"Our department, like our college, highly values excellence and wants students to perform at a high level to earn the award," said Mark Urista, department chair.
The award is designed to give students a tangible way to demonstrate communication competence to perspective employers. It can be listed as an accomplishment on a resume that will help set students apart from a sea of resumes that many employers review while considering a new hire.
The benefits of the focus award are designed to help students in professional careers but will also benefit their personal lives. In the three classes: Public Speaking, Introduction to Persuasion and Interpersonal Communication, students will learn soft skills and public speaking skills considered valuable in every day life.
"Our motivation for creating the Communication Award is to encourage students to develop skills employers report are in high demand," said Urista. "This award represents a very important accomplishment in ones college career."
The classes will help students to overcome nervousness or anxiety when speaking, use correct grammar and a clear voice, recognize nonverbal cues from an audience, and to display confidence and prompt articulation while speaking.
The class credits are transferrable to OSU, however the award does not appear on an official transcript. It should not be confused with a degree, and is not officially recognized by the state. Many colleges offer such awards recognizing that any career requiring interaction with people will benefit from an emphasis on communication.
"One thing that's really great about this award is that students can earn it in a single academic year," said Urista.
Urista himself earned a similar focus award at the start of his education at El Camino College in California.
"I didn't have any clear goals when I first started community college. However, by being offered the opportunity to earn an award I could obtain in a short amount of time, I quickly became engaged and soon found myself on the path to success. I hope this award does the same for LBCC students."
Any student that has completed the classes prior to the award should contact Mark Urista at uristam@linnbenon.edu. to claim their award. Students will not be contacted otherwise, so being proactive is necessary.
Student Testimony
Grant Garcia, dual enrolled at LBCC and OSU, recommends the Communication Focus Award. Majoring in Communication with a minor in Economics, he already uses his learned skills in his job as a purchaser for Veterinary Services Inc.
Q. How have the Comm 111, 112 and 218 classes helped you in school?
"These courses have helped me both as a speaker and writer in terms of organizing my thoughts and presenting these ideas in a clear, concise manner. I have become very comfortable presenting class projects, thanks to 111 and 112. The 218 course was more writing intensive, giving me several opportunities to continue developing as a writer while I learned the fundamentals of interpersonal communication and relationships."
Q. How have they helped you professionally?
"Well, as a purchaser I communicate constantly with manufacturing companies and employees from other departments in the company. Knowing how to concisely communicate sometimes complicated messages is a valuable skill to have in my job. Oh, and having a working understanding of Comm 218 helps me appropriately maneuver any drama at the water cooler."
Q. Have you had employers or professors comment on your ability to effectively communicate?
"About a week ago I received a letter from Oregon State encouraging me to apply as a graduate student and teach as a grad assistant in Communication. The three Comm courses I took at Linn Benton did a great job preparing me for a successful (so far) experience as a Communication major at OSU."
Q. Why would you recommend a student take this set of classes?
"Being able to communicate effectively makes you sound smarter and gives you confidence to put your best foot forward in whatever you choose to pursue."
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