Goal 3

Introduction

The third goal of the Honors Program is to demonstrate excellence in verbal and written communication. It is critical to be able to communicate effectively both in writing and verbally in order to be an effective leader, member of an organization, and as a member of society. Through a number of artifacts, I will display how I have demonstrated excellence in verbal and written communication during my time in the Honors Program. 

Outcome 1: Present ideas logically and effectively - verbally

I completed the first outcome of goal three through the other-perspective speech in the Thinking Outside the Box course (264H). This speech required students to take the opposite stance on a position they feel strongly about. I choose to take the pro-owner stance on the MLB lockout that was taking place at the time. In this speech, I was able to effectively verbally communicate the owner's stance despite not believing in the points I was presenting. Throughout this speech, I felt I exhibited excellent verbal communication skills by speaking clearly and concisely and by presenting an argument logically in order to persuade the audience. 

I also completed this outcome through the civic engagement presentation in the Citizenship and Service course (395H). For this project, students were tasked with presenting their civic engagement project that they had been working on all semester. During this presentation, I felt I did an excellent job communicating effectively by creating a visual aid that added to the content I was delivering verbally. 

Through the projects I presented in 264H and 395H I was able to demonstrate excellence in verbal communication by creating an effective visual aid, speaking clearly and concisely, and presenting an argument in a logical manner. 

Outcome 2: Present ideas logically and effectively - written

I completed the second outcome of the third goal through the final paper in the Racial Justice course (399H). In this paper, I presented a solution for how to make a more inclusive and tolerant society through education. I believe I completed this outcome in the paper by communicating my solution in a logical and effective manner that clearly explained how education can make a more inclusive and tolerant society and, specifically, how we can implement these changes. 

I also completed this outcome through the research paper in the Honors English course (121H). For this paper, I researched the consumption habits of consumers when shopping in-person versus shopping online. I was able to complete this outcome by researching the topic and then presenting my findings in an effective and logical way. I also believe I demonstrated excellence in written communication by composing a paper that was grammatically free of errors and was effective in communicating the conclusions I had discovered through my research. 

Through the assignments I completed in 399H and 121H I was able to demonstrate excellence in written communication by presenting solutions in a logical and effective manner that was grammatically correct and concise.

Conclusion

Being able to demonstrate excellence in verbal and written communication is vital for everyone, whether in the workforce or in society in general. Being able to present ideas (written and verbally) effectively and logically allows me to have better interactions with people, which also leads to better understanding the point of view of others. The Honors Program has helped develop an excellence in both my written and verbal communication skills. These skills will help me communicate my ideas logically and effectively which will allow me to grow personally and professionally.