First tutorial Question (week 1)

• What unusual communication demands are placed on the "competent communicator" now that we are living in the information society?

*Adapt to the current technology (media convergence)

*Adapt to the current gadget and medium to communicate with others

*Examples like Internet (Social networking, forum, blogs, IM, emails)

*Words are typed instead of being written (black & white)

*The communicator should present ideas, opinion and facts based on one's experience or own as it shares a common ground with the listeners

*Presentations should be more interactive. (pictures, sound clips, videos, less lengthy points)

*Feedbacks are encouraged to improve's one communication skills

*Many news are reported not just in the newspaper, but in the radio, television and internet, communicators should be more careful on the facts or opinion presented as different news convey different point of view. (not just one side of the story)

• How will you, as a "competent communicator" use each of the four components of competency (knowledge, sensitivity, skills and values) in your personal and professional life?

*Personally, knowledge should be carefully used at it is noted as power. When communicating with the elders, although you know more than them, the fact that you should be humble and allow them to be in a position where they know more information than you do.

*Knowledge on the other hand should be shared among society, as it fills up a cup that is half empty.

*Sensitivity for me, is a term where can you accept one's fact or opinion or even jokes.

*If one is open-minded, racist jokes are secured to be told to him or her, if the opposite, avoid racist jokes, gender bias, ethnocentrism, and prejudice.

*When a speech is given, sensitivity is one point where we have to take note off as we live in a multicultural society.

*As for skills, it should be applied when giving a speech and communicating with others in a more formal environment. (includes non-verbal communication, hand gestures, eye contact, body posture, tone of voice and many more)

*As for values, we are brought up from different cultures and we have different set of values.

*Values reflects one's right or wrong (behaviour and attitude)

*In my opinion, values should not change as we grew up with it, we should know by now what is appropriate and what is not, some values also should be shared among society but not to the extend to forcing to accept one's value.

• Think of a person you consider to be a "competent communicator" and describe how he or she demonstrates the four components of competency (knowledge, sensitivity, skills and values)

*The person in my experience considered to be a "competent communicator" is Steve Jobs

*In terms of knowledge, indeed with his idea as the founder of Apple, the products develop by the company are to soothe the customers. An Iphone a design so exclusive, complex yet the design is simple.

*By doing research and with the current media, products from Apple consists of media convergence product which ease the customers from buying more than 1 electronic product.

*As for sensitivity, Steve Jobs only wanted 100 engineers working under him to create one of the latest model Iphone 4. He does not care much about his staff compared to his goals. All he wanted is to get the job done and the essence of perfection should be present

*For skills, yes individually, Steve Jobs has the idea but with a dozens of engineers which are highly experience in electrical engineering working under him, getting the job done is 100 times easier. In this case, Steve Jobs is more of an autocrat leader, which empowers over his staff and ensures they do a good job in handling the mechanics of the product

*For Apple company, they have a set of values which also include Empathy towards their customers. Basically, Apple wants to give a good value and satisfaction towards the customers not to mention solving every problem that the customers embraced with their product. Besides that, another Apple value is that the organization always set for achievement. Goals are set, although it is tough to reach, they would strive hard to reach it and bring changes to the society