Chapter 10 Basic Skills Count

Chapter 10 Basic Skills Count Lesson 10.1 Getting Your Message Across

How to apply the basics of speaking How to listen effectively Discover continued

How to improve your reading and writing skills How to use images, or pictures, to present ideas Discover

Basic skills are tools for getting information and sharing ideas. Why It’s Important

communication purpose audience subject active listening previewing Key Terms continued

skimming context clues images Key Terms

The exchange of information between senders and receivers is called communication. Getting Your Message Across

Communication skills are among the most important basic skills you can have. Getting Your Message Across Speaking Listening Reading Writing

Talking is an important part of relationships. It is also an important part of nearly every kind of work. Speaking

In the work world, speaking is one of the main ways of sharing information. Speaking

Most people have a purpose, or overall goal or reason, for speaking. It is important to have a clear purpose in mind when speaking. Having a Purpose

Knowing your audience can help you achieve your purpose in speaking. An audience is anyone who receives information. When you speak, your listeners are your audience. Know Your Audience

You should know your subject—your main topic or key idea—when speaking. Getting to know your subject may require some preparation. Know Your Subject

To know your purpose, audience, and subject, you need to plan ahead. Think about what you’re going to say before you speak. Planning Ahead

No matter what the situation, how you say something will be just as important as what you have to say. Good Speaking Habits

Graphic Organizer Good Speaking Habits Connect with your audience. Make eye contact with your listeners. Address people by name if possible. Match your body language to your message. Check your posture and facial expressions. Use appropriate gestures. Avoid nonwords. Avoid uh and um and “empty” words such as well, sort of, like, and kind of. continued

Graphic Organizer Good Speaking Habits Stress key ideas with inflection. Inflection is the pitch or loudness of your voice. Use correct pronunciation. Pronunciation is how you say the sounds and stresses of a word. Practice enunciation. Enunciation is speaking each syllable clearly and separately. Be enthusiastic and positive. Remember, attitude counts!

Like speaking, listening takes practice. When you listen, you use your brain to interpret, or make sense of, what you hear Listening

Good listeners show that they care about what someone is saying. Active listening is listening and responding with full attention to what’s being said. Active Listening

Try active listening with your friends, family members, and teachers. Try This Activity Practice Active Listening continued

Note Reactions Note how people react when you pay attention to what they’re saying. Try This Activity Practice Active Listening

Taking notes helps you remember facts and keeps your attention focused. When you take notes, both your mind and your body are involved in listening. Taking Notes

Employers value employees who can read and write well. Employees with these skills can take in and process large amounts of information. Reading and Writing

Previewing is reading only the parts of a written work that outline or summarize its content. Key Reading Skills

Skimming is another timesaving reading skill. You are skimming when you read through a book or document quickly, picking out main ideas and key points. Key Reading Skills

Context clues are hints about the meaning of unfamiliar words or phrases provided by the words surrounding them. You can use context clues to understand the meaning of words you don’t know. Key Reading Skills

Keep polishing your reading skills. You’ll need them just as much in the future as you do now. Reading on the Job

Writing is a way to communicate. You can communicate better when you know why you’re writing, and what you’re writing about. Writing Basics

Graphic Organizer Writing Tips Organize Your Writing Proofread Your Work Check Spelling and Grammar Watch Your Tone Edit Your Work

Businesspeople often use memos to communicate with others. Memos are usually brief and focus on a limited topic. Forms of Business Writing

Letters are more formal than memos. Letters are used to communicate with people outside the office who are customers or who work in other businesses. Forms of Business Writing

The purpose of a report is to address a topic at length. People both within and outside an office may read reports. Forms of Business Writing

Today, most written business communication is sent by e-mail. E-mail enables fast communication. Forms of Business Writing

E-mail should be written carefully and formally. It should be considered a public and permanent record. Forms of Business Writing

Images include photographs, illustrations, videos, maps, and graphs. Images grab people’s attention and interest them in a subject. Using Images to Express Ideas

Graphic Organizer Working With Images Can this image say something that I couldn’t say with words? Is the image accurate? Up-to-date? In good taste? ? ? Is the message of the image clear? Is the image interesting? Will it catch people’s attention? ? ?

Learning From Mistakes It’s easy to learn from successes, but what about mistakes? Part of becoming a successful worker is learning how to have a sense of humor about your own mistakes. Attitude Counts

What might happen if you do not take time to figure out your purpose before speaking? You might ramble and lose the interest of your listeners. You might also forget an important point, or be unable to guide your audience clearly from one point to the next. Critical Thinking Review Critical Thinking Q A

End of Chapter 10 Basic Skills Count Lesson 10.1 Getting Your Message Across

Chapter 10 Basic Skills Count