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Communication Competence: Former US President Barrack Obama and President Elect Dr William Ruto.

Communication competence refers to the knowledge of effective and appropriate communication patterns and the ability to use and adapt that knowledge in various contexts (Ralph and Deborah, 1984).

 Interpersonal competency allows one to achieve their communication goals without causing the other party to lose face. Competent communicators get their messages across as they intended; misunderstandings rarely occur. The following are components of communication competence.

Empathy. It refers to sharing the feeling of your audience. President Obama displayed this component as he was addressing the community of Orlando when he told them “Today, the vice president and I, on behalf of the American people, that our hearts are broken, too, but we stand with you and that we are here for you, and that we are remembering those who you loved so deeply.” 

Adaptability. This refers to the ability to adapt to a communicative environment. When President Obama addressed youth during his visit to Kenya, he displayed adaptability by greeting them in their local language “Niaje wasee." 

Ethics. They are principles which guide us in judging whether something is morally wrong or right, good or bad. 

Self awareness. Self-awareness means that you know how your thoughts, emotions and behaviors affect others and you’re able to manage yourself so that the other person is an important part of the conversation. One can achieve self awareness by self monitoring; observing your behaviour and making sure it is appropriate for any given situation. 

Levels of communication

Grammatical competence. It is the ability to recognize and produce the distinctive grammatical structures of a language and to use them effectively in communication (Chomsky, 1981). It is the ability to use parts of speech and their functions. President elect William Ruto expresses himself coherently, with minimal errors.

Pragmatic competence. According to Chomsky (1965), pragmatic competence is defined as the ability to place “language in the institutional settings of its use, relating intentions and purposes to the linguistic means at hand.” According to Chomsky, grammatical competence is limited to knowledge of form and meaning whereas pragmatics is concerned with knowledge of conditions and manner of appropriate use. President elect Dr William Ruto has this competence because he is able to express himself clearly in an organized, coherent manner according to the situation.

Semantic competence. It is the ability to express thoughts on language, characters from daily experiences and culture. This is also how a user of the language is able to understand and interpret the non-literal meaning in a given utterance.

Linguistic competence. This refers to the maturity of vocabulary that is adequate to express knowledge experience, perception, emotion and personal opinion.

Social linguistic competence. Savignon (1983) defines Sociolinguistic competence as “the knowledge of socio-cultural rules of discourse and language. It requires an understanding of the social context in which language is used: the roles of participants, the information they share, and the function of interacting.” In his campaigns, Ruto made himself relatable to the common mwananchi. Hustlers felt that he is a part of them and he knows the challenges they go through.

Functional competence. This is the ability to express yourself according to a communication function. President elect William Ruto displays this component because he is able to express himself clearly in an organized, coherent manner according to any situation.

References

Cooley, R. and Roach, D. (1984). A Conceptual Framework in Competence in Communication: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Beverly Hills: Sage publishers

Savignon, J. (1983). Communicative Competence: Theory and Classroom Practice. MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company

Chomsky, N. (1969). Linguistics and Philosophy. New York: New York University Press

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