The ability to express oneself adequately, considering the main components of a communicative situation such as the type of rapport between communicators, their cultural backgrounds, individual peculiarities, and setting, is of immense significance. Nowadays, with the expansion of social media, the net of relationships that an average person is engaged in is extending. Thus, the problems of mutual understanding and managing interactions grow accordingly. Even though communicative skills to a certain degree are formed during childhood and depend on factors that may be out of a person’s control, assessing oneself and putting conscious effort into enhancing this competence is a rewarding task.
Soft skills training is a part of the general curriculum for all types of professionals, especially those whose line of work includes the need to transmit information with enhanced efficiency. Nevertheless, the employers’ complaints about underdeveloped communication skills from recently graduated employees are seemingly common (Sri Mulyani & Supartono, 2017). As estimating a problem is the first step in solving it, choosing the right instrument to assess students’ competence is a part of the improvement process. As Vleutena et al. notice (2019), “the most authentic assessment is direct observation in real clinical practice” (p. 2112). Even though precise and comprehensive assessment of communicative skills requires monitoring, less laborious, and thus less exact methods also exist. MindTools provides a quick quiz that consists of fifteen questions with five possible answers that reflect gradation of the frequency of a specific approach used in communicative situations (Mind Tools Content Team, n. d.). The score varies from fifteen to seventy-five, where the higher score correlates with a higher level of competence. The quiz allows one to be provided with estimation swiftly and acquire basic comprehension of one’s strengths and weaknesses.
The results of the quiz showed a certain level of communicative competence with the need to focus on receiving and sending messages more effectively. MindTools revealed that in my case, the crux of the problem was planning and crafting the content delivery. Allocating time to the estimation of what, when, and how the content of a communicative act is to be conveyed is helpful to construct a more efficient dialogue. Talking more is not the best way to cover a specific topic, and this strategy only results in confusion on the part of the audience or interlocutor. Choosing the right channel is another component with which I may sometimes struggle. Considering that the medium may be as important as its message, deciding on a channel is a crucial point that may establish effective communication or hinder it (Baack, 2012). Moreover, for effective communication, it is essential not only to be able to transmit thoughts and ideas accordingly but also to be able to listen, hear, and understand what the interlocutor is talking about.
Various areas of communication require specific training strategies in order to improve them. The training in the field of written communication, seemingly, is one of the higher value for those who want to pursue a career in media and communication. According to Moore and Morton (2015), “written communication is typically identified as a highly requisite skill area in the professional workplace, but one that graduates are often thought to be lacking in” (p. 4). Building written communication skill is a process that requires extensive training, which mainly lies in the process of writing itself. Additionally, acquiring new writing strategies, discovering editing tools, and practicing may be a part of additional training. Visual communication is another area that seems to be slightly neglected and necessitate complementary efforts. Presentations and emphasizing further the visual aspect of work could be a supplementary training component.
Communication skills and employability appear to correlate directly – the compulsory mentioning of great listening and negotiating skills in a large portion of resumes may serve as confirmation. In this way, improving my current competencies in this area is a necessary step in order to be able to advance in my profession. Developing an effective communication skill set is a continuous enterprise, a search for perfection that takes time – viewing the gaps in one’s knowledge is the beginning of this undertaking. The quiz provided by MindTools allows seeing the issue more clearly, and it provides feedback on what and how can be improved. Understanding the reason for the specific communicative act, the audience’s of interlocutors’ mood, setting, reaction that followed, and constructing the message accordingly is one of the first steps. Seeking feedback, reflecting, reviewing, and taking detailed notes on what could have been done better with emphasis on positive outcomes after communication is over is another great way to develop communicative competencies.
The success of a professional largely depends on their ability to network, establish contacts, and present ideas and knowledge appropriately – all of which constitute an effective communication skill set. The inability to interact constructively with customers, employees, and colleagues may eclipse one’s hard skills and possibilities of promotion. Thus, the focus on this skill set that invites one to assume a number of varying roles may be viewed as a career investment.
References
Baack, D. (2012). Management Communication (10th ed.). Bridgepoint Education.
Mind Tools Content Team. (n.d.). How good are your communication skills?. MindTools.
Moore, T., & Morton, J. (2015). The myth of job readiness? Written communication, employability, and the “skills gap” in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 1–21.
Sri Mulyani, S., & Supartono, H. (2017). Enhancing students’ communication skills through problem posing and presentation. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 6(1), 17–22.
Vleutena, C. V. D., Eertweghb, V. V. D, & Giroldia, E. (2019). Assessment of communication skills. Patient Education and Counseling, 102(11), 2110-2113.
Artificial Intelligence: Its Potential And Use
Introduction
Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the development of machines that simulate human intelligence, both in action and thought. It is a revolutionary branch of computer science that applies multiple approaches. Examples of AI technologies widely used today include planning, speech recognition, learning, and problem-solving. AI is common in the business and technology industries owing to its versatility. Applications such as Siri, Cogito, Netflix, Pandora, Boxever, Alexa, and Watson are examples of the successful incorporation of AI with other technologies for personal and professional use.
How It Works
The major goals of artificial intelligence include reasoning, perception, and learning. Therefore, machine learning is used to mimic human thinking and behavior. This is achieved by combining large datasets that contain programmed patterns of recognition with fast processing and intelligent algorithms (Ahmet 43). AI incorporates many methods, technologies, and theories to achieve its goals. The most common subfields include machine learning, computer vision, cognitive computing, a neutral network, and natural language processing (NLP) (Ahmet 44). Its successful application is enabled by numerous technologies such as the internet of things, advanced algorithms, graphical processing units, and application programming interfaces (APIs).
Categories
AI can be classified into two major categories, namely narrow AI and Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Narrow AI, (also referred to as weak AI) has a limited scope of operation. Its main focus is the exceptional performance of single tasks (Kaplan 55). Examples include Google search, image recognition software, self-driving cars, and personal assistants. AGI also referred to as strong AI, has a wider scope of operation and is the closest form of simulation to human intelligence (Kaplan 56). For instance, it can combine human thinking and reasoning with computational functionalities to perform tasks that individuals can handle and others that they cannot.
Applications
AI is applied differently in various sectors and industries. For example, in the healthcare industry, it is used for dosing patients, conducting treatments, and for certain surgical procedures (Ahmet 54). In the financial industry, it is used to monitor financial activities to detect fraudulent transactions (Marr 76). Moreover, they are used in streamlining digital trading by facilitating the process of supply and demand estimation (Kaplan 64). Other examples of common applications include self-driving cars, speech recognition, art creation, medical diagnosis, search engines, online assistants, and energy storage.
Challenges
AI is a revolutionary technology that is changing industries. However, it has numerous challenges that render its successful application difficult and risky. The main challenges include high demand for computing power, trust deficit, limited knowledge, data privacy and security, data scarcity, and bias (Kaplan 75). The acceptance of AI depends primarily on how well people understand its functioning. Software malfunctions and the potential to overpower humans have created a culture of distrust for the technology (Marr 89). Researchers must solve these challenges to develop effective and safe AI technologies that improve the quality of human lives.
Conclusion
Artificial intelligence has been presented as a technology that will not replace human beings, but help them perform tasks better. The simulation of human intelligence in machines has existed for many decades and it has been hotly debated. It uses data and algorithms to mimic human thinking and actions. It is widely used in the health care industry, business, education, and automotive industry. Despite its numerous application, it has several challenges that include limited knowledge, trust deficit, and the probability of software malfunction. If applied properly, AI has the potential to revolutionize many sectors and industries.
Works Cited
Ahmet, Christina. Artificial Intelligence: How Advanced Machine Learning will Shape the Future of the World. Shockwave Publishing, 2018.
Kaplan, Jerry. Artificial Intelligence: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Pres, 2016.
Marr, Bernard. Artificial Intelligence in Practice: How 50 Successful Companies Used AI and Machine Learning to Solve Problems. Jon Wiley & Sons, 2019.
The Importance Of Nursing Courses
PRE-Survey
| # | Strongly Agree | Agree | Neither Agree nor Disagree | Disagree | Strongly Disagree |
| 1 | 4 (40%) | 2 (20%) | 3 (30%) | 1 (10%) | 0 |
| 2 | 3 (30%) | 3 (30%) | 3 (30%) | 1 (10%) | 0 |
| 3 | 5 (50%) | 2 (20%) | 2 (20%) | 0 | 1 (10%) |
| 4 | 4 (40%) | 3 (30%) | 2 (20%) | 1 (10%) | 0 |
| 5 | 2 (20%) | 3 (30%) | 2 (20%) | 3 (30%) | 0 |
| 6 | 4 (40%) | 2 (20%) | 2 (20%) | 1 (10%) | 1 (10%) |
| 7 | 4 (40%) | 3 (30%) | 1 (10%) | 2 (20%) | 0 |
| 8 | 6 (60%) | 2 (20%) | 2 (20%) | 0 | 0 |
POST-Survey
| # | Strongly Agree | Agree | Neither Agree nor Disagree | Disagree | Strongly Disagree |
| 1 | 5 (50%) | 3 (30%) | 2 (20%) | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 4 (40%) | 4 (40%) | 2 (20%) | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 5 (50%) | 2 (20%) | 2 (20%) | 1 (10%) | 0 |
| 4 | 6 (60%) | 2 (20%) | 2 (20%) | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 3 (30%) | 3 (30%) | 3 (30%) | 1 (10%) | 0 |
| 6 | 5 (50%) | 4 (40%) | 1 (10%) | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 7 (70%) | 2 (20%) | 1 (10%) | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 6 (60%) | 3 (30%) | 1 (10%) | 0 | 0 |
Interpretation of Results
A team of ten professional nurses with various certifications and positions received an OCN presentation. A pre-survey and post-test were conducted, the questions in which relate to the topic of accreditation and its perception. The “Disagree” and “Strongly Disagree” response options were rarely used, indicating that OCN was assessed as an evidence-based practice. The presentation demonstrated a positive impact on post-survey responses. For example, 90% of respondents agreed with the argument in the sixth question after the presentation versus 60% of participants in the pre-test settings. Even though the frequency of “Neither Agree nor Disagree” responses remained the same, positive responses began to prevail after a theoretical project. The “Strongly Agree” option was selected by an average of 40% of respondents before the presentation, while an average of 52% of participants chose the same answer in the post-survey settings. This trend shows that informing professionals about specific certifications minimizes bias and erroneous judgments.
Reflection
The project is successful because the respondents transformed their vision. OCN was presented as a fundamental practice for nurses in oncology settings. Questions two and five directly address the quality of services and the psychological well-being of nurses. It has been noted that these factors gain a significant advantage in certification (Elwell, 2017). Besides, positive changes were observed in the responses to the second question, where participants rated accreditation as a predictor of advanced patient health. It also correlates with scientific research, where a similar link has been proven through a literature review (Boyle, 2017). Pre- and post-surveys have demonstrated a higher response rate from the first two options, which means it is useful to inform even professional nurses. In particular, the “Strongly Disagree” option was not used in any of the questions, which shows the transformation of OCN perception. Thus, this experiment demonstrates the value of detailing and deepening certification rules for both applicants and the nursing community.
Gaps in the project are not a large enough sample and a limited variation in responses. First of all, this study should be conducted with a sample of >100 people or representatives of particular nursing specialization. Besides, a similar survey with open-ended responses and deductive analysis will allow one to explore the connections between various arguments of participants. This study has only one barrier, and that is the time frame. The post-survey was carried out immediately after the presentation, which does not analyze the impact of the theoretical course on the participants’ daily practice. Thus, this experiment requires several stages, including more than one post-tests.
Implications for Future Practice
This experiment has shown that communication is essential even in the skilled nursing community. Certification, including OCN, face mixed perceptions due to stereotypes, outdated nursing models, and limited knowledge of career advancement. The project has shown that nursing trends awareness courses are the most reliable way to create a more supportive team atmosphere. Also, reaching more professionals will enable the development of updated certification standards to begin. In turn, this process will be a new round in improving the quality of nursing services for individuals and the community.
References
Boyle, D. (2017). Nursing specialty certification and patient outcomes: What we know in acute care hospitals and future directions. Journal of the Association for Vascular Access, 22(3), 137-142. Web.
Elwell, S. (2017). Certification matters. Journal of Trauma Nursing, 24(6), 342-344. Web.