Answer to Question 1
Your Social Life. You use your speaking skills to share your thoughts, wants,
accomplishments, and feelings with others. You also ask questions to gain information and
show interest. Speaking can be face-to-face or over the telephone or computer.
a) Your Educational Life. Asking questions, summarizing information, and expressing ideas
are an important part of the learning process. Your spoken feedback tells your instructor what
information you understand and what information needs clarification. Your speaking skills will
help you master the course material.
b) Your Professional Life. Communicating by speaking is an important skill in the work world.
Let's look at how Andrea Rosado uses speaking on her job as a paralegal. Andrea spends a
good portion of her day speaking with attorneys, other paralegals, and clients. She makes
telephone inquiries regarding legal cases she's working on, and she engages in discussions
with attorneys and colleagues. Reading, writing, and listening skills support Andrea's speaking
skills. Andrea knows that reading is an essential part of her job. She must analyze the facts of
a case and conduct research to identify laws, judicial decisions, and legal articles that may
have a bearing on the case. Andrea uses her writing skills to prepare legal briefs and legal
correspondence. Listening is also an important skill for Andrea. As a paralegal, she must listen
to clients to obtain information, and she must listen to instructions from her supervising
attorney.
Answer to Question 2
A good communicator is courteous, honest, and patient in dealing with other people and
respects the opinions of others. This means that the communicator should use tact and
diplomacy in some instances. It also means that the communicator should use words and
terms that the receiver understands. Also, the communicator can show courtesy by being
prompt in answering correspondence and in returning telephone calls. Recent studies indicate
that workers need to possess good communication skills in order to be competitive in the
changing workplace and in the global economy.