Communication Rubric

The ability to use reading, thinking, writing and speaking to convey ideas, information and intentions effectively and in a manner that is appropriate to the topic, situation and audience; the ability to interpret accurately and critically the messages produced by others, and to respond appropriately.

Description

Communication encompasses the variety of ways people use messages to create and share meaning across disciplines, professions, and modalities.  Effective communication requires informed, intentional decisions that consider audience, context, purpose, knowledge, and ethical perspectives. These decisions affect the delivery, the type and amount of content, and the communication channels selected. Effective and ethical communication also includes examining the impact, whether the communication achieved its intended purpose, and the ability to interpret the messages of others.

PDF

A traditional rubric PDF for Communication can be found here

Audience, Context, Purpose

Communication goes beyond achieving the intended effect, and elicits new knowledge, questions or understandings about the subject matter.

Language and nonverbal elements meet intended audiences’ information interests, needs, and expectations in line with norms and conventions appropriate to the situation.

Language and nonverbal elements meet some intended audiences’ information interests, needs, and expectations in line with norms and conventions appropriate to the situation. Delivery of message may reduce engagement and impact.

Identifies audience, purpose and context. Choices in delivery and content do not match needs or expectations of intended audience, purpose or context.

Does not identify audience, purpose and context.

Content Knowledge

Creates new knowledge based on research and sources from relevant fields.

Selection of research and knowledge is taken from relevant fields and sources with appropriate depth. Presentation of content sufficiently addresses communication goal.

Demonstrates some content knowledge from relevant fields. Presentation of content partially addresses communication goal.

Content knowledge is superficial or does not connect to the communication goal.

Presents no content knowledge or factually incorrect knowledge.

Communication Channels

Identifies how the norms and rules of the medium guide/shape production of message.

Chooses the most appropriate communication channel for the message. Selects and organizes content using medium norms and rules to produce a unified message.

Chooses an appropriate communication channel. Message may imperfectly respond to medium norms and rules.

Chooses inappropriate communication channel. Content components of message are ineffective.

No evidence of intentional choice of communication channel.

Ethical Principles

Synthesizes personal and professional ethical perspectives to communicate with ethical intention.

Evaluates which professional ethics and values should be applied. Choice of professional ethics and personal values informs communication choices.

Applies some professional ethics and/or personal values to shape communication choices.

Identifies some ethical dimensions relevant to a communication situation.

Does not identify ethical dimensions to a communication situation.

Impact

Analyzes multiple paths for improvement and justifies best paths to implement future communications.

Accurately analyzes success or failure of message, and suggests how to improve next time.

Partially analyzes success or failure of message.

Misjudges effectiveness of message.

Does not analyze of message was successful.

Interpret Messages

Analyzes how medium norms and rules guide/shape interpretation of messages.

Accurately interprets messages to draw more complex inferences.

Accurately interprets messages.

Partially interprets messages.

Misinterprets messages.