Learning Outcomes

In this free course, you will learn how to:

• Define ‘language’
• Describe three different types and parts of messages and their functions
• Identify and describe key principles of verbal communication
• Describe the process of selection and the factors that influence it
• State the role of language in perception and the communication process
• Explain the ways syntax, semantics and context govern language
• Outline the way language serves to shape our experience of reality
• Assess the differences between cliché, jargon and slang
• Identify the factors that contribute to self-concept
• Evaluate how the self-fulfilling 'Pygmalion effect' prophecy works
• Recall the interaction of attitudes, values and beliefs
• Explain how communication conventions shape audience expectations.