"That's Not What I Meant!" In this section, you learned about ways to increase clarity in your writing by making correct word choices. When we communicate online, it can be easy for others to misunderstand you because you can’t help convey your message with tone of voice, gestures, or facial expressions. Online message boards and social media sites are notorious for this sort of misunderstanding, as people don’t always consider how their message comes across in the written format.
To complete this assignment:
Think about a time where you communicated with someone only to be misunderstood. In a paragraph of 5-6 sentences, describe the miscommunication. You can write about any personal situation, or a situation you know about from a friend, family member, or a situation you observed. Include enough detail and various word choices. Use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Double space your paragraph. Be sure to answer the following questions:
Were you speaking to someone or writing a message?
What were you trying to say, and how was your message received or interpreted?
Example:
Several years ago I was in an important meeting at work. My co-workers and I were coming up with ideas on how to collect data to track our students’ reading progress. I made a suggestion to my colleagues that we use the standards to drive our instruction, and to collect the data. A particular colleague became defensive, and declared that her material already had what was needed. While I had not intended to imply that she didn’t have what was needed, this is what my colleague had interpreted. I had to clarify and point out that she did have what was needed, but that as educators, we could be more specific by identifying the individual standards.
Begin your paragraph below the line.