Communicating effectively more than just college homework

Well it's week two of COM 102 at UPX Online for me and this class is definitely showing that things are going to get a little more difficult as school continues. The writing assignments are going to get longer and more in depth. The discussion questions have actually doubled from two to four and the instructor has piled on some other stuff as well.

If there is one abstract that I have found myself knowing, it is that communication is more than the sum of what I thought I knew.

Yeah it sounds kind of goofy but what is so profound is the fact that this class is actually helping me in my personal and professional life as well; not just in the realm of academia.

I've considered myself to be a pretty good writer. A friend of mine says that I can write my butt off when I really put my mind to it.

Maybe so but now what I am learning is that the written word is only as good as the oral dexterity that I must exhibit. Of course some would tell you that I do a pretty good job of being vocal on subject matter too but I have never really been able to keep the two in synchronous harmony until now. With this class, I am putting the written and verbal traits that I possess to good use and they are actually being honed to a sharpness that I never knew existed.

This week I am finding myself having to really get in step with classroom participation. Last week's effort was so-so and that was only because I had to find a rhythm for this class. Those four discussion questions definitely can be a bothersome but answering other classmate's posts was even more troubling at times.

Putting together the learning team was a breeze though and already we are ahead of the game. On an individual basis, the first week's paper was turned in two days earlier than expected and that may be the par for the course.

This course may seem like I should be waltzing through it but as I stated in my summary for last week, my professional skills sometimes get in the way of the academia skills that are coming forth.

In any case this class is going to be a challenge that is welcome.

It will definitely be something that I can use for the rest of my life.

But the rest of that story will have to written at a later date.

In the meantime, this current chapter isn't finished just yet.

So stay tuned…