Communication

1.  What are the differences between face-to-face communication and telephone      communication?

   대면 의사소통과 통화의 차이는 뭔가요?

2. Do you think that people become better communicators as they get older?

    사람들이 나이가 들어가면서 의사소통이 더 원활해질 것이라고 생각하나요?

3. Do you agree that education has a strong effect on people’s ability to communicate        effectively?

     여러분은 교육이 사람들이 효과적으로 의사 소통하는 능력에 강하게 영향을 준다고 생각하나요?

4. What makes someone a good conversationalist?

    어떤 요인이 달변가를 만드나요?

5. How can people improve their conversation skills?

   사람들은 어떻게 의사 소통능력을 키우나요?

6. Do you agree that some people use technology to communicate too much?

   여러분은 사람들이 의사 소통하는데 기술을 너무 많이 사용하고 있다고 생각하나요?

7. What are the differences between the attitudes of the older and younger generation towards  communication technology?

   의사 소통기술에 대한 젊은 세대와 기성 세대의 태도에 어떤 차이가 있나요?

8. How will people communicate in the future?

    미래에 사람들은 어떻게 의사 소통할까요?

< Sample answer >

1. What are the differences between face-to-face communication and telephone communication?
   OK... I’d say there are several differences... With face-to-face communication, you can perhaps communicate more clearly because you can express yourself through body language and facial expressions, and also understand your conversation partner better, too. And... obviously, on the telephone, you can communicate over long distances with several people in different countries, which can be really handy. So those are a couple of differences.

2. Do you think that people become better communicators as they get older?
   Erm... I think it depends on personality. I mean, some people become better conversationalists as they age because they have more experience communicating with people, so they learn how to express themselves effectively. But sometimes people become more stubborn as they get older, and don’t want to listen to other people, which aren’t the qualities of a good communicator. So basically, it depends, I reckon.

3. Do you agree that education has a strong effect on people’s ability to communicate effectively?
   Yeah, I guess so. I mean, usually, the more well-educated you are, the wider your vocabulary is and the stronger your grasp of tone and register... Also... at school, you learn to communicate with lots of different people – teachers, students, maybe your classmates’ parents – and in various situations – giving presentations, writing essays, working on team projects, stuff like that. It’s hard to replicate that outside of education. So yeah, I think schooling does have an effect.

4. What makes someone a good conversationalist?
   I’d say that various factors are important. Erm... One is that you have to be a good listener so that you can respond appropriately to what your conversation partner says. You can’t have a good conversation if you don’t listen. And... another is that you have to have a wide enough vocabulary to clearly articulate how you feel and what you think. I guess you also have to be able to judge the situation so you know what kind of speech is appropriate – jokes, formal language, that sort of thing. So those are a few qualities of good conversationalists.

    

5. How can people improve their conversation skills?
   I think the main way is to follow others. I mean... you need to listen to successful communicators and then practise by having conversations yourself. It’s like most skills – you need to see how it’s done and then put the knowledge you gain into practice. That’s the most essential, I reckon.

6. Do you agree that some people use technology to communicate too much?
   Yeah, sure. I mean technology is handy for communication in that it helps us to chat instantaneously and over long distances, but it shouldn’t be used too much. It’s crucial for us to talk face-to-face for us to build up our interpersonal skills, for example. Communication technology like instant messengers can also distract workers from their jobs and students from their schoolwork. And in practical terms, if everyone is looking at their phones all the time, it’s easy to get into an accident, on the road or on the street! So yeah, I think people do use it too much.

7. What are the differences between the attitudes of the older and younger generation towards communication technology?
   I guess the elderly tend to be more suspicious of communication technology because they haven’t grown up with it so they can perhaps more fully appreciate the benefits of face-to-face communication. On the other hand... younger people grow up with that kind of technology so they accept it as normal, and can usually adapt to it more easily. So the attitudes are often distinct, I reckon.

8. How will people communicate in the future?
   The possibilities are endless so it’s kind of hard to predict, but... If I had to say, I’d guess that people will use more sophisticated communication technology... For example, we might be able to video chat with people all around the world with just a pair of glasses or contact lenses... Something like that.

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