4-0 Introduction and Key Terms

Unit Three explored the impact that credibility, technology, and culture have on organizational and professional communication. We learned about the importance of building trust in communication and how breaches in credibility and ethical judgements can negatively affect professionals and businesses. Unit Three also looked at the evolution of technology in communications and how it has enabled real time international communication. Finally, we took a deep dive into the opportunities and challenges that intercultural communication brings.

Unit Four focuses on professional messaging and the concepts of purpose, audience, and the measurement of effective communication. Whether a communication is effective is dependent on the alignment between communicator, communicatee, and audience. These are fundamental components of communication and are key inputs into message planning which will be presented in Unit Five.

Lesson One discusses the importance of taking the time to carefully determine the intention of a message: its purpose. The unit describes how using the question word “why” helps to make the implicit purpose of a communication explicit. What is it the communication is trying to achieve? Why does this message need to be exchanged with this specific audience?

Lesson Two explores the concept of audience. In communication, the audience is much like how we think of an audience watching a movie or listening to a concert or a speech. It is those for whom the message is intended. The people or parties with whom we will interact and exchange our message with. We are much more likely to be able to effectively engage the other parties in a communication if we understand them. How they think, feel, and prefer to be communicated with. What we learned about perspectives in Unit One and intercultural communication in Unit Three will help us to empathize with and begin to understand an audience.

In Lesson Three, we focus on how to select the most appropriate communication channels to deliver the message. We learn the advantages and drawbacks of different delivery channels so that we can better make a selection. We next review the importance of assessing the effectiveness of a communication. Finally, as an introduction to Unit Five, we discuss the importance of taking action based on feedback.

The following questions can be used as readying activities to introduce concepts, create participation, and encourage analytical and creative thinking. Questions can be used before you begin the unit or at any time during each lesson.