COMMUNICATING IDEAS AND INFORMATION

RATIONALE

Being able to communicate ideas and information is essential to all forms of work and human activity. It may involve spoken, written or visual language and may involve sign or gesture. Young people entering adult life and work need access to all forms of communicative competence, from the most ordinary and everyday, such as simple requests for advice, to the most prestigious, such as formal speeches. The applications of Communicating Ideas and Information may range across the design and messages of leaflets, answering and initiating telephone calls, writing an essay or a report, or demonstrating a task or procedure.

To be successful the purpose of the communication must be recognised and the message must be understood by its recipients. This means that the communicator must anticipate the interests and needs of audiences, including an audience of one. The communicator must also be able to choose the best form and style of expression to get the message across to recipients, who could be community or family members, clients, managers, fellow workers or fellow students. The ideas involved could range from concepts to be explained or data to be interpreted, to opinions to be voiced. Information could involve the provision of background, directions, costs or procedural matters.

How people apply the competency in paid work can be part of the work process and its goal. Knowing how to explain, describe, respond to questions, justify and argue assists the worker's confidence and efficiency. Being able to explain or recommend prices, services or goods to a customer underlies a productive approach and tailors communication to the perceived needs and interests of the customer.

In unpaid, community or voluntary work, communicating ideas and information to others in speech, writing and visual language is the basis of ongoing activity between and among participants. Explanations of infringements to the rules of a game, recording and presentation of minutes of a meeting, filling in forms, making speeches or reports, formulating suggestions, responding to requests or demands call on this competency in all its forms.

This Key Competency is the foundation for further education and lifelong learning. To be able to explain, argue and discuss with others enables a person to clarify, build on and share ideas and exchange information and consequently enlarge their knowledge and understanding.

MAJOR IDEAS

Communicating Ideas and Information focuses on the capacity to communicate with others using the range of spoken, written, graphic and other non-verbal means of expression. Itis built on four main ideas. The first idea involves the identification of the function of a communication and of its recipients. This will determine the choice of mode and style of the communication. Thus, the communicator needs to know what forms and styles to choose from and how to choose combinations that will achieve the best effect for a particular purpose. In some cases the communicator will need to use technology to communicate effectively.

The second idea includes the communicator's response to the social and cultural dimensions of the context and audience. These may affect the purpose, function, form and mode of communication. In modern workplaces, for example, effectiveness of the communication could be diminished by telling racist and sexist jokes. An important feature here is the emphasis placed on the communicator's flexibility in communicating across a variety of social and cultural contexts.

The third idea relates to the effectiveness with which the intended communication is conveyed, and involves the clarity and coherence of the communication. Clarity of communication depends on the use and adaptation of conventions particular to the mode of communication. In writing, for example, effective communicators not only know how to use formal grammatical conventions, but when to apply them and when not to. In oral communication, knowing how to modulate the voice is an important part of communication, and in visual communication, knowing how to place charts or diagrams will increase the effectiveness of the communication. Coherence of communication depends on putting ideas and information into formats that are appropriate to the contexts and the audience.

The fourth idea relates to the revisions and corrections made to the communication. This may take place in response to feedback from others or require the communicator to change course during composition or presentation. For instance, a speaker, sensing that an audience is becoming bored, may introduce an anecdote or shorten the talk.

In summary, Communicating Ideas and Information involves:

1. identification of and response to audience and purpose of communication;
2. selection of forms and styles;
3. carriage of intended meaning;
4. revision and correction of communication.

PERFORMANCE LEVELS

At Performance Level l, the emphasis of Communicating Ideas and Information is on communicating certain established and predetermined forms and styles, and in single modes, such as speech or writing. The forms would be those most used within the particular context, such as the essay in a school context, or the list in office. At Performance Level 2 the emphasis is on communicating in situations and to audiences where there are a number of formal and stylistic options or choices. For example, conveying directions using a hand drawn sketch map and spoken discourse which highlights landmarks familiar to the recipient. Performance Level 3 focuses on the ability to use, adapt and transfer communicative forms and modes to meet a variety of demands.

PERFORMANCE LEVEL 1

At this level a person:

1. adapts the form of the communication to the anticipated contexts and audiences; and
2. communicates using prescribed forms and styles; and
3. communicates clearly and coherently so that prescribed information is organised for the purpose; and
4. checks the communication for accuracy and effectiveness.

PERFORMANCE LEVEL 2

At this level a person:

1. adapts ideas and information to anticipated contexts and audiences; and
2. communicates by choosing from set alternative modes and styles the most appropriate to a particular context and audience; and
3. establishes and conveys coherence between disparate ideas and information; and
4. revises communication in the light of feedback.

PERFORMANCE LEVEL 3

At this level a person:

1. chooses the mode and form appropriate to a context and audience; and
2. revises and evaluates the communication in the light of feedback; and
3. varies style of presentation to suit a variety of contexts; and
4. uses ideas to interpret and represent information in a variety of contexts; and
5. adapts ideas and information to unanticipated responses from audiences.