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Communication
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 Attends to the choice of working language(s)
 Chooses modes of communication that suit the particular communicative purpose
 Establishes suitable communication networks
 Establishes and agrees communication protocols
 Takes steps to deal with communication problems
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Motivated to learn and use other languages, and willing to invest time and effort in this
 Confident in ability to pick up and use foreign languages
 Tries out words and expressions in unfamiliar languages
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Adapts use of language to the proficiency level of the recipient(s) so as to maximise comprehensibility
 Pays attention to, and adapts where necessary, aspects such as:
 Speed
 Frequency and length of pausing
 Complexity of sentence structure
 Complexity of vocabulary
 Use of idioms and colloquialisms
 Use of local accents and dialects
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Listens attentively
 Signals that listening is taking place
 Regularly checks and clarifies the meaning of important words and phrases, to ensure that all participants attach the same meaning to them, even when they are well known
 Notices potential misunderstandings and seeks clarification/negotiates meaning until common understanding is reached
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Attuning |
 Adept at observing indirect signals of meaning, such as intonation, eye contact and body language, and at picking up meaning from them
 Pro-actively studies indirect signals of meaning, asking about them in order to deepen their knowledge at a conscious level
 Learns to interpret indirect signals appropriately in different cultural and communicative contexts
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Discloses and elicits background information that is needed for mutual understanding and meaningful negotiation
 Structures and highlights information by using discourse markers to ‘label’ language, by using visual or written aids, and by paying attention to the sequencing of information
 Exposes own intentions by explaining not only ‘what’ s/he wants, but also ‘why’ s/he wants it
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Stylistic flexibility |
 Pays attention to the different styles of communication (e.g. formal/informal; expressive/restrained) that people may use
 Builds a repertoire of styles to suit different purposes, contexts and audiences
Uses different language styles flexibly to suit different purposes, contexts and audiences
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