Section Name
Commentary
Abstract
There have been many attempts to identify "communication competence" by communication scholars. Many attempts in determining definitions have focused on action definitions (speaker-defined competence) and reaction definitions (listener defined competence). In agreeing that communication is transactional, communication competence should be held to the same standard. Communication competence must be viewed as a joint effort by all participants in a situation; not as solely dependent on the communicator or the listener).
Public speaking evaluation forms attempt to measure communication competence of the speaker only. A recent attempt is The Competent Speaker Speech Evaluation Form (1992). This form identifies 8 competencies for the public speaker. These competencies offer the same problems to users that other forms have. These include: (1) the discrimination of the different levels of competence, (2) the subjective judgments from the teacher's point of view to the audience as a whole, and (3) the cultural narrowness of the descriptions of the competencies.
Recommended Citation
Hugenberg, Lawrence W. and Yoder, Donald D.
(1993)
"Communication Competence: A Commentary,"
Basic Communication Course Annual: Vol. 5, Article 15.
Available at:
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/bcca/vol5/iss1/15
Included in
Higher Education Commons, Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Other Communication Commons, Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons