B. Communication

The high school graduate can:

B1. Give and follow spoken instructions to perform specific tasks, to answer questions or to solve problems. (Associated Workplace Tasks: #1 and 2)

B2. Summarize information presented orally by others.

B3. Paraphrase information presented orally by others.

B4. Identify the thesis of a speech and determine the essential elements that elaborate it.

B5. Analyze the ways in which the style and structure of a speech support or confound its meaning or purpose.

B6. Make oral presentations that:

• exhibit a logical structure appropriate to the audience, context and purpose;
• group related ideas and maintain a consistent focus;
• include smooth transitions;
• support judgments with sound evidence and well-chosen details;
• make skillful use of rhetorical devices;
• provide a coherent conclusion; and
• employ proper eye contact, speaking rate, volume, enunciation, inflection and gestures to communicate ideas effectively.

See Workplace Task #3: Actuary

B7. Participate productively in self-directed work teams for a particular purpose (for example, to interpret literature, write or critique a proposal, solve a problem, make a decision), including:

• posing relevant questions;
• listening with civility to the ideas of others;
• extracting essential information from others' input;
• building on the ideas of others and contributing relevant information or ideas in group discussions;
• consulting texts as a source of ideas;
• gaining the floor in respectful ways;
• defining individuals' roles and responsibilities and setting clear goals;
• acknowledging the ideas and contributions of individuals in the group;
• understanding the purpose of the team project and the ground rules for decision-making;
• maintaining independence of judgment, offering dissent courteously, ensuring a hearing for the range of positions on an issue and avoiding premature consensus;
• tolerating ambiguity and a lack of consensus; and
• selecting leader/spokesperson when necessary.

See Postsecondary Assignment #4: Introductory English Survey Course