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COM 1090 - Interpersonal Communication: Oral Interview Assignment

Oral Interview Assignment

Purpose

To explore and understand the ways in which culture influences the way we communicate and form relationships with others. This assignment is also designed to help you improve your ability to communicate competently in cross-cultural interactions.

This assignment is linked to the following Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Research and analyze interviewing techniques as they relate to interpersonal skills.

2. Analyze perception and relate it to various communication settings.

3. Conduct an interview using appropriate language, listening skills, nonverbal skills and response skills.

4. Identify and analyze barriers to multicultural understanding.

5. Demonstrate and evaluate skills for enhancing multicultural communication.

Overview

Achieving communication competence in a culturally diverse society is necessary for personal and professional success. One way to enhance our understanding of communication as a relationship-building activity is to talk with people from different cultures. This assignment will give you the opportunity to learn about communication and culture by analyzing and identifying barriers to multicultural understanding and participating in the interview process.

Content

Your interview partner will be one of your classmates (the same person you are working on the Role Play assignment). Your task in the interview is to talk with your interview partner about communication in their culture, and how it is similar and/or different from your own. You will then use the results of the interview to analyze how your own cultural communication practices compare with those of your interview partner.

Some of the interpersonal communication topics that you might ask about in your interview include the following:

  • · Language and verbal communication
  • · Nonverbal communication
  • · Gender roles and gendered communities
  • · Family communication
  • · The expression of emotions
  • · Conflict management
  • · Friendship communication
  • · Romantic relationships, including dating, non-marital commitments, and marriage

You will not be able to include all these topics in your interview questions and reflection paper. You should include at least two topics, but no more than three. Since the content for these main points will come from your interview, it is important that you (1) construct your interview questions carefully, (2) ask your partner to elaborate on various points, and (3) use paraphrasing and effective listening to ensure clarification and understanding. Keep in mind that the quality of your reflection paper will directly depend on the quality of your interview questions, so plan and prepare them carefully.

Organization

Your paper should contain the following five parts:

I. Cover Page: (include your name, the date, class name, my name)

II. Introduction: Provide a brief description of the interview, your interview partner, and the cultural group that you focused on for this paper; include a brief preview of the body of the paper.

III. Body: Discuss in detail the main points corresponding to the two communication topics from your interview. The body is by far the longest part of the paper and should explicitly address the following:

  • a. The cultural differences and similarities related to communication you uncovered in the interview with your partner.
  • b. An analysis of barriers to multicultural understanding you may have experienced when communicating with someone from a different culture.
  • c. A discussion of at least one relevant interpersonal communication skill you used that help enhance your multicultural understanding.

IV. Conclusion: Provide a brief summary of the body of the paper. Next, discuss your impressions and observations of the interview, how well you performed in conducting it, and what you learned about culture and communication from this assignment.

V. Reference Page: Provide a list in APA format of any references you used in your paper. Your interview and the textbook should be included in this list. You will need two additional sources for this assignment.

VI. Interview Questions: You should also include your list of questions at the end of your paper.

VII. Recording: You should record your interview on Blackboard Collaborate in your group room (on your group page). Both you and your partner need to be visible (on camera).

Evaluation

This assignment will be evaluated based on three criteria. First, reflection papers must demonstrate an understanding of communication concepts and principles. Second, papers must analyze how these communication topics apply across the two cultures (yours and your interview partner’s). Third, you will be evaluated on the quality of interview questions you develop as well as your overall performance in the interview.

Requirements

The paper must be typed (double spaced), no less than 4 pages (including cover sheet and reference page), and must display acceptable college-level standards of grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, paragraph structure as well as correct spelling. Use 12-point font and 1-inch margins on all sides. Be sure to edit your paper before turning it in and include page numbers. Interview recordings must be visible on your group’s page on Blackboard by 11:59 pm on the assigned date. Your reflection paper is due via the link on your group’s page at 11:59 pm on the assigned date. I cannot and will not be able to grade late papers or accept late recording submissions.

Please be aware that this is the general assignment for COM-1090 and your professor may have altered the requirements. Always refer to your professor for the most up to date information.