Purposive Communication - Part 1 Notes

Data Privacy Act and Information Sharing

• Information sharing is vital among individuals, especially in the workplace; decisions about how much information to share, with whom, and when, can greatly impact people’s lives.
• Thomas Jefferson, an American Founding Father, principal author of the Declaration of Independence in the year $1776$ and the third President of the United States ( $1801-1809$ ).
• The course highlights a maxim associated with Jefferson: Educate and inform the whole mass of people, reflecting democratic principles.
• In $2012$ the Philippines passed the Data Privacy Act, Republic Act No. $10173$, Chapter 1, Section 2, aiming to protect the fundamental human right of privacy in communication while ensuring free flow of information to promote innovation and growth.
• The Data Privacy Act requires personal information to be collected for specified, legitimate, and reasonable purposes; data usage requires opt-in by customers and must be transparent and legal.
• The Act supports balancing privacy with the free flow of information to promote innovation and growth in society and business.

Direction and Learning Outcomes

• Direction: Read the question carefully and provide a brief answer.
• Key learning outcomes:
  • Determine culturally appropriate terms, expressions, and images.
  • Convey ideas through oral, audio-visual, and/or web-based presentations for different target audiences in local and global settings using appropriate registers.
  • Create and present clear, coherent, and effective communication materials.
  • Appreciate the impact of communication on society and the world.
  • Examine the basics of informative speech.
  • Demonstrate proficient and effective communication (speaking, writing, and use of new technologies).
• Required materials and resources:
  • Worksheets
  • PowerPoint presentation
  • Recorded videos
  • Laptop or smartphone
• Data privacy in practice: According to the Data Privacy Act, all personal information must be collected for reasons that are specified, legitimate, and reasonable. In other words, customers must opt in for their data to be used for specific reasons that are transparent and legal. The course prompts you to cite a specific situation illustrating a valid reason.

Pre-activity

• Information that you share must be: necessary for the purpose, shared only with those who need to have it, accurate and up-to-date, shared in a timely fashion, and shared securely.
• Information should be necessary, proportionate, relevant, adequate, accurate, timely, and secure.
• One common channel for information exchange in the workplace is email.
• Chain Story activity: Form a group of four (4) members. Start with the line It was a sunny and calm day…; each person adds a paragraph to the story and passes it to the next person. The final story is emailed to the instructor via Outlook. Time allotted: 30 minutes.

The Part 1 Topic: Sharing Information

• The Part 1 topic, Communication for General Purposes, focuses on one general purpose: to inform.
• Sharing information is vital and happens in everyday life (telling moods, replying to messages, submitting tasks, apologizing, etc.).
• Methods for disseminating information include News, Text messages, Blogs, Social networking websites, Emails, Government or community websites, Door-to-door messages, Emergency alert systems.
• Mayhew (2020) emphasizes that companies must keep employees well-informed about the organization and its direction.
• In the workplace, important dissemination practices include:
  1. Conduct mandatory all-staff meetings quarterly and departmental staff meetings at least monthly, depending on organization size.
  2. Email employees about updates and require electronic signatures indicating they have read and understood critical updates.
  3. Post employee training materials and provide written materials to supplement online training.
  4. Establish publication dates and submission deadlines for the company’s newsletter.
  5. Provide training to supervisors and managers on communication skills.
• Tools used to provide information among employees include Minutes of the Meeting, File Attachments, Email and electronic signatures, Infographics, Videoconferences, and Online Presentations.

Minutes of the Meeting

• Minutes of the Meeting are official records of meetings and serve as a source of information for participants who were unable to attend; they are permanent written records for future reference about decisions made.
• A minute should cover key elements, not every single moment. To write an effective minute, include:
  1. Meeting name and place
  2. Date and Time of the meeting
  3. List of meeting participants
  4. Purpose of the meeting
  5. For each agenda item: decisions, action items, and next steps
  6. Next meeting date and place
  7. Documents to be included in the meeting report

Email and Electronic Signatures; Videoconferences

• Email is short for electronic mail: information stored on a computer and exchanged between two users over telecommunications.
• Required fields when sending an email typically include: To, From, Subject, and Message Body.
• CC (Carbon Copy) field: recipients who are not direct addressees but should be aware; all recipients can see who received the message.
• BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) field: recipients are secret; each BCC recipient will receive the email, but others will not see them; addressees in the To field remain visible to all recipients.
• Digital signatures provide a modern way to secure and verify communications in business.
• Videoconferencing advantages: facilitates collaboration, allows flexibility, increases productivity, supports remote working, and reduces overheads.

File Attachments; Infographics; Online Presentations

• Information Literacy: the ability to find, evaluate, organize, use, and communicate information across formats; essential for academic success and for decision making, problem solving, or knowledge acquisition.
• Attachments: you can attach any type of file to an email; recipients need compatible programs to view them; PDF (.pdf) is widely readable and cannot be edited, but may affect appearance/format on different devices.
• Infographics: a highly effective content format in information dissemination because humans process visuals better than text and infographics are easy to share.
• Presentation skills: include the qualities needed to create and deliver clear and effective presentations; applicable to supervisors and regular employees; includes answering questions and adapting to various settings, not limited to formal meetings.

Portable Document Format (PDF) and Visual Content

• PDF files can be read by most people and are not easily edited; there is a trade-off between portability and preserving appearance/format across devices.

Infographics and Online Presentations (continued)

• Infographics improve digestibility and sharing of information; online presentations are a common dissemination tool in workplaces.

Informative Speech: Methods and Structure

• Methods of informing others include:
  • Informing through definition: define concepts clearly and concisely.
  • Informing through description: create verbal pictures for the audience.
  • Informing through demonstration: give verbal directions and physically demonstrate steps.
  • Informing through explanation: explain how something works, how it came to be, or why something happened.
• A speech must have a format: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion.
• Informative speaking aims to teach the audience about a topic using factual information; topics should engage and educate the audience; as future employees, you will likely deliver informative speeches or provide trainings.
• Your informative speech must include:
  • Title (topic)
  • General Purpose (to inform)
  • Specific Purpose (in relation to your topic)
  • Thesis Statement
• INTRODUCTION: include an attention getter, introduce the topic, establish credibility and relevance, and provide a preview statement.
• BODY: use outlining to organize main ideas and supporting details.
• CONCLUSION: review main points and deliver a striking closing statement.

Jefferson, Data Privacy, and Tools Overview

• The guideline Educate and inform the whole mass of people is associated with Thomas Jefferson ( $1776$ ).
• Data Privacy Act emphasis: privacy in communication while ensuring free flow of information ( $2012$, $Republic ext{ }Act. ext{ No. }10173$ ).
• The set of common workplace tools summarized earlier includes Minutes of the Meeting, Email and electronic signatures, Videoconferences, File Attachments, Infographics, and Online Presentations.
• Information literacy underpins academic success and professional practice; ethical and practical implications of information sharing and effective information presentation are emphasized.
• The module reinforces how to craft informative speeches with clear objectives, credible content, and logical structure (Intro, Body, Conclusion).

Summary / Key Takeaways

• Purposive communication requires balancing information sharing with privacy and ethical considerations.
• Use appropriate channels and formats for different audiences; leverage email, meetings, videoconferencing, file attachments, infographics, and online presentations.
• Prepare informative speeches with clear objectives, credible content, and a logical structure (Intro, Body, Conclusion).
• Information literacy is essential for decision making and knowledge acquisition.