“Basic Principles” Paper

This week’s assignment asks you to explain any two basic principles of communication that we learned about this week, and then think through them with an example of miscommunication from your life or a hypothetical scenario. To close, drawing on Bevan and Sole, you will also identify a barrier (or barriers) that disrupted the process of communication and how this can be overcome.

The paper will be 2-3 pages of text, with a title page and a reference page (for a total of four, no more than five pages).
Please abide by length expectations, as I stop reading after 3 pages of actual text and grade your paper as if it ended there. Part of learning how to write is learning to say what you need to say in the amount of space allotted.
Be sure to read the grading rubric, which lists “Explain Two Principles,” “Describe and Instance of Miscommunication,” “Identify 1 or More Barriers,” “Explain How Barriers Can be Overcome,” “Intro, Thesis, & Conclusion,” “Control of Syntax and Mechanics,” “APA Formatting,” and “Page Requirement” as the areas of assessment. I recommend that you actually assess yourself on each of those criteria before submitting your paper. That way, you’ll make sure that you address each area. This might also help you identify areas where you need to improve.

To best organize your paper, consider the following outline:

Introduction: briefly state the purpose of this assignment by presenting the purpose of your paper, offering your thesis, and giving us a preview of main points to be discussed.

Body:

(Paragraph 1) Drawing on Chapter One in Bevan and Sole, explain one basic principle of interpersonal communication (see section 1.4 and my Weekly Guidance for a list).

(Paragraph 2) Drawing on Chapter One in Bevan and Sole, explain another basic principle of interpersonal communication (see section 1.4 and my Weekly Guidance for a list).

(Paragraph 3) Give an example of past miscommunication (it is ok if it is hypothetical) that clearly and effectively identifies one or more barriers of communication (see your text and my Weekly Guidance for a list), and describe what happened. Make sure that your example is directly related to the principles and demonstrates barriers, and support your analysis with your readings. Aim to paraphrase any and all direct quotes. Take time to make connections to that reading to show application of learning.

(Paragraph 4). Explain how that barrier (or those barriers) interrupted the process of successful communication and how they can be overcome based on what you’ve learned in this course. Here you should discuss specific strategies identified in your readings (use your textbook!)

Conclusion: wrap up your paper by reviewing your paper and offer a final thought out the importance of understanding principles of and barriers to effective interpersonal communication. The paper should be 550 words long