M7D2: Common Language Image of a business manager conferring with colleagues and reflecting on a business decision When individuals, involved in discussing and implementing change, fail to adopt a change language with common meanings, then the change they are seeking to implement is likely to be problematic. This discussion question debates the preferred course of action one should take in determining the most appropriate words to utilize in the communication process. Respond to the following: • Choose three words that are commonly misunderstood in the communication process. • Based on the chance that mistaken and misunderstood words can interfere with the communication message, determine more appropriate words that can be utilized than the three commonly misunderstood words you chose. • Describe the method or manner a communicator can follow to ensure that he or she utilizes the most appropriate words and language when communicating with others. Post your primary response. Read any postings already provided by your instructor or fellow students. Remember to read the feedback to your own major postings and reply to it throughout the module. Each post should be 100–150 words and written in your own words. All quoted text must be cited using APA format (6th edition). See the Course Calendar for due dates for posts and responses. Compose your work using a word processor and save it, as a Plain Text or an .rtf, to your computer. When you’re ready to make your initial posting, please click on the “Create Thread” button and copy/paste the text from your document into the message field. Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you post it. Evaluation Criteria Review the SBT Discussion Rubric located in the “Start Here” section of the course for more information on grading criteria. Together, all discussions comprise 20% of the total course grade.

M7D2: Common Language

Choose three words that are commonly misunderstood in the communication process.

Based on the chance that mistaken and misunderstood words can interfere with the communication message, determine more appropriate words that can be utilized than the three commonly misunderstood words you chose.

Describe the method or manner a communicator can follow to ensure that he or she utilizes the most appropriate words and language when communicating with others.

Common Language

The three commonly misunderstood words in the communication process includes hone, comprise, and confusion of the words affect and effect. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term Hone means “to sharpen.” The word can be applicable in such a way that one can hone their writing, communication, marketing skills, public speaking, as well as, hone your knife. However, there is no application as hone in on anything. The term comprise according to the Oxford American Dictionary means “to form, to make up.” Therefore, the term applies to assert the entities of conformity to the entity being discussed and mostly confused in an interchangeable manner with the word compose. Additionally, the confusion of the terms affect, effect is commonly seen. The term affect used as a verb means influence while effect used as a verb means bring about; as a noun means result or impact.

In the illustration of the impact, such words can have in communication, thus delivering the wrong message, the alternatively common word can replace the word hone – sharpen, in which applies to enhance the skills of communication, writing, public speaking, etc. The word comprise is best replaced by the word encompass or include as the valid alternatives. The terms affect, and effect ought to be used correctly in the communication to give the right and intended message, thus, avoid any sort of contradiction.

The manner in which a communicator can deliver any form of communication and drive the right message home entails the use of simple and common words. A communicator ought to avoid by all means the use of complex vocabularies as a showoff of mastery of the language. The use of uncommon and complicated words increases the chances of misappropriation of words for the wrong purposes.

References

Adler, N. J. (2003). Communicating across cultural barriers. Interkulturelle Kommunikation: Texte und Übungen zum interkulturellen Handeln. Sternenfels: Wissenschaft & Praxis, 247-276.

Manning, G. & Curtis, K. (2014). The Art of Leadership. 5th Ed. McGraw-Hill. ISBN#: 978-0077862459.