I have oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations and professional level presentations
Introduction
Communication is often taken for granted. We speak or write and assume that the meaning we intend is identical to the meaning received. When speaking about the concrete or prosaic, this assumption is often valid. But when communicating about more abstract subjects – ideas, principles, values, etc. – that have no concrete referent in the physical world, communication becomes more problematic. Abstract ideas, concepts, etc. gain meaning within the web of interrelated concepts, life experiences, and background knowledge that comprise an individual’s worldview. When we communicate such ideas through language, that meaning is lost. As Ingwersen (1996) explains, converting meaning into linguistic signs results in “an immediate cognitive ‘free fall’ into the lower levels of semantic, morpho-syntactic and lexical linguistic nature” (p.4). Meaning has to be reconstructed by the listener based on his or her own concepts, life experiences, etc. However, the listener’s concepts and experiences will be different from the speaker’s. Consequently, what the listener receives may bear little resemblance to what the speaker intended.
Communication skills are an attempt to ameliorate this problematic situation by increasing the likelihood that a speaker’s intended meaning is also the meaning received by a listener. In writing, communication skills include choosing a writing style appropriate for an intended audience, using concise, simple, direct, and grammatically correct language, and using headings and subheadings to alert the reader to transitions between main ideas. When speaking, communication skills include the ability to stay focused on a topic, active listening, attention to nonverbal cues and body language, verifying the meaning of another’s communication, and giving critical feedback with tact. For both written and oral communication, clarity and the logical sequencing of ideas are keys to increasing the odds that the meaning received is the meaning intended.
Such skills are important to almost every aspect of librarianship. They are particularly important in two areas: collaborative work with colleagues and delivering oral presentations to groups. Much of the work that goes on in a library is a team effort. Librarians collaborate to develop mission and policy statements, develop web resources, plan and design service improvements or changes, etc. The success of these efforts depends on the communication skills of the participants. Without such skills, misunderstanding accumulates and – quite possibly – resentment as well. The performance of the team suffers, and the results of the team’s efforts are likely to be substandard. This may in turn have negative consequences for the quality and efficiency of the library’s operations and services. Strong communication skills, on the other hand, help ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, problems are identified and resolved, contributions are encouraged, etc. When the members of a team have strong communication skills, a group works efficiently and effectively to accomplish its goals.
Librarians need communication skills to deliver effective, oral presentations as well. Librarians may be called upon to give presentations at staff meetings, training sessions, or a meeting of the library’s board of directors. They may need to deliver information literacy presentations to the public or to students. Librarians may also give presentations at conferences. Communications skills are essential in all these settings. Without them, librarians will confuse and/or fail to persuade their audiences. Students in information literacy classes will not learn. Colleagues will not benefit from good ideas. A board of directors will not be convinced a service is worth retaining. The consequences of poor communications skills can be serious.
Communication skills, then, are essential skills for librarians. Through my MLIS coursework, internships, and professional experience outside the MLIS program, I have developed those skills. I have the oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations, and professional level presentations.
Commentary
My MLIS coursework has included significant experience working in teams to complete collaborative projects. In LIBR 202 I worked in a team to design and create two databases, enter data to create database records, index records, and develop data entry rules and controlled vocabularies. In LIBR 204 I worked in a team to develop three important management documents: a SWOT Analysis, a Strategic Directions for Change, and an Action Plan to implement changes in a specific library. In LIBR 266 I worked with a team to compare collection development policies from three academic libraries.
Effective communication skills were crucial to the successful completion of each of these projects. In each team, we worked together to delegate roles and responsibilities, prioritize tasks, and establish deadlines. In the face of disagreements, we worked toward consensus through open, honest, but tactful communication. The communication skills of team members created a positive group dynamic even when we disagreed. Participation in each group gave me the chance to practice and develop several communication skills, e.g., carefully articulating my own point of view, checking for understanding, asking clarifying questions, and providing tactful feedback. Almost all of the communication for each team took place via e-mail and discussion boards. However, my LIBR 202 group did have the opportunity to meet during an on-campus class session. In the face-to-face context, I was careful to be an active listener, solicit opinions from quieter members, emphasize good ideas, and raise problems through questions rather than criticism. My communication skills contributed to the positive working dynamic and performance of each team.
Communication skills also played a key role during my internships at San Jose State’s King Library and UCSC’s McHenry Library. At both sites, I worked collaboratively with another librarian to plan and deliver an information literacy session. This involved developing consensus regarding learning objectives and class content, delegating tasks and responsibilities, and planning class activities. This was not necessarily a smooth process. At one site, a colleague and I had quite strong disagreements about the appropriate theme for a particular information literacy session. Open communication, active listening, and the willingness to compromise were keys to the successful completion of our collaborative work.
In addition to collaborative work, my internships also involved delivering professional level presentations – specifically, teaching information literacy concepts to university undergraduates. When planning these presentations, I asked myself critical questions to help ensure effective, oral communication. What background is my audience likely to have in the subject matter? What are the key concepts that address the learning objectives of the session? How should those concepts be sequenced and presented to maximize audience understanding?
In addition to these considerations, I clarified and reinforced major concepts by using PowerPoint presentations and multiple teaching modalities. In addition to a brief lecture, I used demonstration and active learning activities to teach concepts and skills. This variety of teaching approaches helped engage student attention, minimize information overload, and give students the opportunity to learn via hands-on experience.
Planning and delivering information literacy instruction built upon communication skills I developed as an adjunct lecturer prior to entering the MLIS program. For several years I taught courses on Asian and Western religions at San Jose State. Communicating complex, sometimes esoteric material to an audience that usually had no background in the field required considerable planning and skill. As a presenter/instructor, my emphasis was on identifying and organizing key ideas and incorporating real world examples to clarify abstract ideas. The experience and skills I have gained as an information literacy instructor and university lecturer demonstrate that I have the communication skills to deliver professional level presentations.
Evidence
I am submitting two pieces of evidence to demonstrate my competency in this area. The first is a group project I worked on in LIBR 202. (I also submitted this paper as evidence for Competency E.) The document is an example of a team-created, collaborative project. Specifically, I worked with the team to:
design a database structure
create, index, and enter individual records
create two sets of controlled vocabulary terms
devise guidelines for searching the database and creating/adding new controlled vocabulary terms.
My specific contribution to the group assignment included developing some of the post-coordinate and pre-coordinate terms, creating several bibliographic records and indexing those records, creating the field structure and query screen for the database, and providing editorial feedback on the final project. As a communicator in the group, I expressed and solicited opinions, tactfully provided critical feedback, encouraged the efforts of team members, and asked clarifying questions when disagreements or misunderstandings seemed to arise. The assignment demonstrates that I have the communication skills necessary to contribute to the successful completion of a collaborative project.
Second, I am submitting a PowerPoint presentation I created for an information literacy session at San Jose State’s King Library. I used this PowerPoint to support a lecture to students on the meaning and significance of primary, secondary, and scholarly sources. The presentation also addresses how to find primary sources and secondary/scholarly sources. The PowerPoint identifies key ideas, and concludes with a series of questions/examples to scaffold small group discussions and informally assess student comprehension of the material. The PowerPoint demonstrates an important communication skill related to the delivery of oral presentations: the ability to organize complex information in a logical fashion. The presentation demonstrates another communication skill: the use of concrete examples to illustrate possibly difficult concepts (e.g., the way a source may be either primary or secondary depending on the research question being asked).
Conclusion
As Evans, et al. (2000) remark, “Human interaction succeeds or fails as a direct result of our ability to communicate effectively. Likewise, effective communication is essential for the success of any organization” (p. 291). This observation applies to libraries. Like any organization, the success of a library – and its ability to provide effective services to users – will depend in part on the communication skills of its staff. Librarians need strong communication skills to work effectively with each other and with patrons. Through my professional experience and MLIS coursework, I have developed the communication skills so essential to effective librarianship. I have the oral and written communication skills necessary for group work, collaborations, and professional level presentations.
References
Evans, G. E., Layzell Ward, P., Rugaas, B., & Evans, G. E. (2000). Management basics for information professionals. New York: Neal-Schuman.
Ingwersen, P. (1996). Cognitive perspectives of information retrieval interaction: Elements of a cognitive IR theory. Journal of Documentation, 52(1), 3-50.