Communication Technologies and Elevator Speech

Communication Technologies
Technological progress has significantly increased the number of tools available to communicate. Today, the choice of communication media is larger than it has ever been before. Therefore, today’s communicators have the opportunity to vary their communication channels depending on the audience they want to reach. Possible new channels are, for example, E-mails, blogs, and electronic newsletters; just to name a few. The greater choice goes along with higher efforts to thoroughly analyze the appropriateness of a communication tool in certain circumstances, because the selection of the wrong channel can make the delivery of the message ineffective.
Moreover, the technological progress, especially the advance of the internet, has made information easily accessible. Today, valuable information is often just one click away. A downside of this trend is the possible information overload and the loss of privacy. Data protection, for example, becomes increasingly difficult.
Additionally, improved technology has made communication cheaper. Today, a long distance call can be cheaper than a local call was 25 years ago. If somebody uses the internet, a call will even be for free regardless of the distance of the call. The fallen price of communication led to a more intense use of communication tools. Today, people use communication tools whenever they need them without thinking about the price of the communication. That has caused the mental distances between people to disappear, even if the physical distances are great.
Finally, communication is much faster today than it was in the past. The possibility of quickly exchanging information especially affects the business world. Many businesses, which are dependent on the rapid flow of information, benefit from modern tools of high speed communication.

Class Discussion (01/17/08)
The development of modern communication media has given us a lot of new tools to communicate. In class, we discussed the new possibilities of communicating via Skype and teaching in online class-rooms. We concluded that Skype is an example of the trend that communication becomes increasingly convenient, cheaper, and faster. Today, there are a lot of communication tools available which make it possible to communicate with every person we like to communicate with. On the one hand, online class-rooms are an opportunity to disassociate education from physical location. This could be beneficial for people who are not able to physically move to a college campus. On the other hand, online class-rooms make it easier for students to cheat. Furthermore, online education is impersonal because usually no personal relationships between teachers and students develop in an online class-room. Furthermore there is no physical community like a college campus in the virtual world.
At the end of the discussion, we inferred that it is important to get to know the new communications tools. Only if an individual has made experiences with a special kind of communication tool, he or she can evaluate its advantages and disadvantages and make a decision whether he or she is willing to use it. In our organizational communication course we will experience a variety of ways of communication. This will help us to assess what tools suits best to us.

Examples/ Personal Experience
I experience the benefits of the communication technology progress during my time in the USA. I am really glad that today it is no problem to stay in touch with my family, girlfriend, and my friends back in Germany. The internet makes global communication cheap and convenient. When I want to call somebody in Germany I use Skype or ICQ. Even if somebody is on vacation in another country it is no problem to talk to him or her. For example, I often call a friend of mine who studies in Denmark.
I also use instant messengers to send written messengers. Instant messengers provide the opportunity to talk to different person simultaneously. However, if information becomes more complex, it is cumbersome to use an instant messenger to convey a message. Another drawback of instant messengers is that there is no opportunity to use non-verbal communication in order to convey your message.

Links:

http://www.higheredblogcon.com/index.php/blogs-wikis-and-im-communication-tools-for-subject-specialists/

http://www.worldhistorysite.com/cthistory.html

http://www.worldhistorysite.com/ctimpact.html

http://www.myownbusiness.org/s3/

Elevator Speech
Last week, every student presented a thirty second “elevator speech.” Our task was to sell a product by explaining its features and benefits in the short period of thirty seconds. Some people may think this is an easy task because you could not make many mistakes in such a short period; but this isn’t true.
In order to make a good elevator speech, you have to be well-prepared. One of the most important things is to be confident, to speak clearly, and to choose an appropriate pace of speech. Even though you will probably be nervous; you should avoid showing this. One method to achieve self-confidence is to practice. I learned that it is important to practice your presentation in front of a mirror; try to use different kinds of body language and different kinds of wording. You should do this until you are satisfied with your presentation. Although I practiced a lot, I was very nervous when I stood in front of the class. I figured out that another way to control my nerves could be the method of imagining my audience naked and I would be the only one who wears clothes. This helps to become more confident. I think the elevator speech was a very interesting experience.
As mentioned above, it is hard to believe that making such a short presentation could be such a difficult task. Now I experienced the importance of being confident when making a presentation. In a few weeks, we will have a second thirty second presentation. Then I will have the opportunity to apply the things I learned in my first elevator speech.

Links:

http://www.quintcareers.com/elevator_speech_dos-donts.html

http://bschool.pepperdine.edu/career/content/elevatorspeech.pdf

http://www.businessweek.com/careers/content/jun2007/ca20070618_134959.htm