Assignment 1:

Recently you attended a seminar on improving writing skills.  The speaker arrived late and seemed flustered and disorganised.  You wondered whether his presentation would also be disorganised.  At first the room was quite comfortable.  As the room filled with people, it became uncomfortably warm.  When the speaker turned down the lights to show his presentation, you had to flight to stay awake (maybe you should not have had such a large lunch).  The speaker faced the screen at the front of the room as he discussed the points on the slides.  The portable microphone he was wearing occassionally omitted a shrill squeak as he moved about the front of the room.  You learned a couple of ideas for improving your writing, but the seminar was not an enjoyable experience.

1. What are the internal communication barriers in this scenario?  What could you do to overcome these barriers?
2. What are the external communication barriers in this scenario?  What could the speaker do to help overcome these barriers?