throughout the life of a person. People who are diagnosed to have dysthymia frequently have other associated disorders like a personality disorder, anxiety disorder or phobia (Williams, Barrett Oxman, 2004). One of the most widespread psychological problems is depression; it affects almost everybody in the course of the depression of a family member or personal experience. Every year more than 17 million adults in the US experience a phase of clinical depression. The cost of human suffering is unable to estimate. It can cause interference with the normal performance or functioning, and normally roots problems with family and social adjustment and with work as well. It can cause extreme suffering and pain not only to those directly affected by the disorder, but as well as those who are concerned with their health and welfare. Moreso, serious depression can actually destroy the life of a family and the entire life of the person suffering from depression (Williams, Barrett Oxman, 2004). Depression has tremendous impact including extreme emotional pain; as it disrupts the millions lives of people, it unfavorably affects the lives of friends and families. Likewise, it reduces the absenteeism and productivity of the individual at work and has considerably negative encompassing impact on the economy as well. Depression is considered a psychological condition which changes how a person feels and thinks and it also affects the person’s sense of physical well-being and social behavior. People have all felt sadness at certain points of time; however that is not considered depression. There are times that people have been feeling tired from working too hard or are easily discouraged when facing very serious and complicated problems. Such situations are not also considered as depression. These kinds of feelings normally pass within a period of few days or a matter of weeks, by the time the people have become adjusted to the stress. However, if such feelings seem to be present, and have intensified and have began to cause interferences in school, family responsibilities or at work then this can be considered as depression. The reality lies that depression can affect almost anyone, having been identified, majority of the people diagnosed with the psychological problem of depression have been successful with their treatments. Unluckily, depression is usually not diagnosed, for the reason that many of its symptoms imitate physical illness, like appetite disturbances and sleep. The recognition of depression is the initial step towards treatment (Williams, Barrett Oxman, 2004). The type of depression the client is suffering is the dysthymic disorder which is characterized by chronic depression, except that it has a lesser amount of severity compared with a major depression. The crucial indication for dysthymic disorder is an approximately every day depressed disposition for at least two years, although lacking the needed criteria for the type of major depression. Sleep, disturbances in appetite, low self-esteem and low energy, are more often than not a part of the medical representation as well. People who have been diagnosed with dysthymic disorder will frequently claim that they do not remember not having the feeling of depression; however they may be reasonably efficient in the aspect of managing their lives, even though the indications are harsh enough to root interference and distress in their important role responsibilities in life. You read "Existential therapy focuses" in category "Papers" It is imperative to have an absolute material to overcome any physical illnesses that could possibly be causing the state of depression. In addition, if the affected person has a chronic medical condition which seems to be the major cause of the depression subsequently the accurate conclusion may be a mood disorder because of a serious medical condition, despite of meeting the criteria of a dysthymic disorder. The argument lies as to whether the condition is the root of depression instead of creating a distress which is chronically psychological in nature that has been the cause of depression. Regardless of the long term background of dysthymic disorder, the aid of psychotherapy is helpful in order to reduce the indications of depression, and can assist the person in organizing their life more. There are people affected with dysthymic disorder who are able to respond well enough to medication with the use of antidepressants, aside from psychotherapy, an evaluation for the chosen medication is considered ideal as well, moreover consulting a psychologist is also needed (Adler, Irish McLaughlin, 2004). There are many ways in order to identify dysthymic disorder. It is greatly associated with the changes in feeling, thinking, physical well-being and behavior. In terms of changes in feelings, a lot of people feel sad for no reason at all. Some have reported that they are not enjoying things that most people enjoy. They are lacking of motivation and are on the run of getting indifferent. They usually are tired and have the feeling of slowing down. They are also irritable and are experiencing difficulty in controlling their temper, eventually it can lead to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness (Franklin, 1999). In terms of the changes in thinking majority of the people are experiencing extreme difficulty in decision making and concentration. There are also affected individuals who have been reported to be suffering with problems in terms of forgetting a lot of things most of the time and having short term memory. Thinking and thoughts of negativity are the major attributes of depression. Poor self-esteem, pessimism, self-criticism and excessive guilt are very much common and for some people affected with more serious type of depression usually have very self-destructive thoughts (Franklin, 1999). In terms of physical well-being, during depression, there are negative emotional feelings which are most of the time associated with negative physical emotions. Despite getting more sleep, chronic fatigue is also common. Most of the people have the difficulty to have normal and sound sleep, they usually stay awake for very long hours or are awaken from time to time, for some, and they sleep for longer hours, even much longer than usual and they still feel very tired. Most of them have also loss their appetite, they complain a lot on many pains and aches and they usually feel slowed because of the depression which they have been experiencing (Franklin, 1999). When it comes to behavior, the affected people feel more apathetic, simply because that is how they are feeling. They are also uncomfortable with the presence of other people and they have the tendency to withdraw themselves from society. They either eat more or eat less as a result of changes in appetite. They also cry excessively due to chronic sadness. Oddly enough, they complain about anything and they usually manifest outbursts of temper and anger. On the extreme aspect, affected people usually display negligence on how they look and much worst is neglecting their hygiene and personal care. They also tend to lose their sexual desires which leads to lack of sexual activities. As gees, a person suffering from depression is not doing much work, and what suffer are their household responsibilities and work productivity (Franklin, 1999). Based on the object relations theory, depression is due to problems which people have in terms of developing the representations of healthy and sound relationships. It is an outcome of a constant fight which people who are depressed bear for them to try and sustain their emotional contact with their desired things. There are two types that such process can follow the introjective and anaclitic patterns. Although these terms are presently not used in the DSM, there are therapists which tend to associate them with various types of depression. Using the Adlerian Therapy as a mode of growth, it emphasizes an optimistic human nature view and that people have the control on their own fate. People begin at a tender age in fashioning their very own distinct lifestyle and such style remains reasonably unvarying all the way through their lives. People are motivated in terms of formulating and setting their goals and how to deal the tasks and social interests in life. The therapist in this approach needs to compile the family history as much as they can, with these data, they can help the client to set goals and have the idea of the past performances of the client. This will help to challenge and encourage the clients. The focus of the therapist are to examine their lifestyles and the therapist will do his or her part to form a mutual trust and respect, together with the client, they will set goals and encouragement to help the client to reach the goal and the therapist can eventually give recommendations or suggestions as to how the client can achieve the goals (Psyweb. com, 2008). Carl Jung, on the other hand, thought that there is no therapist who can lead his clients further than he had gone himself. There is no such therapist who will be able to help a depressed people on the inner selves except they are incessantly struggling with their own cataleptic substance. The premise of the wounded healer is eternally valid and universal. It is archetypical. The thoughts and images which are emotionally charged have universal meanings. Existential therapy focuses on the freedom of choice in the endeavor to shape a person’s life. It teaches one to be accountable in shaping his or her own life and also involves the need for self-awareness and determination. The individuality of each person shapes his or her own genuine personality which begins from the infancy stage. Existential therapy is focused on both the present and future. The therapist in this case guides and helps the client to realize the many possibilities which are in store for him in the future. The therapist will impose a challenge to the client for them to recognize that they are responsible in what transpires within their lives. This kind of therapy is very much suitable in helping clients make good dealings and wise choices in their lives (Psyweb. com, 2008). Gestalt therapy facilitates the integration of the mind and body factors, by means of stressing integration and awareness. The main goal of the gestalt therapy is the integration of thinking, behaving and feelings. The client is viewed as having the capability to be aware of how their earlier life influences may have been the factors which changed their lives. The client is guided to be aware of their responsibility in their own selves, to finish unfinished matters, how to avoid problems, in the awareness of now and to experience things in a positive light. The therapist will take the role of helping their client to discover the awareness of each of the moments they experience in their life. They will challenge the client to gain the acceptance of their responsibilities in terms of taking care of themselves instead of relying to others. In this approach, the therapist can utilize confrontation, dialogues with polarities, or role playing to reach their set goals or by means of dream analysis. As such can improve treatment like marital or family therapy, crisis intervention, training, psychopathic disorders or children behavior problems (Psyweb. com, 2008). Rational-emotive therapy is a well action-oriented approach which deals with the moral and cognitive state of the client. This kind of therapy emphasizes the ability of the client in terms of changing and thinking on their own. The therapist in the rational-emotive approach strongly believes that people are brought to the world, endowed with the ability if thinking rationally, but can as well become a victim of thinking irrationally. The therapist emphasizes the ability of the clients to think, take action and make sound judgments. Through which, the therapist will make use of direct therapy and it is also believed that irrational thinking and irrational behavior results to neurosis. Both the cognitive-behavioral and rational-emotive therapist perceives the problems of the clients are due to their childhood as well as their belief system, which was honed during the childhood phase. The therapy will consist of methods which involve dealing and solving behavior and emotional problems. The therapist will also help the client to eradicate their self-defeating outlooks and to teach them to rationally view their life (Psyweb. com, 2008). Most of the time, antidepressant medication is very much recommended for the depression of dysthymia. For client Julia in this case study, the approach of psychotherapy is the primary step to treatment. Initially, supportive counseling will help the affected person to ease the pain and therefore the feelings of hopelessness can be addressed. Next, cognitive therapy will be utilized to alter the unrealistic expectations, pessimistic ideas and critical evaluations that result to depression. It can help the depressed person to distinguish their problems as minor or critical, and such can help them accept life (HealthPlace. com, 2000). Then the therapy of problem solving follows to address the client’s problems and later on use the behavioral therapy to help the client develop the skills of coping and to resolve their conflicts with their relationships, thus can be effective for the treatment of dysthymic disorder of depression. References Adler DA, Irish J McLaughlin TJ. (2004). The work impact of dysthymia in a primary care population. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. Franklin, D. (1999). What is Depressive Disorder. Retrieved June 9, 2008 from http://www. psychologyinfo. com/depression/description. html. HealthPlace. com. (2000). Dysthymia (Minor Depression). Retrieved June 9, 2008 from http://www. healthyplace. com/communities/depression/dysthymia. asp. Psyweb. com. (2008). Psychotherapy. Retrieved June 9, 2008 from http://psyweb. com/Mdisord/MdisordADV/AdvPsych. jsp#Rational-emotive%20Therapy. Williams JW Jr, Barrett J, Oxman T. (2000). Treatment of dysthymia and minor depression in primary care: A randomized controlled trial in older adults. JAMA. How to cite Existential therapy focuses, Papers

Sample on Lessons From Effective Business Communication

Question: Discuss about theLessons from Effective Business Communication. Answer: Introduction For many people, it always sounds simple to communicate with one another. However, in many cases, misinterpretation of information is experienced as what we tend to communicate gets lost in translation despite the best intention of the speaker. As we say one thing, the listener hears something else resulting in misunderstanding, frustration, and at times even conflicts arise. It is hence important to understand the fact that communication is more than just the exchange of information as it requires the listener or receiver to grasp the intentions and the emotion behind the information. More importantly, the success in the professionalism of different aspects requires a clear understanding of exactly what the message was intended to communicate. Professionals should learn to communicate clearly and effectively so as to efficiently connect with people, build respect and trust, and be understood well. This paper presents a personal reflection on the lessons learned while studying Effect ive Business Communication as a course. The analysis is done upon in-depth analysis from different articles provided in the modules of study as well as across other relevant literature. Module 1: Understanding the Communication Process Understanding the process of communication requires an effective communicator to understand the ethical communication skills and paralanguage behind the process. Paralanguage the concept of non-verbal communication that helps in emphasizing body language as well as voice nuances as a means of expressing feelings and thoughts. Understanding the paralanguage behind the process of communication has enabled to understand and interpret information correctly and has improved my professional and personal effective communication. Even though body language tends to convey as much meaning as the spoken words, I have learnt that a good communicator should as well have the ability of gauging how their paralanguage can affect the audience. As a result, I have learnt how paralanguage can be altered so as to affect the listeners in a manner that will gain their trust and confidence as an essential component of effective business communication. The article by Senescu et al. (2014) also contributed greatly towards the concept by identifying the different aspects of paralanguage. These include hand gesture, eye contact, tone of voice, and posture among others. In case a speaker changes any of the qualities such as tempo or volume, he can create a different meaning to the listeners. In my current job as well as the future professional career, I have learnt that it is essential to consider the paralanguage of communication process to be an effective communicator. I should thus be able to adjust my non-verbal language depending on the needs of different situations to be effective in diffusing troublesome interactions like arguments, a skill that is understood as a metacommunicative competence. From the module, I also learnt the effectiveness of ethical communication and the need to regularly communicate the concept of ethics to the employees. The article also identifies that ethical communication is helpful in setting ethical st andards in a business. From the article and the module, I have learnt that my current and future job performance requires me to ensure that an organization adopts a written ethical policy that directly deals with the expectations from the employees. It should clearly explain what the business or organization believes to be the ethical standards. The article also identifies the ethical standards to be honesty in communication, fair treatment of customers and employees, and reporting any ethical violation witnessed by the employees among others. As an effective business communicator, it is essential that I observe all the above factors. Module 2: Oral Presentations While Communicating with an audience In the module of oral presentation and communication to an audience, the two major concepts studies were the process of analysing the audience and communication apprehension. In the oral presentation module, I learnt that effective communication is a two-way-traffic that depends not only on how one conveys the message so as to be received and correctly interpreted by the audience exactly as intended. It as well involves how one listens so as to gain the full meaning of what has been communicated so as to make the full meaning that can be clearly understood. For instance, the business environment involves many presentations and communications to audiences of different levels of understanding. However, the major goal tends to be the successful sell of the business idea to all the categories of the audiences so as to influence the customers towards purchasing a particular product or service. The success of this goal majorly relies on the business communication skills of the presenters a s well as the listening skills of the receivers. It is hence vital to know how to balance the strategy of communication in a manner that all the levels of the listeners can buy the idea being passed. A study from the article by White (2015), I learnt that more than just the words we use in communication, effective professional communication needs to combine sets of skills that will promote effective interpretation. These include engaged listening, the ability of assertive communication, nonverbal communication, and stress management during communication. Also important is the capacity of recognizing and understanding personal emotions as well as that of the listeners. Professional communication hence needs to be very effective as it is the glue that helps one to deepen communications with other people so as to improve decision-making, teamwork, good working relationship, as well as problem solving. Most importantly, business requires one to communicate effectively without destroying the trust or creating a conflict as it is vital to keep good connections and trust with customers. Inconsistent or negative body language also contradicts the information flow instead of reinforcing t he message. In my current job, I will be able to use the skills learned in the class module to understand my audience and strategize on the best method of communication to use while communicating with them. In doing this, I will need to avoid major challenges that can affect communication. These include lack of focus towards the main information, always be composed and avoid stress as much as possible so as to be effective in the information am passing to the audience. From the article, I also learnt that the audience tends to be characterised by different levels of understanding depending on several factors. Some of these include the age (kids and adults), level of understanding, academic or professional qualification, language, and culture among others as identified by White (2015). As a result, analysing the audience require a clear understanding of these concepts so as to be relevant while communicating to a particular group of audience. Analysing the audience is as well essential especially in my future career as a business manager, a position that requires effective business communication skills to the employees, customers, and sponsors and donors among other stakeholders of a business organization. It was an essential module that greatly contributed to my current and future communication skills as a business professional. Module 3: Academic Writing The two major concepts that were studied in the module are the professional or academic writing, as well as demonstrating the knowledge in academic communication. In the concepts of demonstrating the knowledge of professional and academic writing and communication in business profession, there are a number of academic writing that involves or requires effective communication so as to initiate clear understanding and good communication. It is hence necessary that a good professional communicator observes the 7Cs of communication while doing either written or verbal communication with the audience. The 7Cs helps in creating effective communication so that once can be effective at all levels and make customer interaction more effective. Effective business communication needs to be concise, complete, conversional, clear, and considerate, be in check and confident as denoted by Anders. (2016). Being concise helps an individual to quickly get to the point and hence requires a straight forward language that completely gets the points across in a manner that can lead to efficient action. The communication needs to be complete and requires one to get the information to the recipient in the first time. Leaving out initial information in the initial correspondence can cause serious challenges that can take time to repair. While communicating, a confrontational tone can cause arguments and emotions. As a result, it is vital to present the information in a conversational tone that can initiate interaction rather than confrontation (Anders, 2016). Effective business communication hence presents the information in a manner that is professional and not emotional. In business communication, one may only get one chance to make a point as any misunderstanding may leave one without the opportunity for correction before the issue escalating into a problem. Be considerate especially when s peaking to customers or associates through questions for clear clarifications and ensure the information is understood before proceeding with the next conversation. At the same time, it is vital to present the data with a commanding and clear tone as indicates that the speaker is confident of the topic and its importance. Similarly, once may have very useful ideas which can lose power if the data is not checked to ensure the facts are right before doing a presentation. As denoted by the article, it is vital to understand the 7Cs of communication in any professional academic writing. For instance, the business environment involves communication through emails, letters, business reports, proposals, etc. The human resource services as well involve selection, recruitment, training, and development of employees, a vital position that hence requires effective communication skills as denoted by the article. As a result, both the article and the lessons learnt from the module are very vital in the essence of improving or sharpening my skills in my current job as well as my future career positions. Observing the seven Cs of communication will sharpen my communication skills to ensure it is effective and the customers, customers, business professionals, and stakeholder among others clearly apprehend and interpret my information. Module 4: Interpersonal Communication From the module of interpersonal communication, it came to my realization that many scholars have come up with different ideas. As some scholars suggest that interpersonal communication is a mere too used to express social reality, others argue that it is similarly a tool of creating a positive social environment. As business requires communication between two or more customers to be effective, both the concepts taught me that an effective professional communicator needs to adjust his social relationships in a positive manner that will promote positive working relationships. I have also leant that effective professional interpersonal communicator needs to adjust the style of communication depending on the person they are speaking to. For instance, it is not right for me to use the same communication style with my co-workers or my boss as well as with kids or elders even if the topic of discussion was the same. As a result, it is vital to put other peoples perspectives in mind in tryi ng to get a message across the board. When communicating with others not necessarily in a presentation to a specific audience, the module of interpersonal communication has enabled me to achieve different objectives. I have got a clear understanding and recognition of the differences between interpersonal and intrapersonal communication. Currently, I can confidently define aggressive communication and effectively identify the types of verbally aggressive messages in communication. I have understood how to define and use assertive communication as a western construct and effectively use it in finding solutions to different problems. The article by Manning (2014) in the constitutive approach to studying interpersonal communication, I learned some of the issues that one needs to avoid so as to become an effective communicator for the success of business. For instance, it is vital to avoid stress and other emotions that make us lose control especially while communicating with an individual. Interpersonally communicating while overwhelmed or stressed can make one misread other people or even create confusion that may lapse into unhealthy and unprofessional communication behavior. Taking a moment to calm down is hence necessary. Multitasking and lack of focus also result in ineffective communication. For instance, planning what you are going to communicate to others while daydreaming, chatting, checking messages, or thinking about other issues makes once to miss the essential nonverbal cues during the conversation. It is hence necessary to stay focus every moment you are preparing to communicate any business idea. Module 5: Genres of Written Business In the module, we studied different concepts on business documents as well as effective communication through the documents. I learned that a company uses documents for communication, as well as transaction and analysis of the business productivity. The examples of business documents are essential in communicating business ideas and concepts to different business stakeholders. These include business proposals, business reports, data analysis and interpretation, and presentation of business ideas among others. For instance, employment letter and resumes need to be clear so as to communicate the qualification of the candidate in a clear manner. In his article, Massaro (2015), I learned that these documents are vital as they provide proofs to the dealings of the organization. They can hence be used as points of future references, and hence they need to be well written in a manner that they can be clearly understood. For the benefit, if my future career, I learned that business concepts range from brief email messages to even more complex legal standard requirements. Others are also drafted by external professional such as lawyers and accountants. From this concept of the article as well as the concepts from the modules, I have realized that it is beneficial to balance between the documents and correctly identify what to use at certain processes of communication and business transactions. Module 6: Organizational Communication. The organizational communication module helped me in the understanding of the theory and professional Practice about effective business communication skills. In my understanding of the theories of communication and professional practice, I learned that effective communication is a learned skill and tends to be effective when spontaneous rather than being formulaic. For instance, a speech that is read cannot have the same impact as that which has been delivered spontaneously. Developing such skills hence requires time so as to become an effective communicator. As a result, communication theories have it that the more practice and effort one puts in professional communication, the more spontaneous and instinctive the communication skills become. The article by Christen et al. (2014) that presents a study to explore the communication needs of business students was essential in understanding the social presence for effective online especially in the current world where technology is the order of the day. The discussion of their studies enabled me to learn that professional practice for effective communication also depends on a clear understanding of the organizational characteristics such as the resources, structure, the experience of the audience, time availability, and the current needs of the organization. The business audience tends to be characterized by differences in educational levels, media familiarity, interaction history, norms of interaction, and knowledge of communication. All these factors affect communication in different ways and hence require a well business communication organizational structure, effective media of communication, as well as relevant formal or informal networks. For this reason, Christen et al . point out that professional communication needs to be very effective and ethical as it helps in connecting different professional communicators such as journalists, PR exponents, media professionals, and writers among other people in the dynamic business environment. It is hence a vital concept that will not only benefit from communication skills in my current job but even my future professional practice. Current Professional Skills and Strategies of Improvement From the modules and the whole unit, I have learned how to become an engaged listener who values body language during communication. I pay very keen attention to nonverbal signals, and I have as well learned to keep my stress in check. I have learned to assert myself and to be more persuasive so as to boost my confidence in communication. In many cases, I used to be very talkative and wanted to be heard more than I was willing to listen to others. However, I have learned that effective professional communication is required small talk and more listening as well so as to master the business environment and plan effectively. I have as well learned that one needs to be very composed and to ask questions where necessary while engaging the person I am communicating with according to Archee et al. (2013). Effective communication skills are essential to the effectiveness and success of many life aspects. Different jobs require strong and effective communication skills to promote good working relationships and teamwork. Besides, individuals with good communication skills tend to enjoy good interpersonal relationships with not only co-workers but even friends and family. In his study, White (2015) denotes that effective professional communication skills are key interpersonal skills which require every individual to learn how to improve for better performance. It is hence vital that both written and verbal communication maintains the familiarity with both the professional written and verbal communication. For instance, it is vital to understand the generic features of emails, reports, resumes, and application letters as they are vital in the business profession to enhance competence. As a strategy of improvement, I will ensure that I regularly attend ethical training programs to increase my awareness of effective, ethical communication skills for effective performance. As a future business manager, I will ensure that my employees are educated towards effective, ethical standards so as to boost their ethical communication skills and behavior. I have realized that I should always be the role model to the employees and I will always ensure I practice ethical behavior in both verbal and non-verbal forms. I should also be able to practice all the aspects of communication so as to be an effective communicator in my business profession. Conclusion Learning from the module lessons and the articles was an essential process in improving my effective communication professional skills. I learnt different concepts from both the articles and the modules. The concepts learnt will not only improve my skills in my current business responsibilities but even my future business management career. It was a successful learning process that made me learn new ideas towards sharpening my business communication skills. References Anders, A. (2016). Team Communication Platforms and Emergent Social Collaboration Practices.International Journal Of Business Communication,53(2), 224-261. doi:10.1177/2329488415627273 Archee, R., Gurney, M., Mohan, T. (2013). Communicating as Professionals. (3rd ed.), Australia: Cengage. Christen, H., Rae, J., Walker, M., Williams, J. (2014). Critical evaluation as an aid to improved report writing: A case study. European Journal of Engineering Education, 39(3). 272-281. Manning, J. (2014). A Constitutive Approach to Interpersonal Communication Studies.Communication Studies,65(4), 432-440. doi:10.1080/10510974.2014.927294 Massaro, D. M. (2015). Two Different Communication Genres and Implications for Vocabulary Development and Learning to Read.Journal Of Literacy Research,47(4), 505-527. Senescu, R. R., Haymaker, J. R., Mea, S., Fischer, M. A. (2014). Design Process Communication Methodology: Improving the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Collaboration, Sharing, and Understanding.Journal Of Architectural Engineering,20(1), 1-14. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000122 White, A. V. (2015). Writing for the Real World: Business Communication for College Students.Journal Of Higher Education Theory Practice,15(4), 73-84.